Evening star., 1941-08-13
Knox Resumes Talks
On Shipyard Seizure
As Edison Protests
Boek-to-Work Drive
Begun at Propeller
Plant in New Jersey
Nv the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
The Federal Shipbuilding & Dry
dock Co.'S offer to turn its strike
bound Kearney IN. j. plant,over to
the Navy for operation drew more
Official discussion today, with Gov.
Charles Edison of New Jersey urging
that the Government refrain from
such step
Navy Secretary Knox announced
that he and Sidney Hillman, CO.
director of the ONCE of Production
Management, would resume their
discussion today with L. H. Korn-
dorff, president of the shipbuilding
concern. No decision was reached
yesterday in two conferences on Mr..
Korndorff's offer.
Fears Loss Of Freedom.
Gov. Edison telegraphed Secre-
tary Knox and the shipbuilder, whose
firm has nearly half a billion
dollars worth of defense orders, that:
when labor and capital COM
pacently encourage the Government
to take over industrial plants, they
are contributing to the creation of
system which will destroy the very
freedom we are arming ourselves to
preserve"
Peter Flynn vice president of the
C. I. o. local which called the strike,
also had suggested that the Gov
ernment take over the plant. The
union struck. its leaders said, be-
cause Of the company's non-accept-
ance of the Defense Mediation
Boards recommendation for modi-
fed union shop.
Thirty Strikes Reported.
War Department officials. mean
while, voiced grave concern" over
a pronounced increase in the last
week in strikes in plants holding
Army contracts, following a two
month let up in defense labor
troubles.
Thirty strikes affecting Army pro-
duction were reported to the War
Department as of yesterday with
%. 400 men out. A week ago today
about $4,000 were idle, a level which
had prevailed fairly steadily since
early June, when the Army took
over the North American Aviation
Corp. at Inglewood. Calf, to restore
production of warplanes under presi-
dental order.
Three strikes were described as
particularly serious in their effect
on warplane, tank and machine tool
production.
These were the A. F. L. Inter-
national Association of Machinists'
strike at the Curtiss- Wright pro-
peller plant at Caldwell, N. j., in
volving 40 to 800 men and con-
tributing to the bottleneck in plane
output; the C. I. o. United Auto
mobile Workers strike at the Allen
town tPaD plant of the Mack Truck
Co., involving about 1000 men en-
gagged in making tank and anti
aircraft gun parts, and the c. I. o.
U. A. w. strike at the Ampco Twist
Drill Co jackson, Mich, a machine,
tool plant having 100 per cent de-
fense orders. Two hundred and
fifty men are reported out there.
Chemical equipment output has
been retarded, officials also said, by
the shutdown of the Henry Vogt
Machine Co., Louisville, KY, where
900 men are idle following strike
of the C. I O. Steel Workers Organ
izing Committee.
Mr.. Flynn said today the union
welcomed efforts by Gov. Edison
cor any other agency which bring
about a speedy settlement on a col
lective bargaining basis. He ex-
pressed appreciation of the union
for the Governor move which ne
termed a very liberal gesture" and
said the union hoped Gov. Edison
could find a basis for settlement.
Curtiss Wright officials reported
back-to work movement was under
way at its Caldwell propeller
plant. where A. F. L. machinlsts
struck demanding wage increases OIL
30 cents an hour over unannounced
current scales.
Refused Negotiations.
The company had refused to nego-
tiate with the union, contendlng
that Propeller Craft, an independ-
ent union, had won majority IN
collective bargaining election last
week. The company is waiting for
the N. L. R. B. to certify the result
of that election.
A strike of $50 employees of the
Timken Roller Bearing Co. at Can
ton. Ohio, ended when the C. I. o.
men agreed to return to work while
the Defense Mediation Board at
tempted to settle their demands for
wage incres ses Employees of the
carburizing department asked 5
cents an hour over present scales
which range from 7212 to 81 cents
an hour.
The Mediation Board yesterday
announced wage increases totaling
about s5,000,000 year for 10000
employees of Armour & Co., along
with a master contract for Is plants.
Under the agreement, striLes, lock-
outs and slowdowns are barred dur
ing negotiations covering grievance
machinery, overtime pay and addl-
tional compensation for drafted en-
ploves