The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-12-28
STRIKES DELAY
OUR SH|PBU|[D|NG
Bonuses Necessary to Main
tain Six-Day Week En-
ployment
STEVENS OPPOSES
COERCION OF LABOR
To Complete Program 100000 Workmen
Will Be Required for Next Year, as
Against 10000 Now Engaged in
This Line of Work.


b. stevens, a member Of the United |
States shipping board, tcstifying before |
the senate committee which IS invc>ti |
eating the shipping SITUATION, attributed |
the delay Of several months III the COY
enmeut 5 shipbuilding to strikes III
and the reorganization of the |
shipping and emergency fleet corpora
ton. lie also thought part of the de
lay was caused by IAN excessive eau
ton against rrofiteering.
Wage increases, totaling rs much a.
40 per cent over those Of one year ago
in several instances, were made 10 settle
the strikes, Mr.. Stevens testified. How
the shipping board also had rcsorted to
a war premium Of - per cent as IN
inducement to get shipvard workers to
put in six full days week was told BY
Mr.. stevens.
The day : inquiry ended in a heated
argument between Mr.. stevens and
Senator sherman on the question OF
eonSeIipting labor for shipbuilding ana
munitions making. Mr.. Stevens IN
sisted that such step would be I'm
American and would bring about indus
trial slavery which would not be toll
Grated bv American workingmen.
we eonscript soldiers and sailors
for duty 81 hours each day, said
Senator sherman. = Why can ( we con
script men for whom we are now pay
inc high wages and 10 per cent
bonus to get them to work six days
week ? -
Mr.. Stevens said that sentiment was
against such a drastic move.
well we successfully OVERRIDE the
American antipathv to conscripting sol
diers, persisted Senator sherman,
Could we not DO the same thing in
conscripting workmen?
"'That would cause industrial slav-
cry. as the American workingmen see
/ H. was the reply. 1t is a step that
! should he taken only in the last ex-
! ,somitv to save the nation. England
/ forbade several hundred thousand
/ Welsh miners To strike, but they
struck and did net 20 back to work
until they received n wage increase
The witness predicted that rcvul,ion
- feeling would cause the immediate
repeal of such legislation were it at
tempted nov. He further declared that
much more could be- accomplished with
free Labor tha by putting hayonet
bach et the nottingham to coercc Aim.
This Dialogue followed Mr.. Stevens :
/ Explanation OF the steps taken to set
tie strikes in shipyards, which. hr ties
flied, had resulted in the loss to the
government Of 53G,9g2 working DAYS
or the services Of 10000 men for a pc
iod Of 80 DAYS Thirty OF the loo
companies buildiug ships for the gov
eminent were affected by these strikes.
he said, and agreements with the Long
>horemen S and Seameu : unions, which
ended these troubles had been signed
by the shipping board. Sailors en- mer
chant vessels were getting nearly dou
Die what they did before the war
The labor situation. the witness said
presents problem too big for any one
department to handle centralized
policy rs to the relation Of the govern
nent to labor during the war. he dc
clared should be worked out immcdi
atcly
Members Of the committee dwelt a
length on the war premium Of 10 pei
cent, which Mr.. Stevens said was being
tried on the Pacific coast TO Undue,
workingmen to put in 4 full! week o
six day and thereby hasten produc
tion. This premium would become
permanent wage on Feb /, he said, an,
under questioning BIZ Senator Hardin.
he admitted that an additional 10 pc
cent premium would be offered if it DE-
velopcd that il could further stimuiat
: production.
'.Iucrcagad cost Of living made j
necessary to grant increases i'll wages,
Mr.. Stevens declared. Metal worker
on the Pacific coast have been granite
by the government a wage boost of }
ucr cent over that Of year prcviou,
The 10 per cent bonus was to be in ad
dition to that. Even the bonus ia
failed to induce oil men to put in a III
week, and many unmarried men, VIII
could earn enough in four DAYS at tn
Increased wage rate would not wor
longer than that This premium a
present is 2 sort Of experiment. IL
proves successful it will be worth a
the additional that it is costing tn
government il the fastening of pro
duction.
Asked by Senator Harding if theI
were forces at work among these shil
building trades seeking to prottec
Mr.. Stevens said there were some, bu
not any more than were to be foun
among capitalists engaged in govern
mcnt work.
To complete the shipping progra
Tor next year 100000 worlmen woul
be required, as against 10000 no
engaged in tins line Of work, was a
other point developed from Mr.. St
vens. lie said he felt sure this nun
1er could be GOT because the slowil
down Of general construction throug
out the country was releasing tho
sands Of skilled workmen, such
structural ironworkers and carpenter
who could be converted into skill.
hipbuiders.
Turning to the second cause Of a
lay, IA outlined hv Mr.. Stevens. Il