New-York tribune., 1920-06-15
n NOn-Unii01l Men
Move Freight
Despite Pickets
45 Trucks Take $50 Tons
of Merchandise From
Piers and Only Handful
of Drivers Desert Posts
ZOO Captains eturn
Port Tie-Up Threatened by
June 28; Erie Railroad
Accepts 8-Hour Ruling

lhe first test of strength yesterday
in the struggle between the union
forces and the commercial interests of
the city resulting from the latter's
efforts to get their goods on and off
piers with an open-shop trucking sys-
tenn showed that the merchants were
for the most part accomplishing their
aim.
The unionized longshoremen and
teamsters, however, with their swarms
of pickets in motor cars and on foot,
made the movement of merchandise
from the coastwise piers difficult and
in several instances blocked it COM
pletely. The business men declare
these instances were rare and that
more goods were moved yesterday than
on any day since the independent trucks
were placed in operation
Palmer Makes Statement
Attorney General Palmer announced
last night in Washington that to-day
he will offer the aid of the Department
of Justice in bringing the harhor
strike to an end and in clearing up
generally the nationwide freight con-
geston.
The part that the department can
play in breaking up the freight jam
remains to be worked out with the
commission, Mr.. Palmer said, but it is
understood that the cooperation of the
organization will be of value, if it is
found that the strike is being pro-.
onged by the infringement of laws
on the part of either side in the dis
pute.
Mr. Palmer announced last night
that the officials of the Erie Railroad
Il o,$ bo ,(oy, rSt,,0 NJ e
ruling on the application Of the Adam
son eight-hou law to tugs and barges
transporting rolling stock Of the road
The union leaders were particularly
elated at the news from Montreal that
the American Federation of Labor in
convention had resolved to support
the striking coastwise longshoremen
and other unions that are out here in
sympathy. The labor chiefs, according
to the report, regard the merchants
move as a step in a nationwide fight
to establish the open shop. This the
commercial interests have repeatedly
disavowed.
Thus assured of the financial and
moral backing of the labor organiza
tions of the city, John f. Riley, chair
man of the New York District Council
Of the international Longshoremen' s
Association, announced that the union
chiefs were determined that the coast
wise strike should be settled in the
shortest possible time. If an adjust
ment is not reached by June 28, he
said, the 10000 deep sea workers in
the harbor will be called out and the
port tied up.
When the action of the American
Federation of Labor was brought to
the attention of Walter Gordon Mer-
ritt, of counsel for the Citizens
Trans portation Committee, he said:
"If the American Federation of Labor
is backing the stand Of the strikers, in
volving as it does discrimination
against business men and sympathctic
strikes, it is going back on is
avowcd principles as expressed by MIR.
Gompers himself ~hen he said in the
April issue of System that "a SYM
pathetic strike is absolutely against
the principles Of the American FEEDER
alton Of Labor 1t has nothing to do
with constructive union labor and is
weapon evolved by the anti-trade
unionsts TO pave the way for the gen
eral strike with which they hope TO
destroy the present basis Of society,"
Two Hundred Captains Return
The tradesmen saw weakening in
the ranks of the strikers early in the
day with the announcement that 200
lighter captains who had gone out in
sympathy ten days ago had returned
70 work. This assisted in restoring
service between New Jersey and points
in New England
Colonel Frederick A. Molitor, in
charge Of the merchants trucking sys-
TEN, declared that forty-hvc trucks
were employed yesterday and about
$50 tons Of merchandise were removed
from the piers, making about $50 tons
taken care Of since the independent
system was set in motion. He added
that nc had from 400 to 800 trucks in
reserve and was prepared to meet any
situation. He expected to have the
1900 tons Of goods, accumulated on
(Contnu.o on page MOI