The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-17

tow no more Of his barges. The own
ers promptly gave In. They saw
something more seductive than keep
Ing their promise; they saw q. higher
freight rate for a month or SO tf VOL
vim was tied UP tight. So they forgot
their agreement.
Wolvin Counters.
When Mr.. Wolvin saw the fight
must be his alone he knew it was
impossible, and he got action at once.
The Pittsburg company settled with
the union. got it's ships out Of ordi-
nary and into commission and started
up lakes for Duluth. During the few
days of idleness he had taken a lot
Of outside ships for United States
Steel ore and now he must have other
freight than itfor his ships. He went
into the general market and swept
1t clean. All the wheat Duluth and
Chicago had to offer he took, a couple
of million bushels; all the coal in
sight for fall delivery he gobbled up
at mouthful, possibly 100000
tons. It was not a very big mouthful,
either, for it meant only one trip for
the Pittsburg ships.
Now freight was not very plentiful
and the outside vesselmen had been
looking on this coal and grain as
something for fall. They had bro
ken their agreements and had lost
what they hoped to gain as we'll.
They had hoped for Scent wheat and
dollar ore in case they let Wolvin
fight his own fight. Evidently it was
not to be. And even worse, for since
then Mr.. Wolvin has been gathering
in all the traffic in sight and has
forced the wheat rate down to IL
cents a bushel. There is not only
no chance of an advance in rates this
fq hut t,or to- :.
to go around, and half of the inde-
pendent ships will be tied up at docks
inside of two weeks. Instead of che
Steel Corporation ships being tied up
without freights, 1t is those of the
others who tried to work the corpor-
alton tn Ut are idle and going out OF
commission. b.
A good many vessel owners kept
themselves aloOf from the difficulty
and neither assured Mr.. Wolvin OF
their aid nor fell down when that aid
was relied upon. Others assured him
OF their help and stuck to their prom
Uses. -
Unions May Fight Each Other.
Another factor in the fight, and one
that has not yet been heard from
is the Marine Engineers Beneficial
association. It will not want to &c
back to the time when the captain
was supreme on his ship, when he
hired every man aboard. It will
fight for its present recognition by
owners. .~J. ~. IF
The Masters and Pilots association
On the other hand, is pledged to fight
for the present system. Next spring
therefore, the vessel owners, includ.
ing those that were not willing to set.
tie the matter now, may have the
spectacle of two unions fighting t.
see which one shall have control O.
his property, while he sits idly by {
mere spectator. .< - -.
A modern steel ship is a pretty
| valuable piece of property and thu
traffic of the lakes is a big thing t.
the west. OF course, such a struggle
cannot last long enough to hurt, ane
IN any contest between unions tn,
licensed masters have far more act
ual power than the licensed engi
neers. - -
! Lake seamen have a. union, too
and they have a knife out for the 9th
/ err organization and are only waitins
the chance to stick it in and turn /
| round inside. % +. =. go. :. .''