The sun., 1919-06-24
TRANSFERS STRIKE
HALTS SHIPMENTS
Embargo Laid Against Send
ing Fruits and Vegetables
to City.
"a HOUR CURTAILMENT
Strikers Demand Closed Shop,
Increased Pay and Fixed
Hours Of Work.

All railroad shipments OF fruit and
vegetables to this city. are held up to-day
by embargo. and half million dollars
worth of food already delivered Is rot
ting at the various railroad terminals
| and market places as the result of a
strike declared In the small hours OF yer
terday morning by branch of the Inter-
national Brotherhood of Transfers.
American Federation OF Labor. composed
Of about $500 truckmen. chauffeurs and
porters. ..
The embargo was put into effect by
| the railroad officials last night upon the
| request of l.. J. Lippmann, chairman of
/ the joint committee representing the New
York section Of the National Commission
Merchants Association, known as ''the
Boosters Club" and the Fruit and Pro-
duce Dealers Trade Association. 1t calls
| for n twenty-four hour curtailment of
the city's fresh fruit and vegetable sup
ply. and we'll be extended beyond that
| time IL differences between strikers and
| merchants are not adjusted meanwhile.
Chances OF adjustment late yesterday
looked very slim.
| In discussing his action last night Mr.,
Lippmann made II plain that the situa-
ton created by the strike is critical. He
declared that a fruit and vegetable
famine threatened the city and neighbor-
| ing districts in New Jersey. Newark
which depends largely upon supplies
which are transported by motor truck
from Jersey City, he declared to be SINH
| larly affected.
He admitted that although every effort
had been made by the commission mer-
| chants to cope with the strike. and al
though a certain amount OF food was
carted from the piers and terminals yes
terday morning. the efforts had In gen.
| eral been OF little consequence.
The strike was called about l O'Clock
Yesterday morning. after the food had al
ready been unloaded from the refrigera'
tor cars in which II arrived. and this
| greatly irritated the merchants. for had
| IL remained In those cars chances OF pre-
serving It would have been much better
| The unloading and carting OF this
food starts about midnight. in order
1 that all OF the city's markets may be
supplied before breakfast time. ard In
the panic into which the dealers were
thrown yesterday morning many small
concerns agreed to meet the demands
of the union and SO got their orders
partly filled The men worked for these
concerns for only a few hours. however.
| when they walked out and announced
| that they would stay out until all OF
the merchants should come to terms.
| Other efforts at carting were made
by truck owners who drove their own
vehicles. but the amount that they were
able to carry away amounted to little.
and yesterday afternoon It was stated
by the merchants that the carting had
stopped completely.
Ordinarily about 100000 worth OF
fresh fruit and vegetables comes into
the markets here daily but last night
the only stuff of this kind to arrive was
that which was already enroute for the
city when the embargo was declared
Wherever possible Mr.. Lippmann or
dered this stun kept aboard the refrig-
orator cars in which 1t had arrived
| 1t is expected that to-day Will see nc
incoming shipments whatever.
| A. w. Frost, president Of the Ma
tional Commission Merchants Associa-
ton and business associate OF Mr.
Lippmann, could offer no better hope for
the public than a canned goods diet II
the strike continues. The enormous
| quantities of fresh fruits now standing
on the piers. he said. are spelling quickly
and vegetable stock cannot last much
longer.
/ The issue involved is stated by the
strikers as the closed shop and in.
crease OF pay. as we'll as fixed hours
OF work.