The sun., 1919-07-16
POLICE CLUBS END
MARINE STRIKE RIOT
Workers Attack Guards at
Brooklyn Pier and Are
beaten Back.
FIVE ARRESTS ARE MADE
Vessel Owners Do Not Believe
Navy Men Will Be Placed
on Ships.


twenty-five police In Brooklyn fought
crowd Of 200 strikers from Manhattan
who sought to rush the guards at the
entrance to the New York Dock Com
pany property and gain access TO 'ne
Ward Line per at Joralemon street,
where the Ward liner MORO Castle Is
loading, preparatory to sailing Tor
Havana to-day.
Although the strikers scattered In
every direction after the police at
tackled them with clubs. two men sue
ceeded in slipping by the guards and
reaching the Moro Castle. They made
such effective use of their time that
when they left the ship twenty OF her
hremen and other members Of the crew
left with them.
As soon as the police in Manhattan
telephoned to Brooklyn that the strikers
were on their way across the river, In
spector William Coleman and a dozen
men. and Capt Frank Tierney OF the
Amity street station with as many more,
FASTENED to the gate of the dock COM
pany's property from which the Waro
Line pier juts. Tht fight "vas over In
a few minutes, the strikers refusing the
gauge of battle.
The police arrested five of them and
locked them UP on charges of disorderly
conduct They gave their names as
John r. Hunt and William McFadden,
both OF $40 Belmont avenue, Newark.
MI; s5us Johlson, 656 Henry street ;
Hans Jefferson. 81 Third place. and
Henry Blackwell. 2S5 Fulton street, all
of Brooklyn.
The threat of the United states Ship
ping Board to man the merchant ma
tine with navy crews in the event the
strike of below deck seamen on the
coastwise and transatlantic liners con-
ttuues, was met yesterday with the
counter proposition of the marine aftilia-
lions that not a pound of cargo will be
handled at any port in the world where
these ships dock II the navy men act as
strikebreakers. The various unions or
longshoremen. tide water boatmen, ma
rine engineers and deep sea unions. are
SO, interallied they say that In day
they could close nearly every port on
the Atlantic coast.
Owners of steamships that have been
Communicated by the Shipping Board
90 not believe the board will carry out
such policy, but will enter into fur
ther negotiations with the striking sea-
men
Sink iiOt IL uciiihiib i'p'S
been made by the seamen to the steam
ship companies, although they own and
control most of the coastwise traders.
AS invariably is the case, the unions
treat with the governmental agencies.
confidently believing that they can get
more out of the Government than out
of N ivate corporations At the office OF
the American Steamship Association II
was stated yesterday that the offer OF
10 per cent increase in wages offered
by the shipowners was made simply be-
cause the private corporations were
forced into the raise by the United
States Shipping Board. which informed
them that similar increase would be
iu In force on the Communicated boats
The shiIowners do not feel that the con-
hitions. warrant am increase in wages
hut are willing TO give the extra 10 per
cent. simply to keep the wage schedule
stendardized
1t was further stated that the strike
had very little effect on coastwise ship
ping. where boats were not controlled
BY the Shipping Board.
Calls strike Serious Matter.
Capt Frank :. Ferris. managing
agent for the Shipping Board here
stated that there are about 1856 steam
ships controlled by his board tied up
in the port of New York by the strike.
This strike is a serious matter he
said Definite action will be taken by
the Shipping Board Immediately, either
here or in Washington. In the conces-
sions made to the unions by tbs Ship
ping Board. the men were offered a
raise of two-thrds the amount they
asked"
Along the waterfront ships were ioad.
ing and unloading as usual yesterday
The steamship kennison OF the Lamport
Holt line left for Brazil yesterday
with all the seamen needed. The Brazos
passenger liner Of the New York and
Porto Rico Steamship line, which makes
voyages to the West Indies. is to sal
Saturday. according TO regular SEIZED
ule, and officials do not believe the strike
will interfere.
The Puget Sounds and Bar Harbol
freighters of the Shipping Board are tied
up at the foot OF Joralemon street
Brooklyn. Neither ship has a definite
date for sailing. The. steamship Edna
of the French Canada line was unloaded
yesterday at Bush Terminal. and towed
out to the river and anchored. HeI
crew left Saturday. Four ships. are TIED
up at Pier 5. The Bolova OF the Luck.
enbach line came in from San Fran
cisco, and when the crew was paid OF
all the men quit
About fifteen ships are tied up al
the Morse docks. All of the incoming
ship crews deserted their boats. A
the Kerr dock at the foot of Fifty-sev.
enth street, Brooklyn, the West Lash.
away, the Tacoma and the Shame, al
owned by the Shipping Board. has beer
tied up since Saturday The crew OF
the steamship Deepwater left that boat
at the army base in Brooklyn. This shiI
was used to carry general cargo for the
navy.
SlaS b. Axtell, counsel for the Inter
national Seamen's Union. answered tn,
claim of the steamship owners that The
wage increase Of $40 month for Amer
lean seamen would put American steam
ships at a disadvantage with foregI
chips in foreign trades.
AxteIl Dehnds seamen's Act.
senator Calder OF Brooklyn In 1911
introduced a bill in the United State
Senate calling for the repeal OF the sea
mems act as affecting foreign vessel
and for the reenactment penalizing de
sertion by Imprisonment OF the desertin,
eeamen," said Mrs. Axtell
The seamen.s act, instead of putin,
American ships at a disadvantage witt
foreign ships, caused an Increase en- for
eign vessels OF wages OF ABOUT 800 pc
cent. The wages on American vessels
war risk and all. Increased less than 10
per cent, and on the day the strike wa
called wages on foreign and America,
vessels were approximately equal Ital
ian and French vessels were operate
at a cost slightly lower than American
vessels English and Danish ware ri