The Washington herald., 1921-05-23
Marine Workers S tan d
Firmly Against Com
promise.
REFUSE TO FOLLOW
ADVICE OF LEADERS
Sec'y Davis Asks Ship
Owners to State
Position.


stand pat on their attitude in the
shipping strike and rejected the
compromise submitted to theh
earlier in the day by Secretary Of
Labor James J. Davis and a COM
mittee of their own leaders.
The compromise called for an ac-
ccptance OF the proposed wage cut
Of Is per cent. and the engineers
adopted a resolution in which they
announced their opposition To such
a cut.
Owners Defer Reply.
Earlier in the day Secretary
Davis met with winthrop l. Mar
win, vice president and general
manager of the American Owners
association, and H. H. Raymond,
president of the association. He
submitted the new proposition to
them, and the representatives OF
the owners consented to place the |
proposition before their committee
on wages and working conditions
aboard ship. They promised TO
make reply to the secretary in
Washington on Tuesday.
Davis Denies Rejection.
Before the marine engineers went
into their meeting they received a
report that the private steamship
owners had rejected the proposals.
but this was later declared err
roneous by Secretary Davis him
self.
Committee Had Agreed.
Virtual settlement of the ship
strike was announced by Secretary
Of Labor Davis Saturday. Davis
said that the strike committee and
Adfriral Benf,on. chairman of the
U. 5. shipping board had reached
agreement through a new meet
ing of minds" Final details of
the agreement were to be worked 4
out in New York, where Davis went
Saturday night to confer with pri-
vate ship owners and to attend a
meeting of strikers.
Officials believe that the private
ship owners will accept the agree
ment ratified by Admiral Benson.
The chairman controls $4,000, 900
TONS OF american vessels.
Benson agreed to sign a new
agreement with the strikers to run
a year. Private ship owners a few
days ago announced they had de-
cided to sign no more agreements
with the men. but to deal with
them only as individuals.
Assuring Statement Issued.
Announcing officially that the sea-
mems strike was settled, the de-
partment of labor in a remarkable
statement last night paid tribute
to Secretary Davis as having won
a personal triumph"
Like the Welshman that he is,
Secretary Davis is a sticker," the
statement begins. When many an
other man would have given up,
Secretary Davis has worked out the
conflicting interests of the marine
strike to an adjustment satisfac-
tory to all and of great impor-
tance to the country and its mer-
chant marine"
Tells of Conferences
RefeIring to the conferences
which frequently lasted from sun
rise to long after midnight, the
statement says. ''the inside story
OF these endless conferences, IL il
could be written, would beggar
many a rattling romance of big
business and AFFAIRS of state"
True TO that assertion, the state
ment colorfully describes the part
played in the negotiations by a tree
which bids fair to become nationally
famous.
Secretary Davis is a canny man,
with a deft touch in the handling
of men," II is declared. "As mid
night would come during these talks
in his ONCE, with no settlement in
sight and irritation growing in all
minds, the secretary would pro-
pose cooling walk.
Walks mt Night
"The department car usually fol-
lowed the procession, for use in
hauling the conferees home when
the homing. or hoteling instinct, as
serted itself over the stern business
of ironing out the kinks in one
of the gravest industrial situations
of the time. Usually the walk led
around the circle behind the war
department and the White house,
then Executive avenue TO the corner
Of Pennsylvania. where IL was easy
to split of for the various hotels.
zone night the driver Of the seq
retary's car chanced to stop near
the tree at the far east corner of the
White house rounds. 1t rises from
the sidewalk with one of those little
scalloped iron fences about II.
"As the car stopped the secretary
and the conferees with him stopped
and gathered for a last word under
this young elm. Gradually this tree
became point of last resort in pol
ishing on an especially knotty tan
gle. For an hour at time confer |
ences have lasted there till well |
past midnight. On one final night |
the peak of discussion was passed
there.
The balance was struck at last.
As a result the tree has already
come, TO be known as Cancellation
Elm" Secretary Davis thinks he
elm Secretary Davis thinks he
holding 1t in reserve for similar
use in the future. IL occasion de-
mands"
Asserting that the settlement of
the shipping strike was the most
complicated "a the history Of the
departments industrial relations,