Evening star., 1936-12-20
SHIP JAM FO|LED
|NMAR|NE STRIKE
New York Stevedores Ignore
Cry of $50 to Abandon
Loading.
ny the Associated Press.

BS the ASoOClAtSQ FIess.
NEW YORK, December 19.-The
first important test Of the drive
launched by insurgent striking seamen
to WOO New York longshoremen from
their Jobs failed today at the United
Fruit Co. pier.
Joseph p. Ryan, president of the
international Longshoremen's Asso-
citation, leading a counter campaign
to keep the dockworkers from par
ticipating in what he called an outlaw
strike" only yesterday had settled an
internal dispute between the parent
body and the longshoremen's local.
About $50 seamen shouted in vain to
the stevedores to quit loading the liner
Musa. The ship left for South Amer
lean ports without delay at IL am.
Despite the insurgent strike efforts,
the American Steamship Owners AS
sociation said IT other American ships
left here on schedule In the last "a
hours.
Ryan yielded to demands of mem
bers of the longshoremen's local cover
ing the United Fruit pier to permit
new election, after they had brought
suit charging him with illegally elect
ing two business agents for the local.
Election Of All Officers.
The complaint charged that most of
the $50 members of the local had not
been properly notified. Ryan con-
scented to a new election of all officers,
including agents, on March 4.
Support pledged to Ryan in his anti
strike stand by the Central Trades and
Labor Council of New York was chal-
lenged today by 28 local trade unions.
Charging that the councils vote was
not truly representative Of organized
labor, they organized committee to
seek support of all trade unionists for
the maritime strike.
Both Ryan and Joseph Curran,
strike leader, charged the others fol-
lowers with violence in the water
front dispute over whether long.
ehoremen should Join in the walk
out.
Curran said Ryan's forces were
using "gangster tactics" and Ryan,
charging assaults were made on long
shorer1en, warned:
IF that's the way the Strike Com
mittee wants to play, our men will
meet them in a body and settle it."
Curran engaged in a Nationwide
radio debate this afternoon with Roger
D. Lapham, president of the Pacific
Hawaiian Steamship Co., in which
leach blamed the other side for the
strike which began over seven weeks
ago.
Curran, who spoke here, said West
Coast unions negotiated for three
long weeks" and extended agree
ments and only took action when
forced to-" Afterward. he said. I'VE
on the East Coast did our utmost to
get our corrupt union officials to call
us out on strike, but they refused"
Object Of Strike.
The East Coast insurgent strike,
he said, was to achieve working con-
ditions and wages which the West
Coast previously won and now Is
fighting to retain"
Laphan. who spoke in San Fran
cisco, said. "shipowners have offered
and still offer to submit every issue
to an impartial third party, but the
unions deem 1t essential to refuse
our suggestion of arbitration"
Has either side the right" he
asked, ito ask your support unless
1t be willing to let an impartial third
party sit in judgment for you?"
Curran climaxed his appeal to lis
teners by asking support for Ma
tional Maritime Federation" to unite
ship workers on Doth coasts.
He and Lapham clashed on the is
sue Of the uncontrolled hiring
hall, Curran charging that the strike
was forced because employers wanted
30 abolish it. He said it was the work.
ers' only safeguard against "discrimi-
nation practiced by employers" where
by they "can break any union"
Lapham said the hiring hall serves
o useful purpose" as place to hire
men, but insisted the employers
should have the right to select the
men they believed best qualified for
the job"
The speakers also clashed on the