Evening star., 1946-09-12
Maritime
Continued From First Page.)

national Union, was spreading. The
$4,000 members of the Marine Fire
men apparently joined the strike
today, and the CIO sailors group,
the National Maritime Union,
threatened to "hit the bricks" to-
morrow. The CIO-dominated Com
mittee for Maritime Unity, of which
Maritime Union President Joseph
Curran is co-chairman, moved to
New York for another strike-plan-
ming session.
The spreading of the strike to
other unions would have little eff
feet on shipping, since the all
American ports already are tied
tight by AFL picket lines which are
being respected by all maritime
labor.
If DR.. Steelman overrules WSB,
that would mean that the pay of the
C1O sailors and other unions also
would be boosted. 1t was Mr.. Cur
rams group that set the industry
pattern of a $3.50 month increase
last June. to which the Sterilization
Board ruled the AFL seamen should
be held.
The White House was looking for
way to settle the strike satisfac-
torily and still hold the line on
wages for shoreside industry. Pres
ident Truman has taken little part
in the dispute so far and, it was in
dicated, he was leaving it up to DR..
Steelman.
This is apparently the way the
Government intends to handle the
very tough situation which threat
ems to touch off new wage demands
from all labor.
1t is said, despite evidence intro
duced at WSB hearings, that more
than half of American ships are
now in the hands of private opera
tors. The Maritime Commission has
been turning them back at rapid
rate recently. -'' ',--,''
Crux of Controversy.
Private ship operators agreed to
the over-ceiling wages for the AFL
seamen and, in the case of East
Coast operators, actually put the
higher pay in effect on its own
boats. The private operators agreed
not to seek higher freight rates, al
though the wage increase approved
by WSB cost up to $4,000 month
in operation of each ship.
The whole argument, therefore,
concerns the Government -owned
ships operated for the Maritime
Commission by private companies
whether the Government should alb
sorb the cost of the over-pattern
increases.
Top officials reason that since a
maj jority of our merchant feet now
is in private hands the traditional
policy of the Government to pay
the prevailing wage in an industry
should hold This would permit
the Government to reimburse the
companies for the higher pay on its
own ships.
U. S. Agency Fumbling Blamed.
1t was said that the White House
holds that the whole strike is q
result of Federal agency fumbline
and not SO much the fault of the
unions. The War Shipping Admin
istration participated in drafting
the contract with the AFL unions
and later approved it, with full
knowledge that in the case OF able
bodied seamen and firemen 1t called
for wages higher than the CIO was
given. This curve" then was tossed
to the Sterilization Board and IL
refused approval.
Should DR.. Steelman decide tc
overrule the Sterilization Board ii
seemed most likely that at least the
two public members of the board
would resign. This would mean that
the board is finished and some other
sort OF setup would have to be Gre
ated to Stabilize wages.
In his dramatic decision last
might, Mr.. Wirtz and his board re-
fused to waver from their earlier
decision cutting the seamen's pay
increases despite tremendous pres
sure to do so from all of labor. The