The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1910-12-30
PUTTING A BAN ON NEGRO DECK
HANDS.

~ ING y DAN yin NE1nO OGSN /
HANDS.
ST. LOUIS, Dec. 17.-If plans now
under way develop it appears but q
question OF time before the place the
Negro roustabout has held for years
on the steamers of the Mississippi
Will be usurped by white men, who
heretofore have declined to have any
thing to do with steamboating on the
Father of Waters as stevedores.
The packet companies operating
steamboats, on the Mississippi and its
tributaries have experienced no end
Of trouble with Negroes, particularly
in winter when traffic is unusually
heavy on the lower Mississippi. At
times the Negro loustaboutb have
held out until the last minute for
wages that were exorbitant. Many
boats have backed out from their
wharves at Memphis, st. Louis, New
orleans, Cairo and other places, car
rying a crew of roustabouts who had
been engaged at prices averaging
more than 800 per month and board
On many occasions steamboats, have
! left their landings hours and even
days, late, due to inability to get
! together a crew to handle the cargo.
This happened several times at st.
Louis last fall The packet companies
have been working on this one prob
lem for many years and a way of
solving It appears to be in sight.
White men from the east, north
/ and west were imported to The south,
placed aboard these steamers, but
being wholly unaecustomed to such
heavy work at all hours and forced
to sleep on top of all sorts of freight,
eating whom ana where they could
and being served with food that was
anything but wholesome, but which
the Negro ''rousters' thrived on,
t soon dawned on the packet COM
panies that a return to Negro help
would have to be made.
In statement made by John l..
Matthews, secretary of the Mississip-
nj Valley Transportation Company, he
said that it was the purpose of that
company to employ white men in
regular positions and care for and
tdN lD6IIl III ouCll liQLnCl 90 Wa w
satisfactory to them. The idea is to
employ union men, members of the
Stevedores' Union, international Sea-
mems Union, Lake Seamen's Union
and such organizations A confer
; ence was held between Secretary Mat
] thews and Andrew Fureseth, Victor
) Olander and Frank Murray, all rep
resenting seamen's unions, during
the convention of the American Fed
GRAFTON of Labor in st. Louis.
According to the statements made
: by these three men, If the proper ac-
} commodations are provided, as near
, regular hours as can be afforded
/. with wholesome food, they will take
: II upon themselves to furnish all the
+ white labor necessary. The Missis
, sippi Valley Transportation Company
4 will soon have in service its new
i steel steamers and barges Much OF
r the companys freight will be handled
: by machinery, lifting out large units
i n steel crates.
t To operate such machinery as this
|. the Negro roustabouts would be in
g competent, and the result is a stronS
t. effort to persuade white men from
y the great lakes who are skilled il
|, such work, especially in slowing ant
e handling of freight, to come to TIT
J. river.
Quarters aboard the steamers TO
these men will be comfortable, ant
shower baths will be provided. Unio'
wages will be paid and steady EN-
9 ployment is promised.