Waterfront War

Last week the biggest, most serious maritime strike in U. S. history ran through its second week with all three coasts fretted by waterfront squalls and with peace negotiations slatting dismally in the doldrums.

On the Pacific, 150 ships, some 65,000 men were idle, but neither strikers nor shipowners would give an inch. So discouraged was Mediator Edward F. McGrady, Assistant Secretary of Labor, that he bought a ticket for Washington canceled it only on orders from Madam Secretary Perkins. At week's end he felt somewhat better as both sides agreed to resume parleys, the strikers agreed to unload perishable goods.

On the Atlantic and Gulf, 151 ships and 16,000 men were idle, according to Strikeleader Joseph Curran. Shipowners and Madam Perkins joined in calling these figures "exaggerated," but produced none of their own. Meanwhile, the three-cornered battle went on apace. Shipowners produced the old Red herring that the East Coast strikers were led by racketeering Communists. Using this as an excuse President John M. Franklin of International Mercantile Marine (which particularly hates Seaman Curran because he began his striking career on an I. M. M. ship last spring) requested New York City's special prosecutor of racketeering, Thomas E. Dewey, to intervene. Prosecutor Dewey refused.

Stalwart allies of the shipowners, the officers of the orthodox East Coast maritime unions also joined in the cry of "Communism!" Led by Negro Vice President David E. Grange of the International Seamen's Union, they tried to provide crews for all ships vacated by Curran's "outlaws." Claiming that "the only 'outlaws' in the present seamen's strike are the I. S. U. officials," Curran charged that Grange had failed to make a proper accounting of $143,000 in union funds, had constantly accepted fees from shipowners. Evidence of this was so strong that a New York Court ordered Grange and other I. S. U. officials to produce their books.

Meanwhile, in the harbor a few ships got away, many others remained strike-bound as the two seamen's factions battled for control. Most spectacular victory for Curran was delaying for eight hours the ship carrying Secretary of State Cordell Hull to Buenos Aires for the Pan- American Peace Conference. Most significant development was the shift of Eastern strikers from mere sympathy with Western strikers to identical active demands for themselves.

In Washington, President Roosevelt conferred with his Cabinet, then declined to intervene. Secretary Perkins declared that Mediator McGrady would yet solve the "regular" West Coast strike, dismissed the Eastern strike as that of a "rump organization." Other highlights:

P: In Hawaii, 600 travelers were unable to continue because no U. S. ships were sailing. After loud protest from Governor Joseph B. Poindexter, Strikeleader Harry Lundeberg in San Francisco announced that all ships bound for the U. S. mainland could sail. In Honolulu, lettuce jumped from 5-c- to 25-c- a head, celery from $3.25 to $9.80 per case.

P: In Sitka, Alaska, angry citizens tried to seize the cargo of food on S. S. Northland, were repulsed at the gangplank. Elsewhere in Alaska, the food shortage became so grave that Governor John W. Troy telegraphed Washington for help. By contrast, in Boston many striking seamen, unsupported by funds from their union, were literally starved into submission, returned to work.

P: First foreign port to show sympathy for the strikers was Vancouver, where longshoremen demonstrated.

P: First death came in a San Francisco street brawl to picketing Seaman Einer Koppen.

P: First mass arrests were in New Orleans, where 100 pickets were jailed for vagrancy.

P: In Manhattan's Claridge Hotel, Editor Frank L. Palmer of the People's Press discovered notorious, 260-lb. Sam ("Chowderhead Cohen'') Harris busy hiring strikebreakers. Calling the police after Chowderhead became rambunctious. Editor Palmer yelled: "Here's the hiring man for the finks! This ex-convict is working for the steamship owners and they have the nerve to complain to Dewey about racketeers!" Bellowed beefy Chowderhead: "I'll take no gump from anybody! I'll talk to no ---- reporters!" Six policemen then dragged him off to jail.

P: Strikers in almost every port refused to talk to newshawks who did not belong to the Newspaper Guild.

P: Federal shipping experts in Washington estimated that the strike was causing a daily loss of $500,000.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.