New-York tribune., 1921-03-06
Argentine Ship
Strike Endino:
In Force Year
American Vessels Affected
by Congestion at Buenos
/. Ayres; Warehouse Space
: Is Almost Entirely Filled
Boats Held Up by Unions
Boycott Affects u. S. Coal;
Shipping Board Is Factor
in the Wool Situation

After having been in effect for more
than year, the shipping strike in
effect at Argentine ports is now stated
to be in process Of settlement. Ameri-
can shipping companies operating in
the South American trade have been
among the chief sufferers from these
labor difficulties.
~One result of the strike has been
marked congestion at Buenos Ayres
apd other ports because of the diff
culties surrounding the handling of
goods
For months past vessels arriving
here have had great trouble in secur-
ing berths and in discharging their
oargoes, because of the excessive
Anlount of goods lying stored in gov
ernment warehouses. Although there
are regulations forbidding the keeping
OF goods IN these warehouses for more
lhap year, these are reported to have
been ignored. In consequence there
has been practically no space availa-
Die in the warehouses for what has
been arriving, and cargoes therefore
have had to be discharged into light
ers, unless they have been given free
dlspatch' or are of kind that have
= to be stored in the yards. Conditions
have been aggravated by scarcity of
railroad cars.
Storage Space Very Scarce
Out of twenty-five warehouses at
four docks in Buenos Ayres, with a
total capacity of more than 100000
tons, the available space for additional
goods, according to a recent report,
represented capacity of only 1890
tons. Six additional warehouses in the
north basin had only 1000 tons of
space available.
As an example of the labor situation
at Buenos Ayres, the case is cited of an
Italian steamer which arrived there in
Qecember with d cargo CT coal from
Philadelphia for the Primativa Gas
Company. The employees of this COM
pany had been on strike for several
months and when the steamer arrived
0e stevedores refused to discharge the
coal, declaring a boycott in sympathy
with the strikers 1t was arranged,
however, with the consent of the secre-
tary of the Stevedores' Union, that nom
Mnion men should be employed to do
the unloading.
~Work was begun, but no sooner had
this been done than Custom House
ordered the captain to stop the work
pn the ground that the documents were
Not in order. This, according to the
Vessels owners, was not the case, but
the port athoritles were said to have
nut it forward as an excuse to avoid
erouble with the union men, a strike
Covering the district where the steamer
was discharging having been declared
by the secretary of the Stevedores'
Union.
Cargo Handling Blocked
u Other cases are reported to. have oc-
curred in which steamers ready to be
discharged have not been unloaded by
their crews because the lighters en-
ployed both union and non union men,
fhe stevedores at once stipulating that
ehey would not work unless the crews
Vt the lighters were all union men.
"'The shipping agents have had no
control whatever in the loading of the
Ships says a report from Buenos
Ayres, "whie owing to the frequent
thanges that have been imposed by the
Grades unions there is the risk that
on verifying the outturn of the dis
charge, important deficiencies of mer-
chandise might occur, creating SERIOUS
difficulties"
: Continuance of the boycott on the
shipment of wool has also created
many difficulties. "Recently," says the
British shipping weekly Fairplay, call
the agents at one Argentine port, with
the exception of those representing the
United States Shipping Board, ar
Hanged to ship wool on their steamers
as it was considered that the laborers
would not take action against all who
Received it on board, seeing that by so
doing they would provoke a complete
Stoppage of the port. Owing, however
apparently to the fact that the repre-
considered that, as the Shipping Board
belonged to the United States, diplo-
Tatic difficulty might be raised--re-
fused to come into line with the other
agents, the scheme was then allowed to
fall through"