The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-19
STANDARD OIL
MAKES TERMS
WITH SEAMEN
About 5000 Employees AT
fected By Concessions of
Great Corporation.

I New York, April 19-Except for the
Gulf and West Indian lines, all the
steamship lines under the American
flag with headquarters in this city had
come to terms with the striking sea-
men of the International Seamen s
union last night. The Standard Oil
Co. signed the agreement with the
union this morning, and this left the
Mallory, Clyde, Morgan and Ward
Lines still holding out. G. H. Brown,
local secretary of the union, said that
about 5000 men were affected by the
Standard Oil Co.'S concessions He
added that in every case so far the
companies had granted the full extent
of the mems deman6fsssx There had
been no compromise agreem ents.
1t is estimated by the strikers that
aobut 500 men are out from the ships
of the lines which are still ignoring
the strike. All of. these lines were
busy endeavoring to get non-unfon
men to take the strikers places. Ac-
cording to Mr. Brown, the Ward Line
steamship Havana, which was able to
had placed % Cubans in her fore
castle. He declared that the West
Indian lines were prepared to employ
Cuban and West Indian labor to en-
able them to avoid yielding to the de-
mands of the union. The strikers
they called out all along the coast
the great majority had gone back
to work, after winning the Improved
wage contracts they struck for.
I'VE are winning everywhere" as
serted Mr.. Brown. 1--WE expect to
have some trouble before the remain
ing lines give in, however, they
are our most determined opponents.
What we are fighting for is not merely
ourselves. but the future of the Amer
lean mercantile marine. We are try
ing to do just what the new Seamen's
law aims to do-bring back the ma
tive American to the sea- In order
to do that, you must have working and
living conditions as good in reason
as those to be found on the land.
'sAs things have been, very few men
have been willing to stay at sea, If
they could get jobs ashore. They
may sail a couple of voyages, but they
grow tired of it. We want to give
them induceme nts not to go back
ashore. That would mean that there
would be a sufficient supply of sea-
soned, trained labor all the time. ii
'tOf course, as matters stand today,
with the great demand for handy Ia
Dor ashore. saiIormen would be fools
to- go to sea- under bad conditions
pay ashore. Every man that I have
out on strike I can place in good
shore job if I want to; have placed
some of them. All we are asking
for is wages that will meet the com
petition of other trades. If the lines
would only see it, we are fighting
in their interests as much as in our
own
In Philadelphia, Mr.. Brown added,
employers of seamen actually had an
ticipated the calling of the strike by
adancing wages beyond the extent de-
manded in the unions u1timatum, in
order that the crews might not be
drawn off by factories paying war
wage-rates.
There was some talk that the Mar
inc Cooks and Stewards Association,
of 2 Water street, might start a sym
pathetic strike in order toy secure in
creases of pay ranging from 10 to 20
per cent. But nothing serious had
developed up to this afternoon.
The New York Boat Owners asso-
citation. composed of owners of vessels
plying in the harbor, after, receiving
a notice from their employees that
they would strike May I, unless in
creases of about so per cent. in wages
were granted, took the bull by the
labor and intimating that as fast as
they obtained men they would lay off
their union employees.
s'It looks very much as If the strike
will not come off, said a representa-
tive of the association. ST think we
have called the unions bluff. Yes
terday more than $50 applications for
employment were received at this Of
fee, and they are still coming In. We
can get all the labor we want in place
of strikers. In fact, think we have
taken the union by surprise. Hereto
fore, it has been the custom to wait
until the strike was called before TAX
ing steps to replace the strikers. But
this time we have anticipated the
strike by two weeks, and do not
think that many men will stand by and
see their jobs lost. Reasonable de-
m ands we are willing to consider, but
not the ridiculous terms proposed by
tTe union, -