Evening journal., 1919-02-13
CONGRESS TO GET
LABOR DEMANDS
From Eastern
District Will Present
Program
WANT SHIPS BUILT
ON The DELAWARE

PHILADELPHIA. Feb. is.-Labor's
program. will be presented to Vice
President Marshall and members OF
Congress ss a conference In Washing
ton tomorrow by representatives OF
shipworkers in every plant on the At
lantic Coast Great Lagos and Gulf dis
tricts.
This program, outlined by the con-
vention Of the Shipbuilding Federation
OF the Atlantic Coast, Great Lakes and
the Gulf, which has just closed It's an
nual session here, viii be presented at
the conference:
First. To cancel Immediately the
pending s62,000.000 contracts with Chin
ese yards and the Si00,0O0000 contracts
with japanese yards, and TO build the
proposed vessels IN American plants.
Second. To construct the great navy
and merchant marine as already plan
ned and 10 make both second 10 none
In the world
Demand Transportation Home
Third. That whenever the labor sit
uation in any navy yard or shipbulld-
Ing plant is such as 10 necessitate a
layoff, that transportation be provided
70 the men affected to their homes, and
that other Jobs there be provided for
them.
Fourth. That every man discharged
from the army be given sixty days
additional pay, and that wherever pos
sible he receive back the Job he quit,
or at least another equally good
Fifth. That instant attention be Civ
en- 10 the problem Of caring for 100000
men already discharged from the army
and navy IN order that unrest and un-
employment may be curbed imme-
dlately.
Tomorrow's conference will be at
tended by members OF the House and
Senate. Il has been arranged 10 bring
about "unity OF action, discipline, the
rights OF the shipyard employees and 10
lend every effort 10 carry out the big
shlpbuildlng program and 10 stabilize
the industry Of this country"
Saws II Is No Bolshevils Nonsense.
"This is no Bolshevik nonsense" said
W. A Mcdonald, one Of the western
delegates. but Is simply the plan that
we believe the most feasible for tax
ing care Of the labor problem and pre-
venting the real crisis that exists
through the influx Of unemployed Ia
Dor, following the rehabilitation, a
problem that will grow greater as the
rehabilitation continues.
"Take this matter OF cancellation OF
the contracts with the yards In China
aud Japan, already made by the United
States Shipping Board. Already John
A. McGregor, Pacific coast representa-
tive OF the Bethlehem Shipbuilding
Company, and Louis Luckenbach, the
steamship owner. have been sent abroad
20 be the government agents while these
Oriental yards are building the YES
sells
'sYet the boys out on the PaclnC
Coast. represented by the Iron Trade:
Council Of San Francisco. have laid be
fore us. resolutions showing that the
Liberty yard has been given up, cost
ING g.. 600 600. while contracts for ships
worth s66.OO0O00. which had been
placed there. have been Withdrawn
THAT means Just so much less labor for
the American working man In this
period The shipping board gives the
nIea that this foreign construction has
heen awarded because II VIII cement
friendly relations, but how about Civ
ing American contracts to coolie labor
and the cheap Aslatic labor that some
Of the gentlemen have prated ABOUT so
loudly and so eloquently in the past
This same foreign construction nc
added, sis not going to do the Delaware
river any good All Of these shlps
should be built on this side OF the
water. and not an American vessel
should be put together in a foreign
yard
aRisht now there must have been al
most one million men discharged from
the service, with no provision made n
take care Of them"