MARINE STRIKE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 305, 23 November 1936, Page 7

MARINE STRIKE.

A NEW DEVELOPMENT

OFFICERS’ DECISION

NEW YORK, Nov. 21

The maritime strike entered a new phase when the Masters, Mates, and Pilots’ Association and the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association issued general strike calls on the cast and west coasts because of the failure of certain steamship companies to grant requests for a wage conference. All ships here left to schedule to-day, and officials of the International Seamen’s Union claimed that the walk-out had been broken and that it had ended the joint strike policy. The committee for the Pacific Coast was in session all day at San Francisco and dispersed without taking action on request lor transportation of stranded Australian and Few Zealand passengers. Mr Harry Bridges, the men’s leader, addressing the Central Labour Council, declared that Labour was determined to see the fight through to a finish. “We would rather face mac-hine-guns than go back to the conditions existing before 1934,” he said. “Certain employers, I mean the American, Hawaiian, Dollar, and Matsou Lines, are so blind that they want to take hiring halls away front the maritime unions. We are convinced that the ship-owners are waiting for the racketeers to break the eastern strike and then will move in on us, but we have thought out our programme and we are sticking to it.” The Secretary lor the Interior (Mr H. L. Ickes) is considering the use of Government vessels, if necessary, to assure shipment of food supplies to Honolulu.

At New York 1000 .strikers demanded admittance to the International Seamen’s Union assembly hall, but were refused on the ground that they had forfeited membership by joining the insurgent movement. They were forced to satisfy themselves by clamorous marching up and down protesting outside the hall.