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Show LABOR CHIEFS SEE OXEII FOR ship mm Leaders Confer With Roosevelt on Aid for Seamen WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (AP) Maritime labor leaders said after White House conference con-ference today that they believed President Roosevelt ultimately would approve proposed transfer to Panama registry cl eight United State line chips barred from the European war zone by the neutrality act A short time earlier at hit press conference Mr. Roosevelt had ex-, pressed the view that transfer of the vessels would be legal, but he added that the question of whether to permit It still was being studied from a human at well as a property prop-erty angle. The labor leaders who conferred at length with the president on seamen's unemployment arising from discontinuance of north -Atlantic ahipping were Joseph Cur-ran, Cur-ran, president of the National Maritime union (C.I.O.): Joseph R. Ryan, president of the International Internation-al Longshoremen's association (A. F. L.), and Matthew Dushane, chairman of the Seafarers1 lntr- national union (A. F. L.). Mr. Roosevelt had disclosed at the press conference that a program pro-gram of training would be undertaken, under-taken, under the already established estab-lished maritime commission-coast guard training system, to give as many at possible of the unemployed unem-ployed men work. He said also that he would recommend to congress con-gress that seamen be brought fully under the social security law, thus making available to them benefits of the unemployment Insurance section. The chief executive also dis- Closed he was considering the use IColuna Oni LABOR CHIEFS SEE APPROVAL FOR CH ANGE 111 SHIPS' REGISTRY serving the American merchant marine. However, ha approved of the relief measure and said the seamen sea-men would be unemployed whether the transfer took place or not. He said the transfer might result re-sult In "repercussions If something happens to the ships under the Panama flag." Insisting that a transfer of the U. S. Line ships to Panamanian registry would be legal, the president, presi-dent, however, said other questions ques-tions were being discussed to benefit ben-efit not only the laid-up crews, but the ships themselves. Mr. Roosevelt said he also was considering use of the 35 to 35 American .flagships taken out of the North Atlantic trade in fetching fetch-ing materials the government Is purchasing under a 110,000,000 appropriation ap-propriation for a reserve of strategic stra-tegic war supplies. May I'sa Idle Ships In this connection he referred to the agreement with Great Britain Brit-ain to exchange American cotton for British rubber and tin. American Amer-ican ships, now Idle, may be used to bring the rubber and tin back from the East Indies., while, the tCoatMM rraa n Owl of Mlt ships, 29 to 35 In all, to bring back from tha East Indies and other parts of the world strategic stra-tegic materials such as rubber and ' tin which the United States Is seeking for wartime reserves. Curran told reporters after his conference that it appeared the transfer of eight ships to Panama registry was looked upon "somewhat "some-what favorably." But tha president presi-dent had Indicated, he said, that If the vessels were transferred they would not be definitely tied down to Panama registry and would be taken back by the United States Lines after the war. American Ameri-can seamen then would be reemployed reem-ployed on them. Will Be Transferred There Is a definite Indication the ships will be transferred," Curran Cur-ran said. Ryan said he was convinced the president "still thinks the transfer is the right thing to do and will okeh It after satisfying himself" that such action would not violate the spirit of the neutrality act. Ryan said his union favors the trsnifer becausa approximately 15,000 longshoremen would be used lor loading and unloading despite the transfer registry. "We work for the foreign lines th same as American lines," he explained. Unless th transfer were approved, he added, th American merchant marine In th European trade would be put out of business and after the war would have to be completely rebuilt. Curran said the president outlined out-lined to the group the expanded training program and also advised that the WPA had "some plans" to take care of those seamen not provided pro-vided for under the training program. pro-gram. 'Cared far First Curran said married seamen would be taken care of first and that the commission would give preference to the expereinced jobless job-less seamen and slow down Its acceptance ac-ceptance of "green men" for training. train-ing. Curran estimated 1000 men would benefit Immediately under the training program. These would be paid by the government for three months and other seamen taken on at the end of that period. He estimated esti-mated from 3000 to 5000 would be Idle Immediately as a result of the neutrality act restrictions. Curran reiterated his opposition to th transfer of the ships to Panama Pan-ama registry, saving he did not believe be-lieve It was In the Interest of pre- xtriusn snips carry menta wv ton back to th British Isles. The president emphasized that both ships and men in north Atlantic At-lantic trade were being laid up as a result of an act by congress. The seamen would be on th beach, he ssld, whether American ships were transferred to foreign registry or taken off routes to the war zone as a result of the neutrality act. There Is no question as to the legality of transferring ships, he continued, but the administration Is working on other methods which would guarantee, in case of transfers, trans-fers, full retention of title in the owning company. - Perfectly Legal Replying to a question, he said the transfer to Panamanian registry regis-try of 15 Standard Oil tankers had not set a precedent and was perfectly per-fectly legal. Replying to critics of proposed transfers, the president pointed out he was more or less bound by law, and It was one of those anomalies that some supporters sup-porters of the neutrality act were the very ones challenging the step. To suggestions that the American Ameri-can ships taken out of north Atlantic At-lantic commerce be put on South American and other routes, Mr. Roosevelt said that was a beautiful beauti-ful thought, but, unfortunately, there was a shortage of goods and passengers for such trade. |