Evening star., 1948-11-11
China's Greatest Battle RoqesDock Wakouts
For Road to Nonkinq; Reds Hold Spread 10 Other
SIiqht Edqe: 1000 900 Enqoqed East Coast Ports
Philadelphia Joins
In Strike; Big Liner
Diverted to HuIifux
BY the Associated Press

NEW YORK, Nov. 11.-A major
part of Americas shipping was
crippled today by longshore-
mems strikes on the East and
West Coasts.
The Port of New York-foremost
in the worlds commerce-was al
most paralyzed as thousands of
men stood idle.
The walkout also hit the impor-
tant harbors of Philadelphia and
Boston, where other thousands
Joined rank-and-file protest
against a wage settlement nego-
tiated by AFL union leaders.
Spread of the walkout to addi-
tional ports from Portland, Me. to
Hampton Roads, Va, by tonight or
tomorrow was feared.
A Gulf Coast stoppage has been
promised if the East Coast strike
becomes official and complete.
A crippling West Coast strike of
CIO unions has idled ships and
men from Alaska to Mexico for
many weeks.
Strike May Be Short Lived.
There was a possibility. however.
that the East Coast walkout might
be short Lived.
No dock workers were available as
the liner America. queen of the
American passenger feet, arrived at
her Hudson River pier today. The
397 passengers carried their own
hand luggage as they disembarked.
The United States Lines, operator
of the America, said it would ar
range to send the passengers heavy
luggage to them later.
The British liner Mauretania,
which had been due here tomorrow
with more than 1000 passengers
from Southampton, has been di-
verted to Halifax, Nova Scotia
Special trains will carry passengers
from there to New York and other
major American cities.
Effect of the East Coast strike on
Marshall Plan shipments was un-
certain.
The fate OF cargoes on ships
bound here was a major problem
for maritime companies.
Special police patrols guarded
the New York water front round
the clock. but all was peaceful.
Up to 10000 of New York's 25 ,0O0-
odd members of the AFL Interna-
tional Longshoremen's Association
CILA) were reported to have joined
the walkout, which began before
dawn yesterday.
Others Join Strike.
About $500 dock workers re-
mained away from their jobs in
Philadelphia and Wilmington, Del,
last night after voting to reject the
tentative union agreement for a
basic wage increase of 10 cents an
hour along with other benefits
Virtual paralysis Of docking in the
district was forecast by union
leaders.
Although Joseph p. Ryan, Inter-
lila president, estimated in
New York that 5000 longshoremen
quit work in Boston yesterday. j.
Alex Crothers, head of the Port Of
Boston Authority. said Boston har-
Dor would be little affected if the
walkout ends tomorrow.
Estimates given to his Office in
dicated that only between 300 and
400 of the city's $500 longshoremen
actually stopped work because no
more were currently employed. Few
ships were in port. The Boston
dockWorkers helped escort wild
animals from ship that arrived
from India. Seven ships sailed
yesterday without difficulty.
Shipping operations in the Ma
tion's East and Gulf Coast ports de-
pended upon three day voting on
the wage pact by $1,000 members of
lila locals in ports from Maine to
Virginia. The voting ends tonight.
The New York port tieup. which
affects several piers on the New
Jersey side also, came after locals
in Manhattan and Brooklyn re-
jected the tentative settlement with
the New York Shipping Association.
The pact-announced early Tuesday
raise the day shift straight
time pay from SITS to $l.85 an hour
and the night and weekend over
time rate from $2.6212 to s2.77l2.