St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1921-07-02
CAPT. MlLLAR
TELLS OF TRIP
S. AMERICA
Buenos Aires, May Is, 1921.

Editor ST. Tammany Farmer:
We landed here week ago after
a fine run, perfect weather, touching
at Rio de Janerio, Santos and Monte
Video on our way To my intense
relief we got rid of our rum cargo
consisting Of 5000 barrels of white
rum, without any trouble. The ship
smelled like a stale Darroom. Monte
Video has made great strides in port
facilities since I was there; has a
fine 6reakwater protected harbor,
splendid quays, lined with electric
cranes and warehouses. The rail-
road passes along the quay and both
sides Of the warehouses, SO there is
nothing to prevent rapid discharge
of cargoes There are no labor
troubles. They started two years
ago, but the Uruguay government
is not controlled by the labor, ele
ment, so they stepped in, arrested d
few Of the strike leaders, and there
is peace on the dock side. We are
at present in the throes of a labor
strike-haye been idle for 8 days
and it looks as if we will be idle
another week. The men objected to
handling goods driven down to the
docks by non-union drivers. They
stopped work. AS a few steamers
were working with free labor, the
police went on board and drove the
men off the ships and would not let
any one work. No one can trace
the origin of the order, each official
h,1f
among the higher ups Several
ships have left here and gone to La
Plata, place 20 miles from here,
as there is no strike there, or at any
of the loading ports up the river.
We are nearing mid-Winter here and
at night with southerly winds it is
cool, about SO to so degrees, and the
natives go about all muft1ed up as
if it was 10 degrees below.
We are to load up river for Santos
and Rio, wheat and hay, at place
called Rosario, 210 miles from Bue-
nos Aires. They handle cargoes very
quickly there, loading grain in bags.
They use electric carriers and if the
cargo is ready, do splendid work, as
the sacks go on board in a constant
stream. 1t is only a question as to
how fast they can stow it. The
strike is playing havoc with the ex-
porters OF grain, as they have a large
quantity to get rid of and keeping
it will only bring it into competition
with Northern grown crops later.
Refrigerator plants are closing
down. Men want to keep wages no
and shut out all non-union labor.
Meantime meat prices are going up
and when we were in Rio meat was
unattainable The dear public gets
it here, as we do in the States in
the neck Yesterday Saturday
We had a baseball game with the
crew Of the Martha Washington, the
American passenger steamer that has;
been held up for two months, not
allowed to discharge because the
chief officer would not allow drunk
EN- Spanish fireman to pot shot with
revolver around the ship. He shot
at the chief officer twice and missed
him. In the struggle to take the
revolver away it went off and made a
scalp wound on the fireman's head.
fully expect you are posted about
the whoe affair A day or two ago
the steamer was formally released
by the government and allowed to
discharge her cargo, but the dock
strike prevented that. We are lying
close to, in the same dock. The boys
had right enjoyable time. We've
got a splendid field to play ball on,
used by the dock employees for a
football ground, and it's only two
squares from our berth. The game
was called when five innings were
played, the score being 13 to IA in
favor of the Martha Washington. A
foolish attempt to steal run pre-
vented a tie at the last.
We are scheduled to load coffee
for New Orleans from. Brazil.
Good luck and best wishes to all.
Respectfully,
G.. E. MILLAR.
-(
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set, slightly used. consisting of dres-
por u,;f1, n.rrnr 20x96 infhaS- wash