Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-08-10
GOTHAM FOOD SHORT.
Strike of Tugboat Men Threat
 ems City's Supply.
DEMAND FOR MORE PAY THE CAUSE
Workers Want Increase Which Em- Dl0yers Declare Unreasonable. Employees of Six Railroads
 Are Involved.

l ployers Declare Unreasonable. Employees of Six Railroads Are Involved.
 NEW YORK, Aug 10.-A famine of milk, vegetables and other food prod ucts is threatened in New York and Brooklyn by the strike of the tugboat crews of six great railroads that bring these edibles to the city every morn ing. A large majority of the tugs are tiod up because the firemen. oilers, deck hands and mates walked out. The general freight business will sui fer as much.
 A final effort to effect reconcilia- ton failed. The strike went on. The railroads will not grant the advance In wages demanded, and the men abruptly refused to go to work. The test of strength has come, and while 1t goes on New York will have ts curtail its thrist for milk and its taste for ] fresh vegetables.
 1 The strikers said that they had in- formation that the crews employed by many of the private companies. which employ hundreds of men, would follow them out on sympathetic strike. Should that occur all the towing busi- ness of the port will be tied up. l The crews of boats run by the New York Central, the Jersey Central, the Lackawanna, the Lehigh Valley, the Erie and the Baltimore and Ohio de manded that they be paid from $5 to $10 per month more. They declared that they have to work twelve hours a day and in the winter get no Sun days of. At conference between the managers and the representatives of the strikers Walter B. Pollock, the ma rine manager of the New York Cen tral, offered to pay s per month more. It was rejected. Later he held con ference with the marine managers of the other roads, and they agreed with him.
 When word was sent to the striking workmen they declared that they would never give in. At this time there is therefore no hope of settling the conflict beyond the statement of Superintendent Eiseman of the marine department of the New York Central that he is getting all the men that be wants and wijl be able to man his boats in few days.
 we are willing to give them an in crease of 8 a month and think they should be satisfied" said MT. Pollock. l ''We are also willing to take into con sideration the demands for a further increase on the part of the first class deck hands. A 10 per cent increase we consider a reasonable demand, but 20 per cent increase we regard as out of the question just now.
 | "I want to make 1t plain that there will be no delay in delivering such freight as foodstuffs. There are plenty of men to be had to make a prompt ihdndlnSg iof this class of merchandise possible"
 A move was made by the New York Central which the men interpret as an evidence of weakness. An order was sent out increasing the wages of all the captains of the big fleets that carry the great freight trains to the city from various freight terminals by $5 per month. The strikers declared that this was done for fear that the men on the floats were about to join the strike.
 The feeling along the water front is that the strike will be of short dura- ton. The railroad people will not be able to get the assistance of the pri- vate towing companies to do their lighterage towing, as the private com panies are overcrowded with work.