The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-08
BAY TIEUP HANGS
ON ACTION TO-DAY
Striking engineers and Boat
Owners to Confer in Effort
for Peace.
DEADLOCK rs FEARED

Unless an agreement is reached to-day
At the conference between representa-
tives OF the Marine Engineers Beneficial
Association and the New York Boat
Owners Association the arbitration pro-
ceedings that have been going on at the
Barge Office for the past half week will
probably be ended and u. J. keefe and
il. u. Heating. commissioners of concilia-
ton, who havc been presiding, will re-
port to the Federal Department OF Labor
with the situation still a deadlock.
The harbor will then face n greater
ueup OF freight traffic than has been
eeen even during the past week. for OFF,
GERS OF the engineers union may order
a general strike. This would call out
the crews that nave been working dur
Ing the last seven days. Members ~
the boat wners association. however.
were still determined yesterday to re-
fuse to accept the proposed wage scale.
particularly the demand for -four days
of a month.
"The question IL. Who can stand u
the longest" said Fred u. Dalzcll. vice.
president OF the New York Boat owners
Association. He c~ontradicted the state
ment by Thomas ". Ielahunty, business
manager OF the engineers organization,
that engineers work 3S5 days a year.
Not one-third of the engineers are
called upon to work seven days "A week.
The STANDARD OIL and railroad tugs. for
instance. generally lay up on Sunday.
The tugs in lrouble now are those with
out fixed employment. such as the boats
Of the Barrett. Mutual n Dalzell lines.
These companies, among other Jobs. dock
steamships and oil tankers, which are
frequently due on Sunday.
Though they may not arrive then. II
is always necessary to have the tugs
ready and the crews on them. As a
matter Of fact, it has been our habit
to lay w half our boats on alternate
Sundays. but owing to the strenuous
times OF tho past seven months we rave
been unable to do So
Mr.. Dalzell said that the men ~ his
line were willing to return to work II
the union would permit them, four EN-
gineers having expressed their readiness
to take cut tugs at any omcn During
the past week. he said. the strike hai
deprived the men OF 10000 IN wages,
the loss falling moi only upon the en-
Gineers hut upon the captains. deckhairis
IN cooks who we're unable to go on,
without the engine room stats.
Although declining to grant a day
OF zach week. Mr.. palzell said that the
boat owners were willing to accedc to
two DAYS a month. aud mad submitted
what they considered was a air wage
scale for three classes of tugs. In the
hret Cla~ss-engaged in towing dirt
oArges-the engineers would receive
from 500 to $iio. with board In the
8econd class. composed OF steamship
tugs and ,owboats taking the overflow
work. from $50 to sIlo, and the third
class. made up of the smallest tugs
from SIS TO sl0n.
"What the union leaders are aiming
at said Mr.. Dalzel!. "is TO get the
owners 10 sign a contract with th'
union. although only half the men be
long to the organization. II we die
sign II and an engineer let his engine
get hot or burned his oiler through care.
1essness. we couldn't discharge him, lie
cause the union wouldn't let another
man take his place. thus preventing ouI
crews from working
He added that several members OF thu
Maritime Exchange on saturday haC
professed 10 see the activities of Ger
man agents behind the strike. which /.
holding NJ large shipments of munition,
to the Allies.