Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-02-16
DEFIANCE
Continued from Page Onel

trust 10 their government to deal fair
ily with them
Peculiar Situation Presented.
Hutchesons virtual defiance of the
Shipping Board presents a situation on
which officials declined to comment.
MI Hurley's request that men be put
back at work Immediately carried no
threat and Shipping Board officials
would not say what steps they have in
mind.
Reports that local exemption boards
are preparing to call into the military
service striking shipyard workers with
in the draft age prompted the Shipping
Board to send kilograms urging that
no such action be taken. Deferred
| classification for shipyard workers has
! been put by the provost marshal gen
erals Office in charge of the Industrial
Service section of the shipping board,
! headed by Meyer Bloomfield, and the
board desires that all draft questions
be decided in Washington.
President to Follow Every Move.
President Wilson is known to be Civ
! ing personal attention to the iaoor sit
uation and is following every move in
the shipyard strikes.
Hutcheson. in declining to ask the
strikers to return TO work called Chair
man Hurleys attention to proposed
! agreement he submitted Fen. for an
| adjustment of the situation and de-
| clared he had done his utmost to pre-
vent the men from quitting work.
Shiyriper ri rff i,lc ia 10Th
! that the agreement was not accepted
! because it did not provide for settle
ment of difference by the adjustment
board and because it contemplated a
closed shop arrangement.
! Telegram to Hutchinson
! Chairman IIurley's telegram to ITutchc-
son said
! Yours of the l4th received. You were
present al the convention OF the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor in Buffalo on
Friday, Nov. %, when by A unanimous
vote resolution was passed stating that
1t is necessary to the nations protection
AS We'll as to the welfare of the trade
union movement. that there should be no
cessation of work except as a last resort
and after due hearing. DO YOU or do vow
not approve of this position today? You
state: 1 have endeavored 10 nv utmost
to prevent cessation of work being done
by members Of our organization g,
ships
The facts are as follows: "On Aug
~ last an agreement was signed by Mr.
Roosevelt as acting secretary OF the ma
Wy: by neyself as chairman of the i-n,.-
ell States Shipping Board. and Admiral
Capps. general manager OF the Elnergen-
ICY Fleet Corporations: by Mr.. Gompers as
president of the American Federation OF
Labor, and by il representatives Of or
Ranized labor, mainly international presi-
dents whose members are employed in
the construction of ships
Under this agreement d board was s
! tablished composed of a representative OF
the navy department and Emergency
Fleet Corporation, a representative OF or
gained labor appointed by Mr.. Gompers.
and the chairman of the board appointed
by the President of the United states
The agreement provided that al! disputes
as to wages, hours and conditions Of en-
p!oyment should be submitted to this
board for settlement. The official posi-
tons OF the signers Of this agreement are
a guarantee of its fairness.
You are the only international pres
ident of all crafts working in the ship
yards who has refused 10 become a
party to this agreement Are the 9TH
er international presidents less patti
otto, or less careful of the intol ests
of their crafts than Yourself? it is
true, as YOU state in YOUR letter Of
/ the IA, that YOU have tried to arrange
matters during the past six months,
but your efforts have been confined to
demanding Special privileges for your
organization that would disci inmate
IN their favor as against the other
crafts.
You have known that you could be-
come a party 10 this agreement at any
time and hereby cooperate with the
government and the other repr,se nta-
tives of organized labor in preventing
cessation of work in this hon. of oGr
national crisis. The members of YOUR
organization who are defending yoa
and your country in Fran = should
have had assistance.
81 do not question the patriotism of
YOUR members and. in fact. have reason
to believe they are as loyal as members