Evening star., 1934-07-16

BY the Associated Press.
PORTLAND. Greg, July 16.-The
militant voice OF Gen Hugh S. John
son, N. r. A. administrator. pleaded
for peaceful arbitration of the Pacific
! Coast water front controversy which
today threatened to engulf Portland
in general strike as it has the San
Francisco Bay region.
While Gen. johnson prepared to fly
to San Francisco today. the Policy
| Committee of Portland unions sped
-, plans to call general strike on We'd
nesday.
1t was reported so unions had voted
to strike. Only agreement of en-
ployers to arbitrate differences with
maritime unions, recently refused in
! San Francisco, union leaders said,
would avert a strike.
Food Supply DwindIes.
Gasoline supplies were exhausted
and food supplies dwindled as Port
! landers girded themselves for mass
walkout, even as johnson spoke pub
| licly yesterday.
He found it beyond comprehen-
/ SlOD IIldl Tie COdSL SltlhC COuIo ldSt
"a hours longer" if workers and en-
ployers would join in sincere and
unreserved arbitration.
He expressed the opinion that the
diffculty centered in the circumstance
that the shipping industry has no
code and hence labor does not have
| the benefit of the section A" of the
| general NJ R. A. code
Rules on Section IA.
The custodian of the Blue Eagle
smiled as he said, Il have been es-
pecially requested to clarity section
IA. Il always thought it was as
clear as words can make it,
He said the specific question put
| to him was whether section IA ere
quires or forbids a closed shop con-
| tract"
1T does neither" Gen. johnson ex-
planned. "and a closed shop contract
under a code would not be illegal,
but in the opinion of Donald Rich
berg. our general counsel, and in my
own opinion, when an employer comes
to enforce his closed shop agreement
UN I6Qul1 lnk dS COlitlAbiOA Va
ployment that a man join a particu-
lar union not of that mans choosing,
the employer would by that act be
violating section IA"
Sees Madness
The general mentioned that "in
saying this am just interpreting the
written words of that statute and L
am not expressing any opinion on the
merits of closed-shop arguments"
He returned to the subject of the
coastwise waterfront strike. without
mentioning it specifically, with the
declaration that, 1T is not good busi-
ness, it is not good Americanism, 1t is
merely a madness to say that any set
of our people cannot set down around
a table without violence or bloodshed.
Strikes are a necessary evil, but
like wars, they never got anything
for anybody unless it was bloodshed
and black eyes. On the other hand,
unwillingness of employers to sit down
at a table with representatives OF
their workers is relic OF economic
barbarism."
He said efforts had been under way
for a year to arrange shipping code.
He would express no other opinions
on the strike. commenting ne didn't
know enough about il"
johnson denied he said it was poor
policy for the Governor of California
to call out troops in the strike.
1T isn't any Of my damn business
what the Governor did" he declared.
4An 1 said was. It's dangerous to put
a gun in. the hands Of an amateur SOL
dier. for he sometimes gets to wob-
bling and wondering what to do.
Discusses Communists.
Asked If he noted any increase in
communism, especially in strike dis
tricts. he replied:
"I don't know about that. I do
know, though. that it's getting to be
quite the thing to say whenever
fellow gets a little radical that he's
a Communist. Maybe he is and may
be he isn't.
Just because he may be a few
Jumps ahead of some of us isn't al
ways sign a fellow is a Communist.
l also know this-the American Fed
Grafton of Labor is not communist"
johnson said ne didn't know when
ne would return to Washington. I'm
going to take two or three weeks va
cation after this tour" ne said