GENERAL STRIKE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 25, 9 November 1936, Page 5

GENERAL STRIKE

AMERICAN SEAMEN'S DECISION. SHORE WORKERS IN SYMPATHY. PRESIDENT NOT INTERVENING. {United Press Association —Copyright.) NEW YORK, November 7. Six thousand Bethlehem steel dry dock and shipyard workers in the San Francisco Bay announced that they would strike this morning. The strike is connected with the marine tieup. A mass meeting of the rank and file empowered the strike committee to call a general shipping strike. The committee voted the strike effective at midnight, and began formulating demands to submit to the shipowners for parity of working conditions on the Atlantic and the west coast. However, the liner Santa Barbara left for South America at miunight guarded by 75 policemen and a police launch. The liner American Legion, bearing Mr Cordell Hull (Secretary of State) and Mr S. Welles (Assistant-Secretary) to South America cast off with a union crew and a police guard, in. spite of strikers’ pickets but she halted at the Statue of Liberty, awaiting six complemesTary members of the crew. Five other large vessels with union crews departed during the day.

Tension between the International Seamens Union and the strike committee is still at the highest pitch. Mr J. Curran (leading the ’“rump command”), said that 7000 were striking of whom 6000 were registered.

The west coast situation continues to be quiet. Apparently both sides are awaiting Washington developments. Mr Harry Bridges continues to be active behind the scenes, though he is outwardly uncommunicative. He attends most of the committee meetings, principally concerning himself with the victualling and policing of the strike on army lines. The unions are said to have four warehouses of food.

Miss Frances Perkins (Secretary for Labour) has announced that President Roosevelt has declined to intervene in the strike, which is paralysing Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf traffic. Miss Perkins added that the Atlantic tie-up which was merely a sympathetic demonstration presenting no demands, might be extended to a general maritime strike.