New-York tribune., 1919-01-14
Harbor Dispute Taken
Up by War Labor Board;
Owners Protest Fails

However, he assured the members o
the board that as the city paic
! the prevailing harbor wages" any in
crease authorized by the beard woult
be met automatically by the Board o
Estimate.
John IL. Delaney, Commissioner oil
P'ants and Structures, in which depart
mon. is included the Slater Isanc
municipal ferry service, assured the
board and the other participants in
tho controversy tina. he would recon-
e. wages was fixed. He said the city S
horhor boatmen already have an eight
nouC day.
Chairman Taf~ then turned to the
group of boat owners and their counsel
headed by Paul Bonynge.
Personnel Question Raised
I'VE are constrained to inquire" be
gan Mr.. Bonynge, "who will constitute
the board" He then read a signed
statement issued on January by seven
labor members of the board in which
they charged the boat owners with con-
stantly violating previous awards anG
saying thai they had "contem ptuously Y
refused to comply with the orders Of
the National War Labor Board Thesc
:
joint Chairman Manly, V. H. Johnson.
Frod Heuyita, Matthew Woll, John j,
Manning, T. A. Rickert and T. NJ.
Guerin. most Of whom we're sitting
yesterday.
Mr.. Bonynge then said the boat own
erS could nos submit their case to any
tribunal containing as members men
VINO were CLEARLY biased" Nh Walsh
objected to this "challenge OF the
jurisdiction OF the board" and Mr.
Tar reminded his former associate
thai the jurisdiction of the board had
nos been challenged, only its person
mel. This he held to be permissible
Rule Against Owners
The board then retired to consider
the objections of the boa@ owners, and
after about forty-hve minutes discus
SION IL cham bers returned and Chair
man Taft announced tina. the boat @wn-
crs were overruled on the ground that
the statement contained nothing bear
ing On the merits OF the controversy,
bur referred only to the attitude Of
the boat owners Mr. Walsh made a
remark before Mr. Taft was finished,
and the former President admonished
him by saying. "Mr. Walsh, must in
sist7-- and Mr. Walsh sat down.
THE position Of the boat owners
began Mr. Bonynge, sis that they will
not submit With your perm ission'
but with wave Of his hand Chairman
TAFT said: "That's all, that's ALL
Mr.. Bonyhge finished his request,
which was for permission to sit
through the hearing without partici-
pating, and while he received no reply
continued 20 sit and listen along with
his clients, the private boat owners.
II y
head OF the Marine Workers. Aifilia-
ton that the strike leaders are plan
ming to prefer charges against James
M0rGn, as sistant business agent Of tn
marine engineers. Moran advised the
men. IN a talk he made Sunday at the
Headquarters in rs Park Place, to ig-
more the strike committees instruc-
tons and return TO work
Texs Of Taft's Statement.
President Taft's remarks explaining
the board s position, after announcing
that the board had overruled the objec-
tlcns Of the boat owners, were as fol-
lows:
The board has given full consider
alton to the situation Of this case as
it now comes befoy. it, The parties to
tn. controversy submitted the issues
10 board of arbitration, and an award
Was made on July II, 1913, fixing hours
and wages and other conditions of en-
pioyment. The closing clause in that
inward was as follows:
This award shall be effective as
Of June /, 1918, and shall be in full
force and effect until May 81, 1918,
unless in the Judgment of the board
conditlona "arrant change prior 20
the date thus fixed for cxpiration.'
ne workers some time ago applied
to have the board which rendered thai
award consider the changed conditions.
both with respect TO wages and to
hours. The difficulty presented by the
boat owners was that the members of
the board considered the board functus
ofticlo, and declined to act.
The matter was brought before this
board and this board thought that ali
the parties were bound by this award
and that those persons or the authori-
ties mentioned in the prelminarjes of
th's award for the appointment Of
members upon that board should pro
ceed to NIL vacancies and that the board
should proceed to act on the petition
Of the men and consider q revision of
the award in view of changed condi-
tions, II they could be established.
Owners Attitude Discussed
nc DOaI owners refused to make
an appointment to the board to fiji the
vacancy which it became their duty
under the preliminary arrangements to
MI. They made the objection that the
railroad administration has not hllet!
and would not fill the vacancy by them
to be filled, or would nou appoint the
members by the railroad administers
ton to be appointed under one of ths
amendments to the preliminaries. But
thereafter the boat owners filed, when
1t seemed likely that the railroad adj
ministration would come in and make
such appointment, or when it was pro-
posed that they should, the boat cwn-
ers filed statement that no matter
whether the railroad administration
did or not they would not supply the
vacancy.
"In view of that condition, the rule
OF the board contained in the rules OF
PROCEDURE winch were approved by .he
President has application That rule
-. the national board shall refuse tc
take recognizance of controversy be.
held Of industrial or other activit,
where there is by agreement or Federal
law a means of settlement which has
not been invoked
"Ihe workers in this case have in
Voked this means of settlement ~
agreement and it has been defeated bv
the failure of the orner side to do the
things necessary in orGer that that
board may be properly constituted and
act.
Board to Hear Case
"IherefOrc the case uow cnmeo ho