Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-06-18
PushesP|an
To0ffset Delay
In Smoot Strike
Little Hope Is Seen
For Settlement by
Midnight DeodIine


Midnight DeodIine
With the deadline for settlement
Of: the six-week-old Smoot Sand d.
Gravel Co. strike expiring at mid
night, District officials today readied
emergency plans to expedite urgent
~ needed construction and repair
work stalled by the dispute.
Hopes for settlement of the strike
appeared slim after the two unions
involved failed to meet last night
to consider tentative terms worked
out by union and company repre-
sentatives with Federal Conciliator
Clyde M. Mills last Friday. The
union heads said only that they
couldn't get the men together"
The Commissioners last week an
nounced that failure to settle the
strike by today would result in the
city taking steps to obtain building
materials elsewhere.
Plans call for the city to buy sand
and crushed rock necessary to the
projects in outlying States and
transport it here by rail for sale
to contractors engaged in city i'm
provements.
Other Construction Delayed.
Also hampered by the strike, which
began May 8, is another $4,000, 900
worth of construction and repair
work for which contracts have been
signed.
Mr.. Mills said today he was await
ing word from the union heads as
to what time they could meet COM
pany officials for further talks. The
unions involved are Local II of the
International Union of Operating
Engineers, and Local 500 of the
International Brotherhood of Team
sters, both AFL af11liates. About $50
workers of the two unions walked
out after failure to agree on terms
Of new wage and hour contract.
Union wage demands never have
been outlined definitely, but are re-
ported to range from raises of II
cents an hour for truck drivers to
60 cents an hour for crane operators.
Mr.. Mills indicated today that the
company and union are very close
to agreement.
District Plan Outlined.
Barring q laSt-minute settlement.
District officials will use the CITY,
owned railroad spur and overhead
trestle at Second and N strets NE.
to bring in crushed stone from
Maftinsburg, w. Va, and sand from
Branchville, Nd, 1t was learned. The
materials will then be sold to locaI
contractors for future work. :
Though admitting that obtaining
the materials from outside sources
would increase their cost, the off,
Gals pointed out that some compen-
sation would be realized on the cost
of cement. Crushed rock being
more adhesive, requires three-quar-
tiers of a bag less cement per cubic
yard Of concrete than does gravel,
they explained.
Besides obtaining sand and rock
from other States, Engineer Com
missioner Gen. Gordon r. Young
has said that if the strike continues
he will ask the Commissioners to
approve legislation empowering the
District to buy land along the Po-
tomac from which it could extract
Its own sand and gravel.
Three Projects Tied Up.
.Teup of the Smoot firm, which
has a virtual monopoly on supplying
sand and gravel to local contractors
has resulted in showdown of work on
the following jobs in progress:
I. Improvement of Massachusetts,
avenue NV, from Nebraska avenue
to the District line; cost, $4,000.
2. Improvement of Alabama ave-
nue. Sc, from Twenty-nrst street
to Good Hope road; cost, $3.50, 900.
3. Construction of the .Klingle
Road Bridge over Rock Greek and
the South Capital Street Bridge
over the Anacostia River; total cost,
$2,7oo, 900.
Work which the District has been
unable to let contracts for because
Of the building materials shortage
includes:
l. Paving West Virginia avenue
NE, from Mount Olivet road to
New York avenue; estimated cost,
100000.
2. Paving M street, Sc, between
Fourth and Eleventh streets; esti-
mated cost, $4,000.
3. Paving Sixth street NV. be-
tween M street and Rhode Island
avenue; estimated cost, $4,000.
4. Channelizing and surfacing the
intersection of Minnesota and Penn
sylvania avenues Sc; estimated
cost, $150,000.
5. Paving Mount Olivet road NE,
from Bladensburg road to Brent
wood parkway; estimated cost,
$3.50, 900.
8. Paving Tunlaw road NV. and
its continuation as New Mexico ave-
nue., between Thirty-ninth street
and Nebraska avenue; estimated
cost, $4,000.
Z. Paving two sections of Reno
road NV, the first between Quebec
and Van Ness streets, the other be-
tween Yuma street and Nebraska
avenue; combined estimated cost,
$4,000.
Also afartod ara .choo1 ,,o&.r