HOLD-UP IN MOTOR INDUSTRY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20640, 1 February 1937, Page 7

HOLD-UP IN MOTOR INDUSTRY

CONCILIATORY PLANS NECESSARY MARITIME STRIKE NEARS SETTLEMENT United Press Association—By EUActrlo Telegraph—Copyright (Received January 31, 6.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON, January 30. The Secretary for Labour (Miss Frances Perkins) has reported that substantial progress was made in the conference with Mr Sloan (representing the motor manufacturers), towards a basis upon which negotiations to end the automobile strike could be resumed. Miss Perkins, earlier in the week, promised a definite announcement, but she said she had found it impossible to reach the third party by telephone, whose acquiescence is the sole remaining factor, needed for the truce. Miss Perkins declined to name the person, until she had talked to him Mr Murphy, at Detroit, rebuked twenty-five non-strikers, who threatened to sit down in his office until he evicted the strikers in the General Motors Corporation plants. He asserted that the non-strikers were responsible for the breakdown of previous negotiations. Miss Perkins later announced that Mr Sloan had rejected her proposal for a conference during the week-end, between the Union and the General Motors Corporation. Miss Perkins stated that Mr Sloan had “ran out on me,” after agreeing to participate in the proposed conference, provided Mr Murphy arranged it. She said that Mr Sloan had telephoned her after returning to New York, to withdraw his promise. Miss Perkins added: “I am bitterly disappointed. I have no plans.” OUTLOOK IN MARINE STRIKE EARLY SETTLEMENT CONSIDERED CERTAIN. United Press Association—B» Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received January 31, 7.20 p.m.) SAN FRANCISCO, January 30 The joint strike policy committee passed a resolution recommending the unions to conduct a membership referendum immediately on the question of ending the martime strike. Mr Melnikow estimated that it would take three or four days to conduct the voting by 40,000 strikers. “They would return to work under agreements and the understandings reached by their negotiating committees with the employers,” he added. Approvail Certain The approval of the majority is regarded as a foregone conclusion, since with few exceptions the unions have won their major demands, particularly the right to control the hiring halls, an eight-hour day or less, cash pay instead of time off for overtime and union recognition. The employees, however, retained full freedom to select ships’ officers, engineers, master, mates, pilots and marine engineers. The unions accepted the wage increases and other concessions and gave the shipowners the right to hire such men outside the union ranks. SITUATION BECOMES MORE CONFUSED EMPLOYERS’ REFUSAL TO NEGOTIATE United Press Association—By Electric Tel egraph —Copyright (Received January 31, 7.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, January 30. The motor strike has become more confused than ever. Mr Sloan issued a statement denying that he had agreed with Miss Perkins (Secretary of Labour) to negotiate. He reiterated that the paramount Issue was evacuation of the strikers. Mr Murphy Intimated that, if the Federal Government ceased further intervention, he was ready to call a Joint conference of spokesmen for both parties. Mr Martin praised Miss Perkins’s efforts and accused General Motors Corporation of blocking all peace efforts and deliberately closing many factories not on > strike, in an effort to turn the general public and workers against the union. General Motors Corporation announced that 123,000 of the 149,000 workers affected by the labour troubles at its plants were Supporting a back-to-work movement and had shown their satisfaction with the current bargaining methods and opposition to the strike activity. In the meantime, a slightly humorous touch was given at Flint when strikers declined to admit reporters to the plant. Mr Lewis, in an interview, said that the steel automobile and other great industries of the nation were controlled by inter-locking financial groups, so that their policies are finally what Mr J. P. Morgan and Mr Pierre S. Dupont say. He insisted that there would be no settlement of the strike in General Motors, which would not recognise the American Workers’ Union as the sole bargaining agency, whether employees were members of it or not.