New-York tribune., 1920-06-07
to Ride
On Each Truck
For Merchants
Citizens transportation
Committee Plans to Begin
Open Shop Freight Haul
ing by End of This Week
Is Permanent

Unions to Fight s'Ofen-
sively, Not Defensively";
Consider New Walk.Ou
The Citizens Transportation Com
ni.tee. which is raising s5,O00,O00 for
NE creation of trucking system to be
ouerated Independently of unions, yes
,erday announced its decision to rid
New York forever Of freight tie-ups
due to petty squabbles with labor or
cauizations. The committee, with the
hacking of commercial interests gen.
.rally, will continue as permanent
INIT regardless of the settlement or
non-settlement of any particular dis.
spute."
pected, trucks will be put into opera
, ton on an open shop basis with a view
!, OF reducing as quickly as possible the
piles of freight at terminals, which
the union truckmen refuse to handle
because Of their sympathy with the
coastwise longshoremen's strike. Ar
sangements are being made to have q
policeman on each Of the committees
trucks to prevent interference with the
handling and delivery of goods.
william Fellowes Morgan, president
Of the Merchants Association, who 10
chairman Of the committee, reiterated
bis assertion that the installation Of
the trucking system Is not intended 10
blow ct unionism. It is proposed
that real open shop principles Will b
adhered TO and that union and nom
union truckmen will be given Jobs. he
said.
Provoked by Unions Stand
The determination of the business
interests to carry through their OPEN
shop plans Is their answer to the re-
fusal Of the striking longshoremen to
60 back to work, as urged by Governor
Smith, who before he left for French
Lick, Ind, Saturday, announced he was
through with the strikers"
Meantime the International Brother
hood Of Teamsters, through William
0'Nsill, its spokesman, declared it was
considering plans for a walk-out OF
trade unions even remotely connected
with the freight situation. Instead Of
accepting the open-shop principle or
permitting any union men to 60 to
work for the committee, the union
hopes to get the backing Of the Amer
lean Federation Of Labor for the call
ing Of still wider strike. In Mon
treal, where the A. F. Of L. opens its
convention to-day, Peter ]. Brady. yep-
ressnting the New York strikers, is ex-
pected to ask for financial support for
any emergency that may arise.
William A. Maher, q leader among
the strikers, asserted that the open
shop system will be "fought Extensively
!. rather than defensively.", He said that
5 large part Of the fund to be raised
by the merchants would be spent in
employing strikebreakers and that
trucking in New York without the sup
port Of the unions would prove i'm
practicable.
Statement Explains Purposes
The Citizens Transportation Com
m;tee made this announcement yes
!erday
After the most careful considera-
ton Of the transportation situation in
this city, the business men REPRESENT
ed IN the great commercial organize
tons which joined in forming the Citi-
lens transportation Committee have
decided upon a permanent policy
which they hope will prevent the in.
terruption of the movement Of mer-
chandise into and out Of New Yora
City and in the city itself.
They have agreed to make The
transportation committee perma-
nent body and to give 1t the moral
and financial support which will en-
able it to perform the purpose fol
which it was created.
ffnn will hA u
and upheld regardless of the settle.
ment or non-settlement Of any particu.
I Lar industrial dispute. Its existence
will be an assurance that the public
Will be protected against unnecessary
high prices owing to the stopping o.
supplies, against the menace to health
which results from the interruption o.
the fuel supply, and against the dan
ger to life Itself which occurs wheY
food supplies are diminished or cut OF
Would Protect Public
I'm taking their position, the busi
ness men were actuated by Q determi
nation to protect the public interest
They feel that the rights Of the publ,
IN the transportation Of goods owe,
INES. INES which enjoy special privileges
granted to them by the public upol
me understanding that they shall per
form service Of the highest impor
.anee to tho community arc superio
70 tae Interest Of either the owners o
me iines or Of the men who are en-
pioyed upon them. They are con
vinced that some way Of settling 10
Dor disputes can be found that viii
not punish the public in general as
mas mas been punished repeatedly b.
Hrikes IN tho past.
The business men are not wagin,
var against labor unions or agalns
she organization Of labor. They d
not wish to abolish unions, nor hav
saey any hostile feeling toward then
vh the contrary, they regard them a
aaighiy necessary to the general vel
iafe' since they afford labor an or
porsunity which it would otherwis
.acx OF voicing Its desires, and be
sanse tney furnish means of dealin
MNn large numbers of men at tn
same time.
Hei'her do they oppose the right 0
~ man 70 stop work If he sees fit t
~ so. They believe, however, that tn
..sht 70 quit implies the right to worl
ssgard!esS Of union afiliation, and the
~lh insist that this right shall
maintained.
me business men count upon tn
H. @|TWn /;