New-York tribune., 1920-05-08
Truck Owners
TOBack Unions
In Boycott War
Take First Move in Fight
Started by Merchants by
Refusing TO Employ Men
Who Are Unorganized
II Firms in Meeting
Action Leaves Commercial
Interests No Alternative
but to Do Own Hauling

The first decisive move in the "anisl
hght" declared by the business inter
ests OF the city against the unonizee
truck drivers came from the trucl
owners last night. Following the an.
nounced determination of the CONNER
cial bodies Of New York to organize
their own trucking facilities in the
event that the present union workmen
continued in their refusal to haul
goods to and from the piers where
longshoremen are on strike, the truck
owners declared fatty that they would
not employ non-union men to do the
work.
In this stand they have practically
aligned themselves with the union
drivers, whose sympathetic action with
the striking longshoremen on the piers
or the coastwise lines is declared by
the merchants to be responsible In a
large measure for the business stag
nation in the port and daily loss to
tradesmen here of nearly $2,0oo,0OO.
Only One Alternative
The action of the contracting truck
men leaves the commercial interests
no other alternative but to 90 through
witt. their plans for an independent
trucking system, unless some agree
ment is reached with the regular union
dr1vers to do the work. J.. C. Lincoln.
head OF the traffic bureau Of the Mer,
chants Association, declared prepara-
tions are being made to procure about
100 trucks and the men to man them.
mat 1T would take about a week to or
game the service and that the piers
most affected could be cleared in two
days.
Officers of the Merchants Associa.
IIon' the New York State Chamber of
commerce SodiI and the other commercial
bodies were hopeful that the truck
owners. of whom there are about 1900
In New York, would join them. The
truckmen were sent copies of the reso-
luton of the united business organiza-
tons embodying their stand, which was
Cantamount to an ultimatum, and were
invited to meet the merchants for a
discussion of the matter.
Representatives of about twenty
seven of the largest trucking firms
were present at yesterdays meeting
cation in the Woolworth Building.
Five Per Cent Involved
They took the position that only
about per cent of the city's freight
is involved in the controversy and
that they could not afford to antago-
nlze the other 95 per cent of the 10000
where. Their side of the case was
outlined by James j, Riordan, president
of the United States Trucking Corpora
ton, the largest concern here.
The merchants have sent communi-
cation with their resolution to United
States District Attorney Francis G.
Caffey. 1t was understood, though not
officially announced, that the business
men represented that huge quantities
of food were going to waste in viola
tion of the Lever food act, and that
prosecutions were in order.
There was some chafng among a
because of the delay in the govern
mcnt's prosecution of the men known
to have interfered with the distribu-
tion Of foodstuffs
That the government authorities arc
not idle, however, was evident from
the hearings at the Federal Building
in connection with the wasting Of food
stuffs. Fish merchants told of the
product that was permitted to decay
and had to be thrown away because
truck drivers and fish handlers refused
TO touch 1T.
The union truck drivers put them
selves formally on record at a meet
ing of delegates from the sixteen To-
calls of the International Brotherhood
of Teamsters in the New York district
About forty business agents gathered
at 218 West Fifty-eighth Street last
night and adopted resolutions favoring
peaceful settlement of the longshore-
mems strike, but reserving the right
of the trade unionists to accept the
challenge Of the Merchants Associa-
tion in behalf Of the $4,000 members
in this city, if an amicable settle
ment cannot be reached"
John Wade and Z. G.. Broeniman
flour dealers and members of the Pro
duce Exchange, said yesterday that the
crippled transportation facilities have
brought about serious shortage of
flour: In two weeks they say the
supply will have run out.
81. 900 ~ MOnth puv tn