Evening star., 1939-08-16
Smoot Shutdown
Threatens Halt
0fbui|ding Here
Federal, D. c. Jobs
To Be Stopped Soon
Unless Strike Ends

All operations of the strike-bound
Smoot Sand g. Gravel Co. virtually
ceased this afternoon, thereby
threatening complete shutdown Of
construction on most of the major
Federal and District projects in the
city.
An official of the company, source
of most of the concrete materials in
the District, said few small de-
day to exhaust materials on hand,
but that the company would be
closed completely by tonight.
Construction engineers on most Of
the major building projects here
agreed that their work would be
halted within few days unless the
strike is settled or operations of the
| Smoot concern are resumed.
The spokesmen for the company
said the outbreak of violence in
picket lines at the concerns main
plant in Georgetown late yesterday
caused officials to decide to cease
operations.
Among big construction projects
affected are the Lafayette Building,
which will house the Reconstruction
Finance Corp; the new Social Sc
curity Building, the Thomas Jeffer-
son Memorial, construction at Naval
Hospital and the navy yard and nu-
merous District highway projects,
| including the new Pennsylvania
Avenue Bridge, the Thomas Circle
underpass and the K street over
pass.
To Affect Street Work.
Capt. H. c. Whitehurst, District
director of highways, said repair
work on the city streets will be an
operation most seriously affected. ;"
He added that concrete construction
under his department will come to
standstill in few days.
Capt. Whitehurst said the District
would refuse further permits for
paving and that a number of street
widening projects would be aban-
doned temporarily. Eleventh street
NV, he said, is a major example Of
the latter.
This office will do nothing of a
specific nature to curtail work until
later in the week or probably Mon
day" Capt. Whitehurst said, adding
that District officials were awaiting
developments in the strike.
The chief construction engineer at
the Lafayette Building-typical of
several Federal building projects
here-commented that stoppage OF
the concrete materials supply would
bring work there to standstill.
I'VE can't lay things without con-
crete and we certainly can't build
foundations without things" he
commented.
Lack of Protection Blamed.
The Smoot spokesman blamed
yesterdays violence, which resulted
in injuries to "at least three men"
on Inadequate police protection
in Maryland, Virginia and the
District.
The official stated that the COM
pany realizes that, due to it's scat
tered operations in Maryland and
the District, police protection is not
as easily afforded as it would be
otherwise.
The strike is the first in the
companys 39-year history, it was
stated
One of the workers on duty, John
Williams, 30, colored, 106 l. street
NV, was hit on the head by a
stone hurled near the Georgetown
plant and required treatment for a
conclusion at Emergency Hospital.
Names of other injured were not
reported to police, although the
company spokesman said several
others were beaten up and run away
from the plant"
The official said that during the
afternoon number of fights and
repeated stoning of substitute crews
occurred
More than 200 employees are strik-
ing for higher wages, shorter hours
and closed shop. They are men,
bers of the Sand and Gravel Work
ers' Union, No. 22075, new Amer
lean Federation of Labor affiliate.
The company spokesman said to-
day that I'VE were so close to an
agreement and then the question of
the closed shop came up" Union
spokesmen referred to the latter as a
secondary ISSUE"
Meanwhile, a scheduled meeting
between the warning factions in
the strike and Labor Department
Conciliator Howard T. Colvin prob
ably will be postponed Mr.. Colvin
said the parley planned for this aft
ernoon probably will be held at
pm. tomorrow.
v.nLnne a,I:~.