New-York tribune., 1920-05-06
City Merchants Pool Re-
sources to Overcome
Walk Out That Costs
Them $4,000, 900 a Day
Defiance Hurled
At Labor Unions
Government Cars VIII
Be Bought if Necessary
to Get Goods Moving

ers Of New York determined yester-
day that their goods shall be moved
in and out Of the city at all costs.
Several hundred representatives Of
all the trade bodies in the five bor-
oughs met in the rooms Of the Mer-
chants Association, pooled their un-
limited resources Of money and
equipment and resolved to fight to
finish the 10000 union truck driv-
ers of the city whom they hold re-
sponsible for their plight.
The refusal of the truckmen 10
haul merchandise to and from piers
in sympathy with strikers there is
declared to be the main cause Of the
stagnation of business in the port.
1t is said to be resulting in a daily
loss to merchants of about $2,O00,0OO
May Buy Own Trucks
The truckmen were told that IL they
would not haul the goods the entire
country would be combed for men who
would, strikes or no strikes. If nece.
sary, the tradesmen say, they will oh
tain their own vehicles and go into the
trucking business themselves on an up-
precedented scale. They realized. they
SAID, that their action may give rise -
a swarm Of sympathetic walk-ou but
that they were prepared to go through
with 1t for q show down.
The merchants war will be carried
bU q oil
by Alfred Z. Marling, president of the
Chamber Of Commerce of the State
New York, who presided a Yesterday
meeting. The names of the committee
VIII be made known to-day. This con.
mittee also viii arrange for procur
| ing vehicles, and it was said that ne
gotiations are now proceeding for the
purchase Of hundreds - army truck
from the government.
Mr.. Marling. William Fellowes Nor
gan, president of the Merchants As
sociation. and experts on traffic con
dltlons present at the meeting de
clared that the losses 60 business mer
in the port due TO the railroad. steam
ship and other strikes here during the
last month were such that hundreds
were facing utter ruin unless some.
thlng TO amellorate conditions was
done at once
The railroads, it was said, were en
tirely too optimistic in their reports
on progress in moving freight in and
out of the city, and that probably no.
more than 80 per cent Of the normal
amount of goods was being actually
moved in this vicinity
The great bulk of the merchants
have been attempting to get their stuffs
into and out of the city through re-
routing and then by steamships, but In
this they have been baked by the
union truckmen, who decline TO han
die merchandise at the piers Of the
coastwise steamship lines where a
strike has been in progress for about
two months.
Repeated appeals to Federal officials
Tor relief resulted in an investigation,
findings that the strikes were unau-
thorized and that the men should go
back TO work until their grievances
were settled in a regular way. The
men did not 20 back and lumber, ce
ment, coal and merchandise of every
description are piled mountain high in
freight yards, on piers and in holds Of
vessels, while the shelves of trades
men remain empty. When the goods
finally are moved. the dealers sGy,
much of them will be out of season and
will have to be closed out at tremsn-
dous losses.
In going over the port strike situa-
tion J. G. Lincoln, head Of the traffic
bureau of the Merchants Association,
said that the 10000 truckmen of the
city were organized about 50 per cent
He said they were acting in concert
with 5000 striking longshoremen on
the coastwise lines, $500 longshore-
men and harbor workers on strike
against the ferries and floating equip
railroad yardmen and switchmen ard
1000 striking checkers and longshore-
men at the piers of the United States
Fruit Company, whose troubles were
reported TO have been patched up. but
who are still out.
The demand for radical steps u
break the deadlock was put before the
meeting by representatives. of the New
York State Chamber of Commerce, the
Merchants Association, Brooklyn
Chamber of Commerce, New York
Board of Trade and Transportation.
/ Chamber Of Commerce of the Borough
Of Queens, Bronx Board OF Trade and
numerous other shipping and trucA-
ing organizations. The resolution for
united action was offered by William
Fellowes Morgan.
The resolution reads, in part:
Resolved, That the facilities ard
agencies for the hauling and transpor-
tation of merchandise are so essential
to the commercial life of the city that
they must not in any way be misusc3
to aid strikes or promote the cause
of unionism or non-unionism in other
lines of activity, but must at ell times
serve the commercial needs of tho
city without discrimination or unnec-
essary Interruption; and be ii further
Resolved, That all points for the
receipt or delivery of goods, whether
manned by union men or non-union
men, and regardless of whether they
are suffering from strikes or lock-outs,
and all goods, whether Of union or nom
union origin, must receive impartial
service from those engaged in the
movement or transportation of mer-
| chandise; and be IL further
Resolved, In view of the public
distress which has arisen out OF tbs
present emergency, that we as repre-
crtHtiVe merchants seel compelled te