Statement by the President Following Receipt of Report of Board of Inquiry in the Maritime Strike.

THE BOARD of Inquiry in the maritime dispute has reported to me that although there has been agreement between some of the parties, full accord has not been achieved and the strike continues with respect to a majority of American ships.

Reports I have received clearly manifest that a continuation of this strike imperils the national health and safety.

I have therefore directed the Attorney General to seek an injunction against this strike under the national emergency provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act.

While an injunction will restore the maritime industry to full operation and return the striking members to work for a period of 80 days, it should not interfere in any way with efforts toward settlement. In the last several days, progress has been made toward such a settlement and I hope the parties will exert the necessary effort to achieve it quickly. However, the public interest does not permit further delay in applying for an injunction. Consequently, I have made the decision to direct the Attorney General to apply for the appropriate order.

The circumstances of this dispute present new evidences for the imperative need of improvements of the national emergency section of the Taft-Hartley Act. I have directed the Secretary of Labor promptly to prepare for submission to the Congress proposals for improving our mechanism of dealing with national emergency strikes.

In addition, this dispute also points up the necessity for reviewing our procedures for improving collective bargaining in the maritime industry. I shall likewise deal with this in submitting proposals to the Congress.

I wish to commend the members of the board of inquiry for their untiring efforts in this matter in the public interest.