The Washington times., 1919-10-12
FEAR FOOD FAMINE
AS STRIKE RESULT
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the longshoremen as a whole in the
referendum.
II the men vote to return to work.
1t will be at the scale provided last
Monday by the national adjustment
commission Of 20 cents an hour. and
S1.1O for overtime, an increase from
IS cents. and 81 for overtime. They
are striking for 81 and 81 re-
spectively.
The present strike OF iongshore-
men and harbor workers looms up
as the most serious labor difficulty
with which New York has ever been
faced. The city will awake tomor-
row to find 10000 expressmen have
quit their jobs, unless demands are
granted today by the United States
Railroad Administration. The eX-
pressmen are scheduled to 90 out
when the day shift goes on duty this
afternoon.
Ferry Service HampeFed.
Approval of the strike Of port
workesr by the Marine Workers. af-
filiation. which was expressed n a
vote binding all classes OF harbor en-
ployes from captain to engineers and
freight handlers, not to work with
strikebreakers, adds another en-
barg to that established by the long
shOremen against the foodstuffs piled
high on the piers in Jersey, while
New York and Jerseys supplies
dwindle every minute. The effect OF
the vote will be to abridge or alto
gether stop pthe ferry service main
tained under difficulties by the Lack
aWanna railroad.
COnfab Offers Hope.
It is also likely to frustrate efforts
of the railroad administration TO keep
part OF its tugs and lighters at work
carrying freight. A conference be
tween executives OF the railroad ad-
ministratiOn and leaders Of the unions
Of the affiliation will be held here this
morning at the office of A. J. Stone,
Federal manager Of the United Etates
Railroad Administration. This con
ference offers the chief hope Of avert
ing what threatens to become a food
famine in New York this week. A
substantial part Of the supply OF per
ishable fOOdstuffs and fifty per cent
OF the milk consumed in this city Is
lightered or brought across the North
River on ferry boats each day.
Both sides allege that the other
has broken the agreement thatended
the harbOr strike OF last spring.
Officials OF the railroad ADMINISTRATION
assert the first they knew OF threat
ened trouble was when ferry boats
were deserted at their piers by their
crews.
Joseph Stanton, business agent Of
the Railroad Port and Terminal Union,
said the administration had ignored
continuously the provisions OF the
settlement relating to the payment OF
an allowance for overtime calculated
on an eight-hOUr day basis for "A year
on the eigh-hour day which had been
won. The men had been restless, he
said, for weeks, and voted to strike
at a meeting Friday night
Drastic Action.
Food Administrator Arthur Will
Jams declared today drastic action
was necessary because Of the danger
Of a heavy food shortage. The situa-
tion Of the first two days, when boats
remained unlOaded, was aggravated
by the stoppage OF ferry service. Car
loads Of peTishable produce. supplied
daily to keep New York's supply at
normal, remained untouched on the
Jersey side Of the Hudson river today
because of lack OF ferry transport.
Delivery OF milk also was affected
by the ferry strikes and New York