STRIKE CENTRE MOVES TO PORTLAND

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 252, 21 July 1934, Page 7

STRIKE CENTRE MOVES TO PORTLAND

Fight Occurs on Pier

NATIONAL GUARD CALLED OUT

By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.

(Received July 20, 7.80 p.m.)

New York, July 19.

With the San Francisco general strike over and every indication of arbitration In the longshoremen’s strike, interest shifted to other strike centres. Portland (Oregon) assumed chief importance. The Governor, Mr. Meier, ordered out the National Guard following a clash between strikers and special guards whom organised labour officials declared to be' “irresponsible persons armed by the city.” The fight centred round. Pier Four, resulting in serious injury to several persons' and the arrest and disarming of four special guards. The arrests of the guards followed their firing at Senator Wagner’s automobile. A Congressman from the district sent a wireless message to President Roosevelt recommending that the Federal Government take over Pacific Coast shipping; Two textile union officials and another unionist were wounded in Alabama as rioting broke out anew. The Ohio onion-bed weeders, who are on strike, rioted and four men were injured. ! -

SENATOR’S ESCAPE '

Sentries Fire at Car

FORBIDDEN AREA . ENTERED

(Received July 20, 5.5 p.m.) San Francisco, July 19.

' A tragedy was narrowly averted at Portland , last night. Senator Robert Wagner, who was sent specially as President Roosevelt’s mediator, when cruising along the waterfront. in' his motor-car, unwittingly crossed ' the guardsmen’s line. ' A volley of 11 bullets Immediately riddled the. car, shattering the glass and sides. Nobody was hurt, but Senator Wagner could hear the bullets whining past his head. The sentry siid he heard someone shout “Fire.” He fired and then every excited soldier in the vicinity followed suit ■ ' .. ■■■ ; : DUTIES EXPLAINED Militia, Guardsmen, Police .and Troops ‘

Cabled reference to the various organisations on'whom devolves the responsibility .of preserving law and order during the strike troubles, is apt to ? be confusing with its references to police, State Militia. National Guard, and Federal troops. Light was thrown bn the subject of their duties by a representative of the American Consulate at Wellington., It was explained that the police in the’States were responsible to and paid by the municipal organisations of the cities in which they operated; for instance. the police force jjj San Francisco was entirely independent of that ■in, say, Los Angeles. The system was different frOm that in ,New Zealand, where the force was a national organisation.- The duties; however, were the same. . . ’ Some States also had a force similar to the Canadian mounted police. It had practically nothing to do with keeping law and order in the cities, but concentrated on the rural areas, where it patrolled for bootleggers and the like. That force was also maintained by the State. \ , “The terms State Militia and National Guard are a little confusing," the informant stated; “but they are more or less two names for the same thing.” The persons attached tb the militia and guard were likened to territorials in New .Zealand. They were citizens'who spent perhaps a night or two a week at. drill It was pointed out that the Governor of each State was commander-in-chief of the militia, which, in'times of national emergency, could be taken over by the Federal Government. In normal times, however, it was a State concern, and, although it received a certain amount of financial assistance from the Federal Government, it was primarily a State militia force. It was not unusual for it to be called out in the event of a serious, strike or something of that nature. The same applied to the National Guard, which Was just another term for militia. . ?.

Concerning the Federal troops, It was stated-that, they were the regular American army of professional soldiers. who, were commanded and maintained by the Federal Government at Washington. They were entirely dissociated from the State organisations. The calling out of the Federal troops was an extremely unusual practice, and in the present, case would not be done unless the situation got completely out of hand, and could not be controlled by the police and militiamen. It was mentioned that these troops were summoned during the Chicago strike; at the latter end of the nineteenth century. The President of the United States, Mr. Franklin D. Roosevelt, was commander-in-chief.