Connecticut western news., 1917-05-31

tains With Oath Bound Band Sworn
 to Resist Conscription stirs Federal
 Officials -Hundreds Of Arrests All
 Over Country Expected.
 Wholesale registration troubles. spy plots and anti-war propaganda are complicated by a strike which threat ems to throw out of gear the entire pro- gram for speed in naval construction.
 Despite the utmost efforts of the gov ernment large group of skilled me chanics and machinists. who cannot immediately be replaced, quit work Oil the warships being rushed to compile ton in the yards of the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Docking com pany on Hampton Roads.
 They rejected the efforts of Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor and a leader of the Council of National Defense, and of r. G. Lewis, conciliator, rushed to the scene by Secretary of Labor Wilson to bring about working agreement
 Important Work Stopped.
 The Newport News yards are han ding more government work probably than any other shipbuilding company in the country. The navy, because of their great facilities awarded them scores of contracts on the understand ing that not a moment would be lost in getting the ships into the water. Especially was this so of number of destroyers needed immediately for submarine hunting in Europe and of other craft demanded for patrol work along the coast.
 In addition the Newport News com pany was at work on several larger ships uper-dreadnaughts and the great battle cruisers which are of vital need should the American fleet become engaged in any major engagement.
 The men made secret demands upon the company which are understood to have included higher wages. Every effort to bring about an agreement was made When the situation began to take on a serious aspect the depart ment of labor rushed MT. Lewis to the scene.
 The navy department let the com pany understand the work must go on. Samuel Gompers also brought his in- fuence to bear. MT. Gompers in public statement had pledged labor to the government and said there would be no slackers to be found within the ranks of organized workmen.
 A lengthy conference was held late in the office of Secretary Daniels in an nffnrf tn hTsin oh hOIIf on6 of strike. The Newport News company was represented by Fred J. Gauntlett, it's resident agent.
 Government Is Anxious.
 The government makes no effort to conceal its anxiety over the situation. It was pointed out that it was almost impossible to replace the men-all ex- perts in their line without seriously hampering the speed program at other yards. The government has been working three shifts at many yards and has been letting all its recent con tracts on cost plus 10 per cent profit basis so that expense might not act to delay speed on it's contracts.
 The strike was the outstanding fea- ture of a situation which is seriously worrying and embarrassing the admin istration. >
 It Is combining with other manifes tations of war opposition or war apa- thy which the government views as menacing the safety of the nation.
 The shipyard strike is not laid to en- emy propaganda, but it is the only one | of the manifestations which is not. ] Instead it Is blamed on the fact that America has not yet awakened to what is required of her and to the sacrifices which she must make and which off. cials fear she seems unwilling to make
 The anti-conschption plots are being trailed down, <and scores, If not hun dreds, of arrests are expected. A seri- ous aspect of the situation is the or ganization In the Virginia mountains of a band sworn to fight conscription to the last. They had built a fort, had plenty of rifles and ammunition and were suspected of having thousand pounds of dynamite stolen from a mu, nitions plant