New-York tribune., 1919-07-18
Ship Strike Chief
Makes No Headway
For a Settlement
F1uuseth Leaves for West
With Prediction That
Owners Will Be Beaten
in Drawn Out Struggle

Andrew Furuseth, international
president of the Seamen's Union, came
to New York yesterday in the hope of
arranging for a settlement of the sea-
mems strike. now in its second week
He left for the West last night with
out having made any progress.
Before leaving New York Mr.. Furu-
seth sent kilograms to William B. Will
son, Secretary Of Labor. and R. B.:
Stevens, vice-chairman Of the United
States Shipping Board, warning those
officials that because Of the strike
large numbers of Americans were leav-
irg their ships with the intention of
returning to their old homes and other
occupations, thereby reducing the per-
centage of American sailors and check
ing, perhaps permanently, the move
ment to get American boys back to sea.
Protests were also made to the immi-
grafton department by local leaders of
the seamen's union that shipping COM
panies are violating the law in bring
ing alien seamen in from the West
According to the information of the
union these men are being brought in
as passengers and in some cases boats
are coming in with largely augmented
crews, the surplus to be transferred
to ships whose crews are on strike.
Charges Law Violation
This, Mr.. Furuseth declared, is seri-
Gus violation of the law, though he said
it was not ;. new one. Of the. strike
itself he was inclined to look for q
long battle.
There is no settlement in sight and
it does not seem to me that any is
possible now," said Mr.. Furuseth. "It
looks as though the only thing to do
is give the ship owners and the ship
ping board the licking they are look
ing for. -,
only in the defeat of the owners As
for the shipping board. we'll, this is
Mr.. Hurley's last kick. He quits
August /, you know"
Before leaving New York Mr.. Fur
useth approved a contract between the
Brooks's Steamship Company and the
union, in which the former agrees to
operate it's thirty-fve ships under union
conditions. Wires were sent out last
night instructing union officials in the
ports where these boats are held to
provide crews
G. H. Brown, the local leader of the
SedlIeI, Sdlu OCHcT COnCTdCCS were uQQor
negotiation, but he declared that most
of the ship owners were holding off
Brown characterized the appeal of the
local agent Of the United States Ship
ping Board for volunteers to man cat
tie ships for France as camoufage.
"He's just looking for strikebreak-
ers," he said. "He is not getting them
either"
To prevent the board getting men
pickets were thrown about the Offices
of the board. Captain Patterson, in
charge of the Office, said yesterday af-
ternoon that he expected to get enough
men. Up to last night he had not sue
ceeded in doing SO.
Report in shipping circles had it that
meeting of the private steamship
owners discussed the advisability Of
making further concessions to thu
strikers and of efforts to induce tho
Shipping Board to take a more ag
gressive position. 1t was finally agreed
it was understood, to make no exten
sive effort to break the strike unit
after the Shipping Board had an op
portunity to try to do so.
There was no disorder about the
docks yesterday end there was no fur
ther trouble reported on foreign-ownec
ships, though several are still held in
port for lack of men,