El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-08-16
SPEEDING Up
HARB0R WORK
United States Employment
Service VIII Supply ALI
the Men Needed.

plovment Of stevedores. marine
workers and longshoremen in every
part Of the United States will be
handled exclusively through the
United States Employment Service.
Because OF unnecessary delays in
loading important war munitions
aboard cargo ships for France and
England. representatives. OF the War
end Navy departments. the Shipping
Board. the Railroad Administration.
znd the Department Of Labor met IN
Washington last week. and drew up
plan Of operation centralizing re-
sponsIbulty Tor the handling OF all
deck labor with the Federal Employ
ulent system
2. v. O'Connor IN Charge.
Capt. Thomas Y. O'Connor. OF New
YORK City. president OF the Interna-
tionaI Lonsshoremen's Union, has
been appointed an officer Of the En-
ployment Service TO carry out this
work. having been granted indefinite
leave OF absence from his usual du-
rles IN order that he may devote all
his attention 20 cutting down the
time for loading and unloading ships
engaged in the war traffic Capt.
O'Connor's title with the Employment
Service viii be director Of stevedores
and marine workers. His offices Will
be III the Bowling Green building.
New York City. Local directors viii
he appointed IN every port where ]
there IS any considerable volume Of /
war shipments.
System Starts in New York.
Because Of its importance as the ]
chief port in the country New York /
has been chosen as the first city /
whore dock work viii be taken over I
By The government employment agen- !
CT. Arrangements have been made 1
providing for the establishment Of a I
central employment office for long I
shoremen near the Battery, and /
branch offices located at every pier I
used IN the transatlantic trade. From 4
the Kew York offices Of the shipping
Board, the Quartermaster Corps OF I
the army. the Navy Department and 4
the railroad administration daily no
tees viii be sent in 70 this central /
office. stating the ship arrivals sched- (
uled for the coming day, the pier at 1
which docking viii be made. the I
maximum number Of men required I
for the prompt discharge OF cargo, {
and the hour at which the stevedores I
should report at the designated pier. 7
The central office viii then see that /
the men are on hand as desired. dis I
tribueng them through the branch /
offices. where every stevedore IN New ]
York who wants work viii be re-
CURED 20 be listed.
VIII Save Much Time
oompIlshed in the same manner, each
branch office serving as the head Z
quarters Of a designated section OF
water front so that no Iongshore-
man VIII be asked 10 serve in a part
n the city distant from the office
whore he is listed E
u is estimsted that days OF invaI-
liable time viii be saved by the in
PRODUCTION Of this system. BY cut
ting down the time spent in harbor. I:
the time spent by every ship in car
rrinE munitions and supplies 10
France viii be shortened. Supplies
Of all sorts viii 1ow more rapidly
without the addition OF a single ton 3
o. new shipping e
To BE Extended to Other Ports.
As soon as the federal employment :
service has actually taken over the {
supply Of all dock labor in New York, :
the same system will be extended TO E
Boston. Philadelphia. Baltimore. Nor E
folk. Charleston and other ports :
where lack Of organization is inter
fering with the handling OF war car E
goes
The read5ustment IN New York,
however. Il aow the important prob
lem This port IS handling a larger i=
volume OF shipping than any other z
port in the world. Its war exports are Re
constantly increasing and the new z
ships now being placed in the ser
vice daily by the Shipping Board add E
% the danger OF harbor congestion I=
unless every effort is made TO load E
and unload vessels with the utmost z
dispatch. thus keeping the piers and E
harbor from being needlessly clogged I=
with idle shipping
Extent OF New York System.
The 7s8 miles Of water front viii E
be covered by this new system. It E
viii extend from Sandy Hook to Ton- E
lers. including Manhattan, Newark E
Bay and the Kills from Bands Point, &
on Long Island Sound, TO Jamaica E
Bay. Branch offices OF the main Of E
flee near the Battery viii be estab- E
lished at Hoboken, Twenty third | E
street and Eleventh avenue, Leroy / E
street on the west side. Wall street I
on the east side. and other points (
The Brooklyn side will be cared for E
by stations a. the foot OF Atlantic E
avenue 8
Needs Given IN Advance.
The shipping interests and steve E
dores viii make their needs known to E
the central office IN advance when f
ever possible. Harbor workers favor F
this new arrangement because It viii E
prevent any favoritism by boss E
steredore, who might discriminate E
between applicants for positions.
The size Of this new work OF the E
United States Employment Service e
may be Indicated by the fact that It e
win handle at the port Of New York E
alone about 10000 men each day. AT e
present there IS no indication Of any E
general shortage Of longshore labor. IL
there being over 10000 stevedores If
available in New York. II
Former Difficulties. IL
The dffffculrv al New York and =