U.S. Concern Over Shipping Flags

Press, Volume C, Issue 29553, 30 June 1961, Page 11

U.S. Concern Over Shipping Flags

(AZ Press Association— Copyright)

WASHINGTON, June 28. President Kennedy said today the Government was concerned about United States ship owners registering their vessels under foreign flags to avoid paying United States marine wage scales.

But he would not want any action taken about this until after a report was made by the emergency committee studying facts in the maritime strike, he said.

The committee was set up when Mr Kennedy invoked the Taft-Hartley Labour Law on Monday as a step towards settling the strike. He said the "runaway’" ship problem concerned the Government "‘because it pays a large share of the bill for important segments of the American merchant marine, including the wages. "So when these ships leave us (to register in foreign countries) it affects not only the welfare of seamen involved. but also affects governmental policy and governmental obligations.” he said.

One of the issues in the nation-wide maritime strike is the union’s demand for the right to organise American seamen sailing on ships registered under foreign flags.

Tn New York, the President's fact-finding board called for a last round of negotiations in an effort to end the maritime strike be-

[fore Mr Kennedy made a decision that couid bring a jCourt injunction to end it for a “cooling off” period ol 80 days. The strike could be settled within a matter of hours, the United States Secretary of Labour. Mr Goldberg said last night, but he added that President Kennedy had asked him to appeal for agreement within 48 hours. Mr Goldberg said both he and the President were reluctant to seek an injunction 1 under the Taft-Hartley Ari I because both had opposed its i use in the past. But in the ! national interest the law : would have to be enforced. IM’ Goldberg said. I He hoped the strike would Ibe ended before a Presi- • dential fact-finding board presented its findings and recommendations to the White House tomorrow. i The three-man board yesterday made what its chairl man, Mr David Cole, described as a “last-ditch effort to see whether some substantial progress can be made” when it arranged a •resumption of union-manage-ment negotiations in New I York.