New-York tribune., 1919-01-14
Four Members Are Named
to Hear Testimony of Enl-
ployers and Employees
Taft Makes Statement
Says Body Will Follow
Matter to Issue Dcspiae
the Attitude Of Amy Pa~sy

Without regard to the refusal Of New
York harbor boat owners TO suhlnit 10
its arbitration the National War Labor
Board began to function here ycstel~
day TO settle the wages and hours dis
pute between the harbor bnatmen and
dock workers and their employers, in
Guiding four great governmaa@ dcpart-
ments and the City of Nez7 Te-s.. These
public employers control oA9r1 80 par
cent of the equipment involved and tbs
private owners the remaining 80 nar
cent
Because of the boat owners at1i1ude
legal officers of the government have
begun looking into the question Of Fed
eral power to seize privately ow-sa
hartor boats to meet the necessities @
the civil population.
Former President William HoT,lcrd
Taft, who is joint chairman o. the
board with Basil NJ Manly, in
announcing the boards decision 10
settle the controversy in spits o. she
sThe workers in this c-sae n.rwe IN
vcAed this means O. sc5s-1 s..c1.,s. by
agreement, and Is has lee.s dct-saassd
by the failure OF the othe- side to do
the things necessary In ozde-' tha5 the
board may be properly constituted and
act.
Board VIII Settle Issu>
"Therefore. the case now comes De-
fore this board TO do tha- which should
have been done by ag-se-aanss md this
board, in view of the direction . tn
President, viii now proceed SO hear
this issue thus made, as presented. on
wages and hours
''The board rs conscious OF the very
great Importance nationally and to
this city and to The trade of the neigA
borhood as well and the.eiore is snx
souS to promote as fEorour> an1
speedy settlement as possible
Mr.. Taft then announced the apDoin:-
ment of four members to tax cvi
dence- These hearings will begin n
2:30 this afternoon in the Board OF
Estimate room The full membership
of the board is to sit in Washington
Wednesday, according to present plans,
anu Is 70 near arguments dhc review
the evidence, after which the board
will make an award These members
will take evidence: o. the labor
group, w. L. Hutcheson ard AdNm
Wilkinson; of the emp.oyer group,
John F. Perkins and G. E. Michael.
All yesterday the harbor was Sblor-
ma!ly busy as tugs, scoW5 and fiery
boats steamed about in al effort to re-
duce the congestion OF freight that had
accumulated during the tie-up that
lasted from early Thursday morning
unit! midnight Saturday.
Beard Session Begins
Even so, there were enough Idle boat
men to fill the spectators seats in the
Board cf Estimate hearing room in
City Hall and to crowd the corridor. 1t
lad been announced tha- the War
Labor Board would sit al 10 O'Clock, but
it was after u before they fled into
the room and took the seats usually c.
cupied by city officials, Mr. Taft sit
ting in Mayor Hylan's high backed
chair in the middle Of the semi circle.
Sitting for the employers besides Mr..
Taft, we're Loyal Osborne, c. T.
Michael. c. A. Crocker, John F. Per-
Eins, W. II. Van Dervoort and II. II.
Rice. For the employees we're Joint
Chairman Manly, Fred Hewitt, W l..
Hutcheson, Adam Wilkinson r. A.
Rickert, r. NJ Guerin end John J. Man
ming. In addition. William Harmon
Black, the vice chairman for labor
was present.
In opening the proceedings Mr.. TAFT
stated that the board had Gene at the
request of President Wilson to take up
again the controversy between the har-
Dor workmen and their employers As
the workmen were the complainants he
invited their legal adviser to state
their case. Their adviser was Frank
r. Walsh, who until recently was
laoors chairman on the board and MIR.
Taft's colleague.
Walsh States Demands
Mr. Walsh said:
Our demand is for raise in wages
that IN majority of eases Will bring
It up to decent living wage We have
another demand, and that is that the
elght-nour day be put in force We are
htill IN state Of war. So far as tho
pubic * concerned, there is as much
necessity for your Intervention and set
uement as though ouf soldiers were
still engaged with arms"
Mr Walsh read copy of cable
gram sent to President Wilson by the
boatmen Sunday. IN which they in
formed the President they had com
pied with his cablcd request and sub
Board Then Mr.. Walsh said:
We are going to ask the private boat
owners TO send d similar message to
president Wilson so that he may be
undisturbed in mind at the peace con
terence, so that he VIII know we have
arrived at time when there shall be
10 more autocracy in Arnerca"-
Chairman Taft interrupted at that
posnt with: "Mr. Walsh, / don't think
We need to go into details on that"
For the next ten minutes Mr.. Walsh
Continued to talk, terming the strike
almost Il reproach to the government .
But before he could make clear his
views on jurisdiction Mr.. Taft re-
minded him that the question Of juris-
diction had not been raised.
Ask Straight Eight-Hour Day
Loyal Osborne asked Mr.. Walsh if
me men were demanding a basic eight
hour Day or straight cight-hour day,
ard Mr.. Walsh replied that the demand
','ss ftr u straight eight-hour day.
Then these men identified themselves
a; fhe departmenta they represented: i:
Captain William Hutchinson, for tn
n7sy; Captain Francis A. Robinson. for
tf> army; benjamin NJ. squires. for
the chipping Board, and J. II. S;nes. FOR
the Railroad Administration. All stated
tt.at m departments Of the govern.
nisnt Represented b. them were willing
70 submit their interests H. The con.
ols -tS.as 4