Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-29
Federal Hearing Set
Today in New York
In Docks Dispute

BY the ASSocioteo Press
NEW YORK. Mar. 29.-Pick-
citing in the bitter waterfront
strike was expected to fan out
today to the New York Federal
Court building. where a hearing
Is scheduled on contempt
charges against the Interna-
tional Longshoremen's Associa-
ton.
The union. eight locals and
three local officers are charged
with fomenting the strike in vio-
lation of no-strike Injunction.
The National Labor Relations
Board, which obtained the in
junction March 4. has asked that
the union be fined at least $780,
600.
1t was this injunction that
spanked the present strike. The
lila members became indignant
because the new AFL-ILA was
not also named in the injunc-
ton, and in protest portwide
strike tared up.
Philadelphia Meeting Called.
Meanwhile, as picketing began
at the White House in Washing
ton. lila officials scheduled an
urgent" meeting in Philadel-
phia with union leaders from
major East Coast ports where
ships have been diverted from
New York.
The New York leaders have
been trying to get dock workers
in other cities to refuse to handle
cargoS diverted from New York
Longshoremen in number of
other ports complied.
This proposal hit a snag in
Baltimore yesterday in a Federal
Court order directing longShore-
men to work diverted ships.
A five-day restraining order
against the lila and its six Balti-
more locals was signed late yes
terday by Chief Judge William C.
Colman. Some $500 workers
were involved.
He scheduled a hearing for
tomorrow afternoon on whether
to issue a temporary injunction,
which would have a more last
ing effect.
Work Never Stopped.
Although the union embargo
began at pm. Friday, work in
Baltimore never actually stopped
on the huge backlog which had
piled up from ships arriving
from New York. The union, in
voting it, agreed to finish off
any ships left in port, and these
still had not been completed
when the order was signed.
They planned all along to con-
tinue work on ships normally
sent to Baltimore. A total of 81
ships were being worked yester-
day. an unusually large number
for a Sunday.
A court action similar to the
one in Baltimore was planned in
New York by the NLRB to knock
out strike support given by the
harbor's tugboat crews.
The tugs got behind the strik-
ers Friday when LILA men
cruised the harbor In a picket
boat. A number of large liners
we're forced to dock and sail
under their own power. a tricky
feat which sometimes damages
ships and piers.
However, two tugs yesterday
helped to dock the liner Ocean
Monarch, back from a Bermuda
cruise
Capt William V. Bradley, lila
President, discounted this as any
break in tugboat support for the
strike. He said he understood
the tugs-manned by lila men
were still behind the strikers,
but they might have been able
to help the Ocean Monarch be-
cause there may have been no
pickets on duty" at the time.
One of the ships to change
ports in order to avoid strike
troubles was the Queen Mary,
which locked today at Halifax.
Nova Scotia, and planned to send
her passengers on from there by
train.
The New York waterfront was
quiet yesterday. but police pa
trolls continued on guard against
any outbreaks of trouble. Work
was reported normal on several
Manhattan docks and 2,10O men
were on the job at seven piers
in Brooklyn
Officials Criticized.
State and Federal officials
were criticized for unnecessary
delay and lack of courage" in
dealing with the strike by Car
mine G. De Sapio, leader of
Tammany Hall and member of
the Democratic National Com
mittee.
Speaking on Sunday tele-
vision program, Mr.. De Sapio
also defended Mayor Robert F..
Wagner, who had been chided
for taking a British West Indies
vacation while the strike con-
tinued.
Mr.. De Sapio said Gov. Thomas
E. Dewey was not justified in
remarking the day before: Il
wouldn't know why he Mayor
Wagner would go away when
the city is paralyzed like this"
Mayor Wagner had already
tried unsuccessfully to end the
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