New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-13
Sailors
Refuse toTake
Poles to Fight
Strike of Calabria's Grew
Hats Transportation of
800 Reservists Who We're
to Oppose the Bolsheviki
Belong to Seamen's Union
Appeal TO Consulate and
Assert They Will Give No
Help to Foes of Soviets

Transportation of 300 Polish reserv-
lists, recruited in this country, from
this port to Poland, where they were
to join the Polish armies fighting the
Bolsheviki, has been halted by a strike
of fifty-fve Italian seamen of the crew
Of the British Anchor Line steamship
Calabria, lying at the foot of Four
teenth Street and North River.
The strike occurred several days ago,
but came to light only yesterday, when
the Calabria's crew brought the matter
to the attention Of the Italian Chamber
of Labor, an organization of some
thirty Italian LABOR unions in this city.
owe are not going to carry any Poles
or any supplies and munitions destined
for Poland for use in fighting Soviet
Russia" said a leader of the strikers.
SIN doing SO we are acting in accord
ance with instructions of the Fedora
ton of Italian Seamens Unions, of
which all the men of our crew are men,
bers. The seamen of Italy will take no
part in any action that may prove Of
assistance to the enemies of the Rus
sian revolution or to the White Guard
government of Hungary"
Is Reconverted Steamship
The Calabria is a passenger ship of
1000 tons. She operates between
Genoa, Naples and New York. During
the war she was converted into a
freighter, but recently was reconverted
for the passenger trade. Her crew be-
came suspicious when they discovered
that her first stop was to be Danzig,
and when they learned that all the
accommodations of the ship had been
reserved for 800 men, all of them Poles,
they promptly quit their jobs. Leaders
OF the crew maintain they had right
to do so in accordance with the pro-
visions of the La Toilette seamen's act.
Following their refusal to man the
ship, the crew applied to the British
Anchor Line for transportation home
and living expenses here while await
ing such transportation. The company
declined to accede to this demand,
whereupon the crew brought the mat
ter to the attention of the Italian Con
sulate in .hs city. The consulate
urged them to return to their ship.
The crew refused.
The officers of the ship, unable to
muster another crew, then offered to
drop the proposed trip to Poland. The
men remained firm in their refusal to
rejoin the Calabria.
Federation Powerful
Some Of the strikers have been sail
ing on the >Calabria for twenty-five
years, it was declared The Federation
of Italian Seamen's Unions, of which
they are members, is one of the most
powerful labor organizations in the
world. 1t also operates line of steam
ships under the Garibaldi Cooperative
Association, one of the strongest CO.
operatives in Italy.
The Grema, one of the association
ships, is now in this port.
Details of the Calabria incident here
were cabled yesterday by leaders of
the crew to the Office Of the Federation
of Italian Seamen's Unions, with re-
quest to Giuseppe Giuletti, president
of the federation, to bring suit fol
damages against the British Anchor
Line for refusing to transport the crew
back to Italy and provide for them dur
ing their stay here.