Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-09-19
BUILDING OF SHIPS
TIED Up BY STRIKE
San Francisco's Metal Trades
Trouble Extends Quickly and
Disorder Starts.
$4,000 QUIT; MANY ARRESTED
Federal Board Takes Steps to End
Trouble Other Coast Cities
Are Affected.

Disturbances in various parts OF
san Francisco marked strike begun
there Monday by approximately 25,-
600 metal trades mechanics of that
city and nearby cities. Numerous ar
rests were made Most of the disturb
ances were in connection with the
strike OF employees of the United Rail-
roads Company. with whom striking
metal workers have expressed sympa-
thy.
Mondays strike caused tie-up OF
$3.50 ,0O0,0 Government shipbuilding
and engine construction contracts. AT
first only the shipysrds and few
large machine shops were afiected,b but
the strike spread quickly to other ma
chine shops.
Conferences between employers and
representatives of the workmen and
employers continued at night.
The iron workers and metal trades
mechanics struck at 9 o'clock in the
morning following rejection of their
demands for so per cent. increase in
wages. The walkout in more than
100 plants was carried out without a
hitch it was reported
Feverish eleventh hour efforts to
avert the strike by employees and rep
resentatives of the United States Ship
ping Board failed. Proposals to ar
bitrate on a basis of 10 per cent. in
crease had been rejected by the Con-
ference Committee of the Iron Trades
Council, composed of twenty-five
unions, on whose authority the strike
was declared
Big Plants Are Affected.
The walkout not only affected Gov
eminent shipbuilding and engine con-
struction contracts, but automatically
tied up other construction work. The
Union Iron Works. the Moore-Scott
Iron Works, both shipbuilding plants,
and the Pacific Foundry are to close
Immediately. Among other large
plants affected are the Atlas and
Standard Gas Engine Companies, the
Hall-Scott Engine Company, the By
ron-Jackson and the Oliver Manufac-
turing Companies, and the Bert Gas
Traction Company.
Employers announce that If the
strike was of long duration probably
10000 persons, including organized
workmen of relative trades and their
families would be involved.
r. s. Scot of the Moore-Scott Com
pany said that under the contracts
with the Government the employers
were prohibited from granting any
wage increase without Federal sane
ton. No attempt will be made to oper-
ate any OF the factories or works with
substitutes, according to announce
ment OF employers.
Officials of the Union Iron Works,
the largest of the concerns affected
in statement, asserted the walkout
was not for higher wages, but in sup
port of the strike of platform men of
the United Railroads there for higher
wages, fewer hours, and recognition
of their union This strike entered its
sixth week yesterday.
Other Trades Involved.
The strike spread to many shops
where machinists were employed
Laundry workers in thirty-one places
walked out, sixty molding plants were
tied up, twelve boiler and garment
factories partly suspended operation,
and machinists in automobile shops
quit, according to reports issued from
strike headquarters.
Patternmakers are demanding 81 a
day. The crafts demanding Sc day.
an increase of so per cent include
maclinists, molders, boilermakers,
coppersmiths, electrical workers
steamfitters, metal polishers, ship
wrights, calkers and joiners, structu-
raj iron workers, pile drivers, ship
painters, and shipfitters.
Several concerns at which men quit
work today are making airplane en-
gines for the Government
Portland, Oregon, Sept. l7.-Partial
cessation of work in wooden ship
yards on the Willamette and Column
bia rivers at Vancouver, Wash; St
Helens, Ore, and Astoria, Ore, was
reported today as a result of the