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Show BflST LJnited States Army Of-ficials Of-ficials at San Francisco Issue Statement in Connection With the Action of the 30,000 Ironworkers Who Are Holding Up Shipbuilding. Shipbuild-ing. PLANTS MAY RESUME WORK Boilermakers to Blame for Disregard of Recent Re-cent Agreement; Order to Go Back Is Issued by the Iron Trades Council; Seattle Men Strike Today.1 SAX FRANCISCO, Sept. 28. All members of unions concerned in the i strike of 30,000 metal tirades workers CKere wero instructed tonight by the Iron Trndes Council to return to work tomorrow. to-morrow. R. W. Burton, president of the council, in a formal statement, said he bad been assured that all shops would bo open tomorrow morning. The action by the council, with "which all the striking unions are affiliated, and the decision of the employers to reopen their plants was taken to indicate indi-cate lhat efforts would be made to con- 1imie operations even if the boilermak-ers boilermak-ers and two other unions, who prevented prevent-ed resumption of work today, refused to report for duty. The majority of the unions composing tho council had ratified a temporary, agreement made lust Sunday by which the men were to return to work pending the drawing up of a permanent agreement by the federal fed-eral board of conciliators. Government Work Tied Up. The strike has tied up $1.30,000,000 worth of govornmcmt shipbuilding and 4 engine contracts. Army officers here issued a statement state-ment today saying that it was the consensus con-sensus of opinion among the officers stationed at tho Presidio that the strike of metal trades workers was prolonging flic war. .Mr. Burton's statement, ordering the men back to work, was: "In so far as the Iron Trades Council is concerned, the tentative agreement has been accepted and the members of its nffiliated unions instructed to go back to work.' I have been assurod lv the conference committee of the Cali-Nfcfornia Cali-Nfcfornia Metal Tnides association and jf1 ali fornia Koundrymen 's association that all shops will he open tomorrow, ready to resume work." Notice Sent Out. The following notice to members of the two employers' associations was sent out to the conference eomniittee; with tho approval of the president ot the Molnl Trades association: "Wo have agreed with representatives representa-tives of the Iron Trades Council that all shops will open for work Saturday morning. In accordance with the above agreement, please open your shops. This notice cancels all pre ions notices." Insurgent, boileruinkcrs. whose vote not to return to work upset the decision of the Iron Trades council to have all of the men at their posts today in accordance ac-cordance with a tentative agreement vith the employers,, plan, to hold a big meeting in the t'ivic auditorium tomorrow tomor-row to air the situation. Keports of a disruption of the Iron Trades council because of the action of the boilerma-k-crs could not be confirmed. Shops Close Again. Approximately half of the shos opened today, following official announcements an-nouncements vesterdav that the strike had been settled. They were imme- duitclv closed, however, by the California Cali-fornia Metal Trades association, the organization of employers, on an order which followed the vote of tke boiler-makers boiler-makers not to resume work. Tf- Unaware of tho action of the boilor-1 boilor-1 makers, thousands of workers returned I ti their posts today, hut were dis-L"' dis-L"' imssed. More than JiW men reported at the Vnion Iron Works, where np-prONimatolv np-prONimatolv $100,000,000 in government shipping has been contracted for. Marines Ma-rines guarding the plant since the call- (Continued on Pasre Two.) GERMANY HID BY STRIKERS El COAST (Continued from. Page One.) ing of the strike Monday, September ! 17, turned them back, explaining that I the strike had not yet been settled. Aiding Germany. I The statement of the army authori-I authori-I ties says: I At the commencement of war with Germany it was a fact well known to military experts , tltat . the navy of the United States, on entering into war with a distant oversea objective, would require every available American Ameri-can merchant bottom; that there was not available for the prosecution of war American merchant tonnage beyond the immediate war needs of the United States navy. i Meanwhile our navy, in this war. is operating at a distance from its home bases, and it lias become necessary to send troops and supplies in large quantities to France. Under existing conditions, ships of the allies, al-t al-t hougn sorely needed for 1 heir own maintenance and supplies, have been diverted and have been assisting the United Stales in the transporting of naval supplies and of army troops and their supplies. Statement Conservative. The foregoing very conservative statement of the ex is ting m 1 K t a ry situation shows conclusively that any delay or obstruction in the shipbuilding shipbuild-ing programme is one which favors our enemy, the German nation, and delays and obstructs the termination of the war. in this connection- it is , not a question of finishing ships now on ways at shipyards within contract time limits, for the military situation situa-tion demands that ships be launched and commissioned at the earliest date practicable, and any delay or oo-struction oo-struction thereto is one that seriously serious-ly obstructs our efficient prosecution of t he war. and correspondingly sets hack in day. weeks and months that victory which is essential on land and sea to effect peace. Officers at the headquarters of the western department vsaid the statement was a "consensus of opinion." but was not an official document. |