New-York tribune., 1919-01-10
Railroad Administration
Unable to Reach Agree
ment With the Workers
Brooklyn Bridge
And Ferries Janlsned
Submarine Chaser Helps
Carry Mails; No Settle
ment in Sight To-day

The general strike of marine work.
ers' threatening since December 1. be-
came fact yesterday morning Dur
ing the day all harbor traffic was
paralyzed; a freight embargo was de-
ciared against the port of New York
More than a half million commuters
were greatly Inconvenience, where
they were not marooned at one end or
the other of the usual daily route, with
nothing in sight last night to indicate
that conditions would be much. If INV
better to-day.
Last night the outstanding features
Of the strike were:
% Apparent inability of the Rail
road Administration in charge of the
various railroad ferries to get into
agreement with the Marine Workers
Afiiliation by which their boats NAV
be operated and the persistence of
private boat owners in defvinp the
National War Labor Board.
(2) Refusal of the strikers to per-
nit their men to work municinal
ferries while other ferries are idle
On the platform of "all for one and
one for all" they insist that none of
their number shall return to work un-
til all do
8. Operation of the Staten Island
ferry owned by the city, by licensed
men drafted from the Police Depart-
ment. This is the first time since the
street cleaners strike of 1910 that the
city has had strike of any of it's en-
ployes or employed strike breakers.
A. Threat of 10000 longshoremen to
Join the $4,000 employed on floating
equipment on strike if strike breakers
are employed. In this threat 5000 ter
minal workers join, as do $500 rail
road freight handlers
5. Threat of Paul Bonynge. counsel
Tor the boat owners, TO have a Con-
gressional investigation of the conduct
OF Basil Nj. Manly, co-chairman of the
National War Labor Board. Mr..
Ronynge in his threat charges Mr..
Manly has not kept faith
6. Declaration o. a general freight
embargo against the Port Oh New York.
This applies TO every railroad having
terminals in the metropolitan district.
T. Assurances by railroad heads that
there will be no shortage of food in
New York, though the indications are
that the milk supply may be somewhat
short, due to the fact that milk is com
ing in over but one ferry line-that
of the Lackawanna.
s. limitations from Washington that
the War and Navy departments, acting
with the United States Shipping
Board, will, if necessary to prevent
any continued stagnation in the port.
seize private equipment.
u. s. Threat Significant
1t is in the latter threat, which has
hung over the private boat owners since
their refusal to abide by the decision
of the National War Labor Board and
arbitrate all of the matters in dis
pute, that the only real promise of
qu;cl: relief from present conditions il
found. Should The government seize
the floating equipment of the private
boNat owners, there is little doubt
that the men would return to work at
cnee and trust 20 the government to
I'D Just their grievances.
This, in the main, is the refusal of
the boat owners to grant the men the
basic eight-hour day the workers
hav emade demands for more wages.
which The employers have been willing
to arbtrate, but in the matter of hours
they have stood firm. That. thew say.
is impracticablc and cannot be arbi-
trated.
The men employed on the ferries and
ether floating equipment of the rail-
roads are, as railroad employees. theo-
retically entitled TO the eight-hour day.
Actually they have never had it. and
their wage demands are the same as
the men in private employment. Like
the private owners. the representatives
of the Railroad Administration refuse
TO be bound by any award other than
It's agencies may make in the matter of
hours and wages.
Basis of Refusal
II is on this refusal of the Railroad
Administration TO be bound bysa board
Of arbitration that the private boat
owners pustify their defiance of the
National War Labor Board. They in.
sist that the withdrawal of the Rail
road Administration from the agree :.
ment to arbitrate, toewhich all boat