Evening star., 1941-09-19
U. 5. Prepared
To Take0ver
More Ships
Government to Act
If Strike Spreads;
; Already Seized
BY the Associated Press.

BY the ASSOCIATED Press.
NEW YORK, Sept. l9.-Thres
merchant ships of the great Alcos
feet we're under Federal requisition
today and the Government was
ready to seize others as a dispute
between seamen and owners over
war bonuses threatened to burgeon
into a general strike.
An estimated IA ships of six COM
panies were reported struck last
night including the three vessels
seized the Alcoa Trader Alcoa Ban
ner and Alcoa Scout. owned by a
subsidiary of the Aluminium Co. of
America
The strike was called Saturday by
the Seafarers' International Union
"a. F. l. TO enforce demands for
increased bonuses for war-zone
travel. No specific amounts were
asked, except for a $50 monthly
bonus for travel in the West Indies,
which would thus become q war
zone. as are Canadian waters. where
dollar-a-day bonus is paid.
Yields Hours Late.
Concerned over supplies for Amer
ican offShore bases in the West
Indies, the Maritime Commission set
noon yesterday as the deadline for
submission of the dispute to arbi-
tration. When the union. through a
spokesman, refused to arbitrate and
threatened a general strike, the
commisson acted.
Five hours after Capt Granville
Conway. district director of the
commission. stepped aboard the
three Alcoa freighters at Wee
hawken. N. j. and took them over
in the name of the United States.
the union announced it was willing
to submit the dispute TO arbitration.
but only on condition that the
arbltrators take into account the
unions proposal that $50 monthly
bonus be paid to seamen plying
West Indies waters.
Capt. Conway said the commission
would decide within 48 hours on
methods of operating the seized
freighters, but he added that for
the time being" the other vessels
would not be requiSltioned
He disclosed that he sat in on a
long conference last night and early
today with union leaders and that
ne was unsuccessful in efforts to in
duce them TO arbitrate.
Morris WeiSberger, business agent
for the Sailors Union of the Pacific.
which earlier joined the strike. said
that the commission acted very
quickly in Seizing the struck ships.
The unions fear that under Gov
eminent operation the Seamen will
not get war bonuses where none is
now being paid by private COM
panies" he said
| AT the same time on the Pacific
Coast. the Pacific American Ship
owners Association asked Govern
ment arbitration of similar dispute
with the Sailors Upion of the Pacific
which has tied up three of its ships
in New York.
$3.50 for Red Sea Trip.
Included among the West Coast
vessels tied up here were tha
Oklahoma and the Minnesotan,
sister-shipS of the Arksnsan of the
American Hawaiian Lines. which
suffered damage and injury to two
OF her crew when Axis bombers at
tackled Suez on September II.
The West Coast operators said
union demands would pay a sailor
$3.50 for four-month trip to the
Red Sea. Included in the scale of
| demands is bonus of $500 for
entering Suez, where the Arkansan
was bombed.
Two of the ships were loaded with
supplies for an American off-shore
base when taken over. Conway said
he did not know when they would
sail, but he hoped it would be soon.
The Government could operate the
ships with its own crews if the
unions refused to supply men. Mari
time sources pointed to the Govern
ments training schools and the
Army and Navy transport courses
as possible sources of seamen.