The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-26
Arrest Of Fifty Of the Boarding House
Keepers.

anu tHe LhuulOruS AsSOClatlOn-a DO0y winch ID
particularly interested in matters maritime with
reference to providing poor Jack" with berth or
with obtaining his discharge when he returns from
a voyage to far-or foreign lands The persons
most aggrleved are those merchants and ship
owners who desire to obtain crews for their ves-
sells which are loaded and ready sail for foreign
| ports The captains OF these craft complain that
though they can find plenty OF sailors ready and
willing to ship with them, they are unable to take
| them aboard In lorna proprta on account OF the
peculiar action OF Captain Duncan, the Shipping
| Commissioner, and the clearinghouse keepers.
| Consequently there are at present about twenty
| eight vessels now lying In harbor, ready for sea,
which debarred from sailing for want OF crews.
| From the statements given below the reader can
! draw his own deduction, which will most probably
be that Captain Duncan does not fully understand
| the intrcacies OF the legal power he Yields, and
| that both shipOwners and seamen have common
cause Of complaint against the course he Is at
present pursuing.
The HERALD reporter called yesterday at the
Office OF Messrs Boyd h Hincken, No. 8 william
! street. for information and was there introduced
to Captain Holloway, of the American bark
| Eureka. The following is this amiable skipper's
| statement
'As far as l can understand the affair, are in
| debted to the Shipping Commissioner for all this
| trouble. !, as master of the Eureka, can get as
many men as l want, but the authority will not
allow them to go with me unless they ship before
him, and this their landlords will not allow them to
do. Captain Duncan wants the advance notes to be
paid before the vessel is cleared, and this l don't
want to submit to, as the men may run away.
Duncan won't cash the
DUEB ILLS OF THE SAILORS
within twenty hours even If they are properly
endorsed, and the landlords, who mostly hold these
notes. kick against this The Boarding House
Keepers Association, consequently, have
pended Captain Duncan and viii not allow their
men TO ship. This only holds good with American
vessels. Graft under other flags ship men before
their Consuls, and there is difficulty about their
obtaining crews There is my vessel, the Eureka,
the Jacob A. Stamler, the North America, the
Argus and about twenty-five Others now lying in
harbOr, some even in the stream, ready to SAIL yet
they cannot get away for lack OF men to man them.
Under the old shipping law could go to any shipping
master, and he would furnish me with men and put
them aboard my vessel. Now have to find them
for myself take Aem before Duncan, and look
after them until they are aboard and clear OF the
land. This new law, as construed by Captain Dun
can is an outrage upon shpowners and masters OF
vessels. There are plenty OF men willing to work
and 60 to sea, bu, the present regulations initiate
The reporter then wended his way to the Office
of +. Alexandra ~ Sons. 81 Broadway. This firm
line, and have vessels arriving in port every week.
the crews OF which have to be paid off Oh arrival
and shipped before departure.
In answer to the reporters interrogations Mr..
Alexander said :-"Since the appointment of Cap
tain Duncan as Shipping commissioner Of the port
OF New York we have had very mach to complain
about. His system Is especially Objectionable and
expensive to merchants and shipowners as each
fore the Commissioner. This entails expense OF
at least $4,000 per annam upon us, as we have to
pay 81 for each man shipped and fifty cents for
each mans discharge; whereas formerly, and, as
we Claim, we are still
ENTITLED LAW
to do, 1t did not cost us more than $40 per week.
We only ship our crews by the voyage, consequently
they are always discharged on arrival in port,
though most OF them ship again when the vessel is
ready to leave in fact the majority Of sailors
ployed on our steamers bave been sailing in them
Tor years. We don't want to have untred men,
but prefer those perfected in their duty, whom
we can trust, and they, being willing to continue
compelled to pay shipping tees at the termination
of every voyage Of one Of our many steamers"
the reporter was referred to him as more able to
give precise information. Upon learning the
reporters mission this gentleman declared himself
willing to explain the cause OF the trouble, he
understood 1t, to the Interviewer.
There is something radically wrong with the
Mr. Alexandra, ''and 1t concerns us very materi-
ally, not only on account Of the unnecessary ex-
detention OF our steamers. We claim that we can
snip men a. as we please under the amend
Of the new but Duncan de-
two occasions has stopped our steamers
OF this on the point Of aog
aware, shipping act was passed by Congress in
June, 1872. which put the absolute control of the
American vessels bound to foreign ports into the
hands OF the shipping Commissioner, and which
was not only cause OF great annoyance to all con-
cerned with the management of such vessels, but
also causing great loss Of time to owners. agents
and crews by the very unnecessary forms and way
II was done ny the United States Commissioner here.
One OF the worst features were the
ExORBTANT FEES
exacted by the Commissioner; for instance. charg-
ing 81 for each man shipped, and fifty cents for
each man discharged, besides extraneous fees
Or qI papes os S 70 made IN the
property at present Is not In the most -four
ishlng condition, and particularly when engaged IN
amendment . section d sSppnss set was
passed by Congress. 1t reads thus -
Be tenacted &C. That section ~ Of the act entitled
70 ne $ shining Com
Provided further That this section shall not apply to
IN
or the west indian Islands, the Republic OF Mexico.
Now, you observe this amendment placed our
vessels which trade to Mexico on the same footing
with coasters and lake-golng vessels and the Sec
rotary OF the Treasury issued O circular TO the
COLLECTORS OF CUSTOMS,
notifying them that all the American vessels
bound to ports In the places have mentioned did
not require any certificate Of clearance from the
Shipping commissioner We had no hindrance, nor
heard OF any to other firms similarly situated to
us until March 20, during which time we shipped
and paid OF ourselves all crews, which was
done, believe, by all those connected In trade |
with those ports mentioned in the amendment.
on March - Captain Duncan suddenly belled our |
steamer City of Havana for $400 fine, on account
Of our not shipping our crews through him.
very much object to the proceeding, though 1t
caused us considerable expense and much annoy
ance, as the ship was just about to sail but when
he ibeed the City OF Merida the 10th inst at a
quarter past two, when she to sail at three
O'Clock, we could not but consider IL act OF pre-
medidated spite and i'll will on his part Since
then 10 has also come to our knowledge that Cap
tain Duncan applied to the District Attorney for
the Southern district TO libel the steamer, but that
official refused to do so, as he considered that Cap
tain Duncan ought to rest his on the previous
libel
REPoRTER-This new law does not affect foreign