Montana labor news., 1936-11-19

CONTINUED from Page IL
from Galveston along the Gulf
Coast and northward to Portland,
Me.
Cabinet Meets
The stubbornness of shipping Off
Gals to concede any of the points
of the unions became of such ma
tional importance during the week
that the strike was made a subject
of the Presidents cabinet meeting
in Washington.
AT its conclusion Secretary of La
Dor Madam Perkins and Secretary
of Commerce Daniel C.. Roper an
nounced prospects for settlement ap-
peared bright.
They referred to possibility OF
shipowners agreeing to resume nego-
tiations with one Of the unions on
the Pacific Coast. If employers will
do that with clean hands and not
enter the conference room with their
same predetermined course to smash
the unions, progress can be made,
union leaders said.
Meanwhile, some of the many de.
vices employers had resorted to il
the past two years in their consis'
tent drive against the unions was
paraded out for public consumption
for the first time at the Maritime
Commission hearing in San Fran
cisco.
Admiral H.. G. Hamlet, represent
ing the commission, heard H. P
Melnikow of the Pacific Coast Labol
Bureau and spokesman for the strik
ing unions, make these charges, tn,
first ever made to an official gov
eminent agency:
Spying Charged
industrial spying and en-
pIOyment of labor provocateurs,
purchase of gas and guns, at
tempt to provoke strikes by
planting hot cargo on the piers,
tapping of telephone wires, dis
elimination against both licensed
and unlicensed personnel"
He asked a full and complete in
vestigation of the Standard Oil Com
pany and its hiring of Hal Marchant
confessed spy who with James Scud
der were responsible for the convic
ton of eight men on a framed charge
of reckless possession of dynamite
during the tanker strike in thu
spring of 1885.
He asked for an investigation o
the Industrial American Research
Foundation, Inc, in San Francisco
headed by Paul Cadman, forme
University of California professor o
economics and dean of men.
Melnikow asked the commission
to learn for themselves the connec
ton between certain shipping con
Germs and notorious individuals.
Probe Asked
He named particularly I. Scot
Matson Navigation Company, ant
expenditures of this company il
connection with the William J
Burns Detective agency; Chief Spe
cial Agent Kragen and a Burns
agent named O'Connor; activities o
the Pinkerton Detective Agency il
connection with Swayne j. Hoy
Inc; Captain William j. Peterson
and B. J. Bettencourt and thei
staffs. All the above referred to I'm
told anti-labor activities on the Sal
Francisco waterfront.
Melnikow also asked the commits
sion to investigate the San Francisc,
Industrial Association, Colonel John
son and other members of his staff
Ignatius McCarty of the Lake Fri
Chemical Company and the Burea,
of Personal Investigation; togethe
with Lieutenant A. ]. Rich, former
ly Of the u. S. Naval Intelligence.
Nearly every lahor-baiting activ
ity on the San Francisco waterfron
during the past two years was in
cluded in his charge that 448 case
of discrimination were made agains
the men.
He asked the commission to lear
for itself about living conditions o.
the Grace, Dollar, Luckenbach, Mat
son, Oriental and Oceanic and AID
miral ships-conditions largely re
sponsible for the walkout of NOR
than $4,000 seamen.
u. S. Probe Seen
The charges and requests for in
vestigation appeared to have ha
their effect upon the commission a
it was announced in Washington b
the chairman, Admiral H. A. Wiley
discussion would be held with AID
miral Hamlet on the ACCESSIBILITY Q
combining an investigation into con
ditions on the West, Gulf and Eas
Coasts into one.
Admiral Hamlet was recalled t
Washington for the specific purpos
Of discussing such a move.
Gregory Harrison, counsel for tn
shipowners, Immediately made de
NAL of the charges and in his bes
| courtroom tactics Nuralconnad ON In