Evening star., 1945-09-21
Toledo RationS
Gas as Strikes
| Federal ConciIiotors
Seek Accord; $4,000
| Are Idle in Texas
By the Associated Press.

Gasoline was back on the
scarcity list in some sections of
the country today as a strike of
CIO oil workers gained headway.
More than a dozen refneries and
plants were closed, and others were
ready to shut down as workers took
strike votes. Emergency rationing
of gasoline was ordered in Toledo,
Ohio.
AS the Federal Government
stepped in to attempt to effect
settlement of the strike started last
Monday by the oil workers, the stop
pages curtailed gasoline supplies in
scores of cities and more than 90
900 workers were idle. Elsewhere
across the Nation, labor disputes
kept an additional 100000 men and
women away from their jobs.
$4,000 Out in Texas.
| The oil strike hit hardest in the
Texas Gulf Coast region, where IA
900 were idle in refineries and affili-
ated industries. Another $500 were
ready to leave their jobs .and thou
sands more were taking strike votes,
The closing of the only remaining
refinery in the Toledo area last
night resulted in emergency ration
ing of gasoline for the Ohio city.
The Sun Oil Co. said it closed its
refinery after its workers, although
independent, refused to pass picket
lines set up by the CIO oil workers.
Reflheries of the Standard Oil Co.,
the Gulf Refining Co. and Pure Oil
Co.. earlier had shut down because
of the strike.
Toledo councilmen and oil COM
pany officials planned to keep open
stations in various sections of the
city to supply vital city and delivery
services.
Large cities feeling the pinch Of
gas and fuel shortages included Chi.
cago, Detroit and Cleveland.
Unions ask 50 hours pay for 40
hours work, a union closed shop,
payment of late-shift differentials
and the barring of outside main
tenance repair and replacement con-
tractors from the refneries unless
they employ CIO labor.
| Whiting Refinery Due to Close.
Some 5000 oil workers in the
| Chlcago-1ndiana area were made
idle by the closing of four refineries
and one terminal which resulted in
the shutdown of several gas stations.
C1O union leaders mapped final
plans for the closing of the huge
Standard Oil plant at Whiting, Ind,
the only large refinery in Northern
Indiana continuing in operation.
The Whiting refinery produces half
OF the gas manufactured in the Chi
cago area and workers are affiliated
with an independent union.
In the oil-rich Texas Gulf Coast
area, the labor troubles centered in
Port Arthur, Houston and Texas
City. Seven plants were closed at
Port Arthur, an eighth had voted to
strike; employees at seven plants in
Houston had voted to strike and
strike ballots were being taken at
four others in that city, a similar
number in Texas City and in one
plant in Beaumont.
Union officials called the vote de.
clSlops to strike Overwhelming.
Pickets continued at their stations
around closed plants. Maintenance
crews stayed on the job. No vio-
lence was reported. Motorists
hunted gasoline, anticipating a
shortage. In Port Arthur the short
age was already a reality. Only per-
sons with union-issued emergency
cards could get gas.
Conciliators on the Job.
The Cancellation Service at WASH
lngton took steps to bring union and
industry representatives together
for conferences. Two conciliators,
James o. Hubbard of Houston and
Carl White of Port Arthur, were as
| signed to try to bring about agree
ments in the Port Arthur area.
At Fort Worth, o. A. Knight, pres.
ident of the Oil Workers Interna-
tional Union, declared last night
that IF industry continues it's bull
headed opposition to bargaining
conferences, then additional thou
sands of oil workers may become
involved in shutdoWns.
We are ready and willing
to meet with representatives of in
dustry authorized to deal with the
problem. We're tired of dealing with
errand boys"
Two company officials, F. L. WAL
lace. works manager of the Texas
co. refinery at Port Arthur, and
Hiram A. King, vice president of the
Sinclair Prairie Oil Co., termed the
strikes in violation of union con-
| tracts
WoOdcutters Favor Strike.
In Portland, Oreg., Claude Ball
lard, president of the CIO Inter-
national Woodworkers of America,
said that an unofficial tabulation of
10000 ballots cast by members in
Oregon, Washington and California
showed an Overwhelming" approval
Of giving the union authority to
call a strike. The unions negotiate
ing committee will meet Wednesday.
1t has power to call a strike if it
deems the demands for s1.15 an
hour minimum wage cannot be OBJ
tanned through negotiation.
A week-old work stoppage of tug
boat hands, which had tied up the
port Of Philadelphia, ended last
night when 400 harbor workers union
members voted to 60 back to their
jobs after acceptance of a compro-
mise offer made by the companies
in the dispute over retroactive pay.
Elsewhere across the labor front,
scores of strikes continued while
there were threats of other stop
pages. None, however, involved
large groups of workers.
RsII - Ell Af