New-York tribune., 1921-05-12
Nine ". s. Sl1ips
Run Blockade
Here I'm a Day
WageDifferencesNow Slight,
but Strikers Assert Two
More Cuts Are Planned
This Year If They Yield
Conspiracy Is Charged
Union Head Says Benson Is
in international Plot to
Wreck American Shipping

Nine American steamships sailed
from this port in the Neutrality-suspicious.
period ended at o'clock last night, &C.
cording to official reports of the Naval
Communications Service. This is the
largest number OF sailings out of this
harbor since the nation-w.oe shipping
strike went into effect on May /.
OF these vessels one was the pas
senger steamer Santa Teresa, which
sailed for ports along the west coast Of
South America. She was the first
Grace Line steamer to get away since
the commencement of the strike. The
other eight vessels were: City Of Sa-
vannah, for Savannah; NJ. j. Scanlon,
for Baltimore; l.. J. Drake, for Tam
pieo; Tenafy, for Norfolk; Ell Alba. for
Galveston; West lnskib, for Baltimore;
Jefferson, for Norfolk, and Munindies,
for Cuba
Differences Now Slight
The difference of So to So in the
monthly wages of seamen and firemen
and an adjustmentsof the amount of re-
duction in the pay of marine engineers
is all that stands in the way Of settle
ment Of the strike. This fact became
known Yesterday when leaders of the
various unions returned from the con-
ferences in Washington, which were
deadlocked because of the refusal Of
Admiral William S. Benson, cha rman
of the United States Shipping Board, to
recede from or arbitrate the is per
cent reduction in wages he had or
dered.
Bert L. Todd, secretary of the ocean
going local OF the Marine Engineers
Association, said yesterday that the
unions would not accept the fla: 1G per
cent cut, because it had been specii
cally informed by the ship owners that
il would have to submit to three cuts in
wages during the present year.
Shipping Board Statement
Reports from Washington yesterday
said that Andrew Furuseth, president
of the International Seamen's Union,
had issued printed statement cover
ing fifty-five pages in which he de-
clared he would prove to Congress, if
granted hearing, that the attitude Of
the United States Shipping Board and
the American Steamship Owners Asso-
citation was part of an international
plot to destroy American shipping. In
it he declared that the terms the unions
had been told to sign were agreed
upon by the Shipping Board and steam
ship owners on April 1. He then as
sailed the Shipping Board as follows:
"The Emergency Fleet Corporation
has gone to the extent of becoming a
member of the American Ship Owners
Mutual Protective and Indemnity AS
sociation, Inc. This organization is 8
younger brother of an English organi-
zation of a similar kind, which forms
the basis for the international Ship
ping Federation, Ltd, with headquar-
ters in London.
Charges Strike Insurance
This mutual protection apd indem-
nifty association insures its members
against every loss that is not covered
in ordinary insurance. While it's by
laws do not specifically state IN 50
many words that it is an insurance
against strikes, yet that Is how it has
been used in England and unquestion-
ably it will be SO used in America;
stThe Emergency Fleet Corporation,
controlling about three-fourths of the
American tonnage. therefore, as mem
ber, pays it's share of the costs in fight
ing American laws in the courts and in
fighting such labor organizations, in
cluding, of course, the seamen's organ
izations, as may seek TO influence wages
and working conditions OH American
vessels at sea or in harbors. This as
sociation should, therefore, have no
hesitation in bringing about a stoppage
of maritime commerce. About three
fourths of the cost and loss will be
paid by the Emergency Fleet Corpora
tion and be part of the expenses of
the Shipping Board. all of which comes
frDs3t the American taxuayersn