The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-01-18
Organized Owners of Vessels
Want to Reduce Wages and
Efface Unions.
Independents Enjoy the Prospect
of Fight, Expecting
Higher Rates.
Captains, Engineers and Other
Wage Farmers Determined to
Maintain Demands.
Special to The journal.

Special to The Journal.
Cleveland, Ohio, Jan. 1S.-The first
act Of great commercial drama is
now playing on the boards in this
the vessel and shipping interests of
the great lakes. The last act may
come before midsummer. 1t may be
even later. In the meantime there
will be something doing. The char
acters and the parts in the bill of the
play are:
United States Steel corporation
aims to extend its policy of wage re-
duction, to increase the number OF
lake ships, and to do away with union
rules.
Republic Iron and Steel company,
| similar role to that of the steel trust.
Independent vessel owners. They
| want to keep the boats of the steel
trust tied up in order to obtain high
| err freight rates for carrying the steer
| trusts iron ore.
Masters and Pilots Association-Its
aim is to secure higher wages and to
have captains hire all employees OF
ships.
Marine Engineers Beneficial Asso-
ciation-Its members object to being
placed under captains and want form
err contracts with all their restrictions
! on vessel owners cOntinuend.
! Passenger and Merchandise lines
They want lower wages, but are not
| willing to remain idle after navigation
opens.
! The spectators, innocent but in
tensely Interested, are the vast pOpu-
| lation in the iron ore region and IN
the lake cities which depend on bust
ness at the docks for livelihood.
Wages Reduced.
General orders went forth from the
steel trust executive committee to-day
| for a wage reduction on it's vessels as
we'll as in it's mills
Vesselmen returning from the lake
! carriers convention at Detroit met
here secretly yesterday, and 1t is SAID
| that plans were then made for the
| greatest labor war ever fought over
! American shipping. The outcome Will
be o Irrational importance to the steel
and allied industries. The result will
only be reached by an ideal contest
] between capital and labor.
| The leaders of the labor unions
| have always praye dior time When
| there would be no nonunion men to
be considered in a labor controversy.
| Such Is now the case with the cap
tains an dengineers of lake boats. No
man can serve in either capacity with
| out a license from the federal govern
ment, and practically every holder of
such license is now a member of a
labor organization.
Strike Is Inevitable.
1t is not believed possible that ar
amicable settlement of the differences
| between the captains and the lake
| carriers can be reached without {
contest. The captains union has al
the ardor Of a new organization fol
| a strike.
At their annual convention the cap.
tains promulgated a series Of cOnces
sions and demand for higher wages
which vesselmen say cannot be agreed
to under any circumstances.
The national convention Of the Ma
rine Engineers Benevolent association
will be held next week at Washing
ton and will appoint a committee tt
confer with the lake carriers on con
tracts for the coming season.
Before leaving for Washington, del
egates from the lakes were most pro
nounced against any proposition tt
reduce wages, even on boats which
cannot be operated proftably OF
freight rates likely to be paid.
The firemen, oilers and water tend
ers' union. which is a part of the In
ternational Longshoremen's union
will also resist any general wage re
duction. No government license is re
uuired for this class Of labor and tn
mems places could probably be quick
ly filled. but a strike Of the fireme1
would prevent any ship from unload
, ing a single cargo, for no longshore
men would work for vessel manne
: by nonunion firemen.
= Fight for Existence.
The labor organizations are enter
ing on a fight for existence with grea
confidence. They have won ever
, contest with the vessel owners for
: number of years. Their fixed polio
, has been to compel the payment c
l wages during all the time they hav
. been on strike and the same polio
Y will be pursued this spring.
. With both the captains and eng
e neers the tendency is to regard wage
= which would have been earned dun
= ing the strike simply as liens on yes
f sells, to be paid when they ultimatel
: go to work.
:, 0UEEp THCTE M 4 CnV