New-York tribune., 1921-11-28
Hoover,Davis
Asked to End
Cloak Strike
Garment Trade Employ
ers Offer Full Author
ity to Secretaries to
Effect a Settlement

Max D. Steuer, special counsel for
the Cloak, Suit and Skirt Manufacture
ers' Protective Association, announced
last night that the association had no.
tilted Secretary of Labor Davis and
Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover
that it was willing to leave to them the
settlement of the New York garment
strike.
"We have officially notified Secrcta-
ries Hoover and Davis" Mr.. Steuer
said, "and also the State Industrial
Commission, that the association has
decided to grant the Secretaries unlim-
tied power to settle the cloakmakers'
strike in any way they deem proper.
1--WE are placing no restrictions on
Secretaries Hoover and Davis as to how
the strike should be settled They can
call any conference and suggest any
plan they like"
Sayer Willing to Back New Move
Henry D. Sayer, State Industrial Com
missioner, who appointed the commit
tee to investigate the strike, which al
ready has held one hearing, said last
night that he had heard nothing yet of
this move on the part of the manufac-
turers. He said their letter might be
received at his Office to-day.
"I received a letter from Secretary
Davis on Saturday." Mr.. Sayer said,
stating that he was greatly interested
in the appointment of the committee
and wished it every success. and that
I could call .Von his department for
any cooperation needed. / expect our
investigation to be continued, but if
the Washington authorities ask us to
transfer it to them l shall raise no OBJ
lection whatever"
The first concern of the committee.
Mr.. Sayer said, at it's session next Sat
urday, unless Secretary Davis reconsd-
ers his letter, will be to effect some
sort of temporary working arrange
ment to permit manufacturing to pro-
ceed pending the completion of the in
several weeks, and the committee does
not want the industry interrupted DUR
ing that time, Mr.. Sayer said, and he
earnestly hoped the parties would con-
slider this favorably.
Both the Manufacturers Protective
kAssociation and the International La
dies Garment Workers. Union then
will be asked to submit to the COM
mittee all agreements made since 1910.
when the first one, known as the pro-
tocol, was promulgated
These will be examined to find out
what ones were lived up to and what
were not, what difficulties arose under
them, why they were broken and, an
important point in the present contro-
versy, what act constituted violation
AS to how the committees recon-
mendations may be made effective, Mr..
Sayer said:
"The committee will file report and
recommendations, copies to be sub
mitted to both sides. This report will
point out clearly and forcefully where
the blame lies for the existing circum-
stances.
81 feel certain that then there can
be no quibbling and no evasion of re-
sponsibility and that no one will in
sist upon maintaining an unreasonable
position"
There is possibility, Mr.. Sayer said,
that the report will go to the Legs-
lature. He also said that he expected
Governor Miller to ask that the find
ings be sent to him as soon as made.
In a summary of the two weeks of
the strike given out by Benjamin
Schlesinger, president of the union. be-
fore he departed for Philadelphia yes
terday, attention is called to the or
derliness with which it has been con-
Quoted. There have been but five ar
rests, Mr.. Schlesinger says, among the
$4,000 men and women who walked out
on November ID because the Manu-
facturers' Protective Association in
sisted on putting the piecework sys-
tenn back into their shops, and all of
those arrested were subsequently dis
charged in court.
Mr.. Schlesinger says that 1000
workers had returned to $50 shops
where owners agreed to adhere to the
union terms and to do no work for
the protective association. Among them
is that of Reuben Sadowsky, one of the
biggest garment manufacturers in the
country, employing 700 workers.