The sun., 1919-07-11
COASTWISE VESSELS
TIED UP BY STRIKE
U. s. Shipping Board Steamers
Not Affected, but May
Be Later.
MEN ASK SIS PAY RAISE
Forty Thousand Seamen VIII
Go Out, Say Officials of
Unions Here.


Firemen. oilers and water tenders az
fliated with the International Seamens
Union struck yesterday afternoon for an
advance Of SIS per month Three thou-
sand men. comprising the engine room
forces of coastwise steamship lines COM
posing the American Steamship Associa-
ton, are directly affected and the union
officials say the walkout OF these Will
be followed by similar action on the
part of the seamen. cooks. stewards, en-
rineers, masters AMI mates. In AL
about 10000 men will go out and coast
wise shipping will be practically para
lived ~ the union claims are made gooo.
Vessels operated by the United states
Shipping Board are not affected. Ac-
cording to the statements OF union OF
flcials at their headquarters, oil South
street the board is still negotiating
with representatives OF engine room and
deck forces. Oscar Carlson OF the hre-
mems union, J. II. Brown OF the seameh'
Percy Prior and Harry Griffin of the
cooks and stewards organization. lett
last night for Washington. where they
will enter a final series of conferences
with the officials Of the Shipping Board
to-day. At union headquarters here IL
was said yesterday that unless tn snip
ping Board speedily acceded to the
mems demands the crews OF Govern
ment operated vessels would follow the
men on the privately owned ships
NEGOTIATION Prove Futile.
Union officials said yesterday the
strike was the result Of more than
f,,I M
tween the union and the American
steamship Association, to which most OF
the coastwise lines and those whose
ships ply to Cuba and Central and
South American ports belong.
The union spokesman charged that
the representatives of the steamship as
ISOLATION had rejected their demands for
recognition of the union with the re1oin-
der that such recognition would bar ma
tive Americans from the ships and that
when this point was conceded by the
union thew refused to consider the Ques-
ton of increased wages
Hours of work are not involved at
present, as the engine room forces work
In three watches of eight hours each.
The question OF working time is likely to
be injected into the controversy, now
ever, II the seamen follow the example OF
the fireroom men. as the deck forces are
and one OF their demands is sure to be
for the eight hour day.
The wage demands made by the fire.
men are for an advance OF SIS, bringing
their monthly pay to $50 per month, and
the seamen, in the demands now under
consideration by the Shipping Board. are
understood to have requested a similar
advance.
1t Is not believed that the strike COM
Of NNn
harbor trafic, but IT will affect the fish,
ing boats, the crews OF which are affili-
ated with the striking unions. There are
about 1900 men on the fishing feet. and
according to the claims made at union
headquarters the crews OF sixteen OF
these vessels quit yesterday and the re-
mainder will go out as soon as their
ships reach port.
Inquiries at the Offices of the various
coastwise steamship lines yesterday az
ternoon seemed TO show that the men
we're about to make good their threat
OF tying up that class Of shipping. Of
fcials of the Southern Pacific Steamship
Company admitted that the men on the
Creole, due to sail for New Orleans on
Saturday, and the FL Monte, scheduled
to leave for the same port tomorrow,
had gone out and that they did not know
where to Hnd men to replace the strikers
Old Dominion Line HIT.
At the Old Dominion Line Offices 1t
was said that the company had no
steamship due out yesterday. the daily
service to Norfolk having been reduced
TO triweekly saillngs since the war, but
an official OF the company said that
the men on the steamship which ar
rived yesterday afternoon would prob
ably go out as soon as they were paid
on for the voyage.
The Ward Line and Munson Line,
operating steamships to Cuban ports.
had not been affected by the strike they
reported late yesterday afternoon. but
both admitted that their men would
probably go out. Apparently the first
efforts OF the union officials were directed
toward the lines whose piers lie along
the North River. as all in that locality
to whom inquiries were addressed ad-
mitted that their men were out. while
the lines located on the East River re-
ported that they had had no Official
notice OF the strike.
An official of the Munson Line said
that no demands had been made on
his company by the strikers, that they
had not been advised OF a strike and
were at loss TO know what II meant
AZ the offices OF the Ocean Steamship
Company operating the Savannah Line,
II was said that one OF the company's
steamships scheduled TO sail for Sa-
vannah had been held up.
Apparently the only steamship lines
which were not seriously concerned over
the strike were those which employ
Chinese labor. Capt A. w, Hartley,
marine superintendent OF the Barbour
Line, which operates the steamships
Doora. Macona, Suruga and Satsuma, said
that he had only about ten white men
on each vessel. the remainder of the
crew being Chinese. He said the COM
pany had been asked to employ Amerl-
can labor and had refused because II
considered the Chinese reliable and be-
cause 1t was not possible to pick a
crew OF white men at this time. His
company would continue to employ the
Chinese. he said.