The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-03-02

it, he can always get union card
and no questions asked.
The Brooklyn side Of the water
front has been in the grip of an
italian gang, while the Manhattan
front is ruled by the Irish. Never
have racket-busting Tom Dewey
or other New York cleanup Of
ficers ever touched the waterfront
Furthermore, the U. s. Gov
eminent, now almost the sole
shipper, has no control over the
men on the piers. They belong
to the International LOngshOre-
mans Association. and are hired
not through "hiring halls" as on
the West Coast. but through a
shape up" system. BY this the
union boss picks the men he
wants to work, usually his sid
friends. There is little rotation
of employment.
There are also several stevedore
contractors, of which perhaps the
largest is the Jarka Corporation,
headed by Franz Jarka, born in
Hungary, but a naturalized Amer
lean. CaptaiS Of the Hamburg
Amerika Liner Vaterland during
the last war, Jarka was interned
as an alien enemy from 1917
through 1918. His stevedoring
company is the agent for United
States Lines, Bethlehem Steel,
Moore Mccormack Lines, Bull
Line, Isthmian Lines (which Is u.
5. Steel and the Arrow Line.
Former officers in the German
and italian naval reserves also
operate other stevedore compan-
les under an arrangement by which
the A. F. l.. permits men to sign
for year.
There are a few private protec-
tive agencies which supply night
WatcilNen for the steamship lines.
But the guards supplied by these
agencies don't have to be checked
by the Government and don't even
have to be U. S. citizens.
ADMIRAL ANDREWS
As far as the Government is
concerned, several agencies are
supposed to keep an eye on the
New York waterfront. among them
the special agents Ct the Treas
ury. U. S. Customs Intelligence,
FBI. Military Intelligence, Har-
Dor Police, the agents OF the New
York Port Authority, and, last OF
all. Naval Intelligence.
Formerly the Coast Guard did
a fairly good job, but now 1t has
been taken over by the Navy so
that Captain Bayless Of the Coast
Guard Is directly under Admiral
AdolphuS Andrews. Andrews Is
famous In Washington for his
beautifully-tailored clothes and for
having been aide to Presidents OF
the United States. He was aide to
Teddy Roosevelt, to President
Harding, escorted Harding on his
tragic trip to Alaska, aide TO Cool
idge, and commanded the pres
idential yacht Mayflower.
But how much he may know
about the disagreeabIe and dirty
job Of cleaning up q waterfront
is prObIematicaI. However, with
the Government virtually the
only shipper out Of New York, all
Of the information picked up
from stool pigeons, the under
world, worried citizens and the
newspapers, eventually finds Its
way 10 Naval Intelligence.
Naval Intelligence has an ex-
tremely high standard In selecting
its men. They have TO be college
graduates and third Or fourth gen.
Grafton Americans--though what
q college degree has to do with
smelling out sabotaging wharf
rats no one knows. II you enter
the office OF Naval Intelligence,
you will find a group Of fine look
ing, alert young men, all Of them
at desks and typewriters, appar-
emily compiling data which could
be done by older men or female
stenographers.
Most OF them look too fresh out
Of Harvard or Annapolis to know
anything about hanging around o
waterfront salon or O dive where