The Donaldsonville chief., 1908-07-04
NEW ORLEANS LETTER.

of June.
New Orleans, La, July.2. 1908.

crisis IN the labor situation on the
river front. The freight handlers Of
the Illinois Central Railroad employed
at Stuyvesant Docks declared strike
for an increase in wages to twenty
cents an hour, as against the old
scale of eighteen cents. Attempts
were made TO force an agreement With
| the railroad on the higher schedule
! before the first Of the month, the
men having issued an ultimatum to
| the effect that they would accept moth
ing less than twenty cents, but the III
inois Central officials refused to pay
any more wages than they have been
paying. The freight handlers number
several hundred men and are allied
with the dock and cotton council, and
1t is evident that they depend on the
other classes OF dock and cotton
workers to aid them. The railroad
has issued the usual cheerful news
about having plenty of men TO take
the strikers places, but as usual
| it deeply worried and with cause.
The strike means that its immense
export business will be virtually
brought to a standstill If some com.
promise is not reached, as even if
"scabp freight handlers can be found.
the longshoremen and screwmen will
refuse to handle the freight unloaded
by the non-union workers and the
goods will become congested on the
Wharyes unless the places of these
workers are also filed by outside
labor.
The controversy between the long,
shoremen and the stevedores is still
smoldering, also, and this additional
trouble will add to the contention.
The work of ten thousand dollar Gil.
more and his investigating commits
sion does not seem to have borne
much weight as regards the labor end
OF The port problem. Although appar.
emily settled at the time, the breach
between employer and employed was
never drawn nearer together than it
was before. The interference of out
side arbitrators in labor controver-
sizes will never accomplish any real
good; the issues must be met and
dealt with By those directly concerned.
A compromise is always unfair TO
both sides, yet one is expected to be
satisfied berause the other fellow also
gets little the worst OF it from his
own viewpoint. Unless labor and
capital can get together and calmly
settle their respective rights, either
one or the other must and will dictate
his own position and leave the weaker
to accept what is left or leave it. The
labor union movement has been
strengthened by years when the work
ing man had to accept this dictation,
and he is now straining to secure the
dictatorship for himself nothing else
will satisfy him. 1.-THE freight hand.
lers stick to their guns, the situation
will be serious In its effects upon the
entire port.
Another feature touched upon by
the port investigation commission was
emphasized yesterday in the shooting
OF a negro longshoreman by white
man employed on the same ship. The
darkey had cursed his assailant in an
arrogant manner, from all reports OBJ
tainable, and the white man retail ated
IN way which might have proven
fatal. The mingling of whites and
blacks on the river front is a deplor-
able condition which is becoming
worse each year, as the blacks are as
suming an arrogant and independent
position which is arousing a deep
state of feeling on both sides. At
present no solution of the difficulty
seems available, as the work of both
races is required and no feasible plan
for segregating them has been rec.
commended. Although thecommfssion
talked a great deal about it, they
helped this in the same way they did,
other diffieulties-by doing nothing in
the matter. Just the same, Gilmore s
the thousand is virtually IN his
pocket.
The customs receipts for June
reached over the $1,000, 900 m ark, the
greatest in the history OF the port.
The outlook for the import business
for the rest of the year is bright.
KRATS.
The Pay Streak is the name of the
amusement avenue of the Alaska
Yukon Pacific Exposition to be held
at Seattle in 1909, corresponding
to the Midway at Chicago, the
Pike at St. Louis, the Trail at Port
land and the Warpath at jamestown.
The approach to the Pay Streak will
be in the form of exact reproductions of
famous totem poles. There will be a
line on each side Of the avenue. At
night the eyes and grinning mouths
will be illuminated by electric lights,
which will produce au odd effect. The
actual entrance viii be a grand arch.
way of a combination OF japanese
and Chinese architecture. Constr,e.