Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1912-05-23
Holds Busy and Important
Session---More Tideland
Fills Suggested
President of International
Longshoremen's Union
Talks to Chamber


deem Chamber of Commerce at Ho-
tel Washington Tuesday was attend
ed by nearly 100 members and had as
guests T. V. O'Connor, president of
the International Longshoremens I'm
ion, and John kean, of San Francisco,
and j. A. Madison, of Portland, presi-
dent and secretary respectively of the
Pacific Coast division of the Union.
Mr.. O'Connor spoke at some length
of the controversy with his union at
this port, saying that he was here in
the interest of peace; that he had
never yet signed a strike order, and
hoped he never would. He complain
ed that the Grays Harbor Stevedore
Co. had been side-stepping a confer
ence, and said the company now had
on it's pay roll II members of the
l. w. W.. an organization he bitterly
denounced as a menace to the cOun-
try, saying man could not belong
to his union and be an !. w. w.
While declaring the union did not
come to tyrannize, he said the union
was in position to destroy the COM
merce of Grays Harbor, by refusing
to unload vessels from this port, and
sort to extreme measures until all
efforts to secure a settlement were
exhausted.
w. B. Mack. manager of the S. E.
Slade Lumber Co. replied. saying he
only spoke for his company. He re-
ferred to the intolerable conditions
existing under the old union five
years ago, and declared that rather
than return to those conditions he
would shut down his plant.
J. A. Hood advised giving the union
officials a hearing, and endeavor to
effect a peaceful settlement of the
controversy, and w. ]. Patterson
made a short address along the same
line.
O'Connor was read. 1t provided for
preference being given the union
men, the union agreeing to furnish
all the men needed, but the stevedOre
company reserving the right to hire
and discharge all employees. No re-
striction is to be placed upon the
work a longshoreman shall do; all
cases of dispute shall be referred to
an arbitration board and work shall
be continued pending the result of
the boards decision; work on Sun
days and legal holidays shall be al
lowed and the wage scale shall be
the same as that now paid by the
stevedore company.
Fill More TideIands.
B. F. Cauthorn. chairman of the
public improvements committee, read
report suggesting the filling of the
tidelands west of Division street, and
between E street and the Wishkah
river. Engineer Strong, Of the Ia
coma Dredging Co., said the city
could fill cheaper now than later,
while his company's dredger was here.
and he gave an approximate estimate
of the cost of filling the Western part
of the city at $215 per lot.
City Engineer Ewart said
he was now making estimates
of the fill east of f street
and they would soon be sub
mitted to the city council. He said
the West End fill could not be under
taken now unless the port commits
sion stood part of the expense, as the
property was not valuable enough to
pay for the work
The matter OF better train service
to Ocosta was brought up by S. X.
Bowes. and referred to the transpor-
tation committee.
The southsde road committee re-
ported that the city council had tax
en- steps to build an eight-foot plank
roadway to the city limits.