Evening star., 1939-07-17

surrendered by canceling the con-
tract for the operation of the ships
between Puget Sound and the
Orient American products that
were to be exported could not be
carried in American vessels.
The incident took place in region
of the world where it is essential
that Americas merchant shipping
be built up to meet all possible con-
tingencies related to national de-
fense, but the authorities here,
rather than risk further trouble with
the labor unions, dropped the opera
ton altogether.
The controversy developed over
the hiring of crews for the S. S.
Coldbrook, which is owned by the
United States Maritime Commission,
a subdivision of the Federal Gov
ernment which was to start new
service from Seattle to the Far East.
When the boat arrived in Seattle,
the picketing began. Foreign ships
were anchored nearby and when the
American ships couldn't sail. the
foreigners picked up the business.
When it was thought that perhaps
United States Navy tug might be
used to move the ship to different
pier, orders were sought from Wash
ington but were not forthcoming.
Dispute Over Hiring.
Here is a case in which a service
of shipping provided with money
from Congress has been frustrated
by union trouble. The unions insist
that crews must be hired through
union hiring halls just as is done by
,oprivate shipowners. The United
! States Maritime Commission has
been hiring them from lists fur
nished by the United States ship
ping commissioner.
The unions want to put Uncle Sam
on the same basis as the private.
.employer the issue, in sense, being
not very different from that involved
In the prevailing wage" dispute on
the w. P. A. projects. The United
States Maritime Commission, how
ever, decided not to use force, but
merely to drop the idea of the serv-
Ice altogether.
incidentally the Maritime Com
mission gets its instructions from the
President to hire from lists OF the
United States Shipping Commission,
instead of through union hiring
halls. An executive order and a rul-
ing from the Attorney General make
the employees of these ships en-
ployes of the United States Govern
ment The Attorney General ruled,
by the way, that the Federal Gov
ernment could not discriminate as
between union and non-union men
II respect to persons seeking en-
ployment. What the unions really
wanted was "closed-shop' ar
when strike was called nothing
was done about it except to lock
out the employees altogether.
To the extent that the Govern
ment abandoned operations and re-
fused to hire only union men the
case is parallel to many of the same
sort which occur in industrial sec
tions of the country. But while the
right to picket or strike for closed
shop is questioned legally in some
States, it has been for the most part
sustained as legitimate method of
economic coercion. What makes the
situation different now, however, is
that the President this very week
has said, You cannot strike directly
at the Federal Government"
Commission Owns Vessels.
The word directly" may have
been inserted because in some Gov
ernment operations. carried on
through separate corporations, the
effort is being made by labor unions
to maintain that the subsidiary cor
poration is not the Government it
self
The Maritime Commission, how
ever, is not an indirect" affair. 1t
owns the vessels and is building four
new ships of a combination cargo
and passenger carrying variety for
this very service to the Orient. The
Government pays all the expenses of
operation as part of the program
to rebuild the American merchant
marine. The Puget Sound agency
which manages the line Is COM