Evening star., 1921-05-01
BENSON ORDERS
15PER CENT CUT
ParIeys Between Shipping
Board, Marine Workers and
Owners FruitIess.
MEN LEAVING VESSELS
Many Expected Not to Sign Con.
| tracts, But No Tie.Up
| Is Anticipated.

! a series OF conferences YESTERDAY
hN~een American shipowners. the
shipping Board and the marine worL-
ers looking to a settlement OF the
wage dispute between the workers
anu the employers brought about
only one concrete result. That was
! an order by Chairman Benson to all
| operators of government merchant
] craft to reduce wages Is per cent,
enective at midnight last night,
| Apparently none of those mar
ticipating in the conferences WAS pre-
! pared TO say what would be the full
effect OF the order. William S. Brown.
president Of the Marine Engineers
Beneficial Association, said the on.
| sineers had been instructed not to
| sign any articles calling for wage
CUTS while Andrew Furuseth. nresi :
dent of the International Seamep,s
| Union, stated that the members of
his union had voted against signing
such articles
Mr.. Furuseth said tonight that he
rad received reports from New York
and Baltimore that the men were
leaving ships in those ports because
| the operators were attempting to
sign them up on the basis Of the
| Shipping Boards Is per cent wage
cut.
| we are absolutely in the dark" Mr..
Furuseth said. las to any progress
being made in the appointment of a
wage commission" He added that he
did not know what to report to the
men regarding the situation here, but
was awaiting some word from the
White House or Secretaries Davis or
Hoover.
Want COmmissiOp Named.
Chairman Bensons order came while
| President Harding and the Secre-
taries of Labor and Commerce were
consulting on the advisability of ap-
pointing a commission of three TO
mediate the controversy The sug-
gestlon that such commission be
| named was made by the union repre-
sentatives, who agreed to abide by
any award it would make. 1t was
supported by Secretary Davis
| Both Mr.. Furuseth and Mr.. Brown
were hopeful last night that the COM
mission would be appointed and a
suspension of work by the marine en-
! ployes averted. On the other hand
| Shipping Board officials declared that
Chairman Benson was opposed to me-
| diation by a commission. His posi-
| tion from the first has been that at
! least Is per cent wage reduction
was necessary and that the respon-
| sibility rested with the owners and
| the men to come to an agreement
| without burdening the President.
At the White House it was said
| that the President did not intend to
| appoint any commission. but that
such body might be named by Sec
| retaries Davis and Hoover, in whose
| hands it was stated the whole matter
had been placed. Meantime, how
ever, Secretary Davis had left for
Philadelphia and did not expect to re-
turn until tomorrow.
Secretary Hoover declined to dis
cuss the matter. but Commerce De-
partment officials said that he prob
ably would take no action with re-
spect to the appointment of a COM
mission in the absence of Mr. Davis.
Chairman Benson left for Annapolis
before his order reducing wages was
made public. In his absence officials
said the order would stand unless
instructions were received from him
to the contrary. The existing wage
agreements, except those with deck
officers, expire at midnight tonight,
it was explained. making a decision
by the board as to future wages
Immediately necessary.
10000 Men Now Idle.
The cut will apply only to employees
on government ships. The ship own
cut, and were expected by Shipping
Board officials to follow the example
set by the board. 1t was stated that
even il the men refused to sign up
at the new scale there would not be
an immediate general tying up of
shipping on the Atlantic, Pacific and
gulf coasts by reason of the fact
that many vessels are at sea and the
men must serve until they are
brought to port.
The service. however, will be at the
existing wage scale. Shipping Board
officers said they had laid plans to
keep the government feet in opera
ton in event Of any walkout by the
present crews It was stated that
there were some $4,000 seafaring men
idle at this time and that little diai-
,C.i..laueu on rage :. Column. 81