The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-28
UNION MEN HINDER
CITY FOOD SALES
Will Unload Supplies From
Barge to Pier, but Not to
Trucks.
LATTER COST 81 AN HOUR
New Shop to Open To-day in
P. s. 1853 and Five More
Tomorrow.
LATTER COST 81 AN HOUR

The distribution by the city of sur
plus army foodstuffs to the people
TIN ough improvised retail stores In
public schools Is being hampered by la
Dor troubles, for which some OF the
common people themselves are respon-
sible. They are serious troubles" only
to the extent that they may add very
appreciably to the city's cost Of "over-
head In the matter of giving folks a
chance to buy food at below the regu-
lar market rates. Otherwise they are
simply annoying and are adding to the
anxiety Of the officials OF the Depart
ment Of Public Markets who. are
breaking their necks in an effort to get
food to the people as quickly as pos
sible.
Yesterdays most serious labor
trouble" reached the dignity Of a strike
and tied up for the time being the trans
fer of army foodstuffs from a barge
lying at the city owned pier at East
Twenty-fourth street to city hired trucks
which are delivering the boxes and cases
to the city schools.
Walking Delegate Busy.
The barge Rosemary E. Guinan,
lOdCSu WIN fUU lOIS Oh IOOOSLuHS Ill
rect from an army warehouse at Port
Newark, lay bow on at the bulkhead
Seven hired trucks for each of which
the city pays 1872 day We're on hand
waiting to transport the stun from the
barge to the schools and distributing
centres.
But let Edwin ]. O'Malley. Deputy
Commissioner of Markets, who is doing
the work of twins in these school sales.
tell the story:
81 heard there were labor troubles
in the unloading" Mr.. O'Malley said,
land l went to the pier. / found the
unloaders on the barge lying on deck
with their coats under their heads for
pillows,
What's the matter" says I. why
don't you unload?
"'Can't do It, the men on the barge
said, we are union men. We don't load
trucks We load bargee. We can I'M
load from the barge to the pier, but we
can't unload from the barge to the
trucks And there was a truck with its
tailboard reaching over the barge wait
, ing for stun.
. 80 the walking delegate had blown
his whistle and there was nothing doing
with the barge men.
THE chauffeurs on the trucks belong
to another union and, of course. they
couldn't touch the cases, and there we
were with all the foodstuffs in sight and
none of II moving.
Then up popped the men OF another
union. I don't know what union, but II
was union. They said they would load
the stun into the trucks at l cent per
case after It had been taken of the
barge. After a while the men on the
barge compromised by agreeing to move
the cases from the barge to the tall ends
of the trucks-the tail ends mind YOU
and no further. The walking delegate
said this would be all right and the mer
went to work 1t was easier to do this
than move the freight from the barge
itself to the pier or bulkhead because
the tail ends of the trucks reached oveI
the rail of the barge. AS fast as they
put stuff on the tail pieces of the trucks
the fellows In the other union shifted the
cases from the tail ends into position
into the trucks The city agreed to pay
them their rates and We managed to gel
things agoing."
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. Day, Com
missioner of Markets, explained that tht
reason why the stuff couldn't be landed
on the pier proper was because the piel
was filled with onions.
and the smell of those onions" DR. Day
/ than the odor of herring" This was al
allusion to a certain purchase by th'
Department of Markets of certa l
cargo of fish to which ex-senator Henry
NJ. Bennett complained In recent charges
! TO the Mayor against the Market Com
missioner.l
: '-They wanted US to unload on the up
stairs deck Of the recreation pier" DR.
Day said. but having no hoist ng ma
chinery handy we decided to unload di
rect from the barge to the trucks at the
bulkhead."
New Store Opens To-day.
DR.. Day said the volume of food sales
is growing larger Yesterdays business
in the schools equalled last weeks .bes
day. A new "store" will be opened
to-day at Public School 169. 16Stf
I street and Audubon avenue. 1t wal
! fully stocked up at nishtfall.
| Five additional schools are to b.
opened tomorrow as follows: Man
hattan-No. 179, between lO1st ant
1929 streets. east of Amsterdam ave
nue. (: No 90 between 147th and i4Stl
streets, west OF Seventh avenue. Brook
lyn-No. ~, Adelph' street and Myrtle
avenue No. las, Central avenue and Mol
street; No. SO. Leonard and Nassau
streets (Greenpoint).
DR.. Day IL arranging for the contin
uation of the sales in the school build
ings after the fall session of school be
gins September s. provided all the food
stuffs will not have been sold by tina
time, which isn't likely unless the ham
pering labor troubles" cease. II is hi
purpose to ask the Board Of Education
for permission to open the stores at
p. NJ, after the schools close for tn,
day, and keep the sales going until
ID NJ ~ necessary,