Evening star., 1937-01-19
Clash With Police Causes
Only Temporary Break in
Lines Around Briggs Fac
tory in Detroit.
INJURED ARE TREATED
AT FIRST-AID STATION
Workers Move at Brisk Trot in
20-Degree Temperature as Cir
cular Human Wall Is Formed
in Front of Gate for Employees.
Mass Meetings Are Held.

1OllCC use CedI BdS DIS lighting re-
suits from picketing at Briggs body
plant in Detroit.
Gov. Frank Murphy goes to WASH
ington to discuss automotive strike
crisis with Federal officials; says "a
solution will be found"
Secretary of Labor Perkins awaits his
arrival.
Flint Alliance, anti-strike organiza-
tion, says it will remain in back
ground" in Difference to Murphy.
General Motors and United Automo-
bile Workers accuse each other OF
violating strike truce.
Eg the Associated Press.
DETROIT, January ia United
Automobile Workers of America picket
line, estimated by a union official to
number 1000 men, withstood a police
tear gas attack today and closed the
Briggs Manufacturing Co. s Meldrum
avenue plant.
A company official said at 8 am.
that the plant is not operating" The
picket line then had dwindled to about
100 men.
Police Inspector Louis L. Berg was
temporarily overcome when a gas
bomb exploded at his feet as he at
tempted to rescue William Myers,
plant manager. from a group of
pickets. Neither he nor Myers re-
quired hospital treatment.
The Briggs plant produces automo7
bile bodies for the Lincoln Motor Car
Co. and the Dodge division of the
Chrysler Corp. Company officials said
that approximately 100 of the 1900
employees had been on strike since last
week, although the plant continued to
operate until today.
Homer Martin, U. A. W. A. presi-
dent, charging police launched a gas
attack without any justification"
telegraphed Gov. Frank Murphy Of
Michigan. who is at Washington, urg-
ing such action as you may deem
necessary to prevent further disorder
of this kind"
Picket Is Injured.
Several persons in addition to
Myers and Inspector Berg were af.
fected by the tear gas, and William
Mackey, a picket, was injured when
a fragment from a tear gas bomb
struck him in the eys, but no casual
ties had been admitted to receiving
hospital A physician treated the in
Jured in an emergency flrst-aid sta
ton set up in a beer garden across
the street from the plants main gate.
Police said there were 1000 pickets
in line when the first clash occurred
as men of the 7 o'clock shift re-
ported for work at the plant.
Richard Frankensteen, organiza-
tional director for the United Automo-
bile Workers, who directed the demon
stration, said, however, that only 1000
picketS were involved. He said between
5000 and 1000 men moved from a
union mass meeting to the plant at
am, but that most of the men left
to go to work in their own plants be-
fore he trouble started.
The pickets-the largest mass line
ever seen in a Detroit strike-formed
huge circular human wall in front
of the employees gate, moving at a
brisk trot in 20-degree weather.
Sound Truck Is Used.
Frankensteen, who had addressed
the mass meeting in Dodge Union Hall
preceding the demonstration, ran up
and down the line. exhorting the men
to move faster. From q sound truck
came encouragement for the pickets.
AS several hundred Briggs workrnen
arrived shortly before am. a police
(See STRIKE, Page A-l0)