New-York tribune., 1882-02-27
LEGISLATION FOR SAILORS.
EVILS OF THE ADVANCE PAY SYSTEM.

| PROPOSED LEGISLATION To PREVENT BOARDING
HOUSE KEEPERS FROM PRRYING ON SAILORS.
| The recent enactment by the British Parliament
| Of law abolishing the old advance system" in
the payment of sailors wages has revived interest
on the subject in this country. petition to Con-
gress asking that similar act be passed that shall
apply to tine cases OF all sailors shipped at American
ports has received the signatures of the promi-
nent lawyers, snip-owners. merchants and philan-
| thropists in the country. The movement is chiefly
/ in the hands OF Captain Daniel Tracy Of Phiadel-
| pha, who has given his time, labor and money to
| the work without other remuneration than such
| voluntary contributions as have come from those
| who have felt deep interest in its success.
The system of advance wages to seamen, against
| which the movement is directed. is sustained by
long usage and bya powerful organization Of the
keepers of sailors boarding houses, whose profits
are chiefly dependent upon its continuance Under
this system, ~ Captain Tracy stated one day re-
Gently sailors, in this port for instance after they
have signed shipping articles, receive before the
voyage several weeks pay IN advance, Cue amount
depending upon the length OF the voyage. The
amount not only Of the advance but also OF the
wages, is arbitrarily fixed by an Incorporated
society calling itself The Seamens boarding
House Keepers Benevolent Association" The ship
owners furnish the money to the United States
Shipping Commissioner before whom, under the
Act OF Congess Of June, 1872, all shipments OF
sailors are required to be made. When the sailor
signs the shipplngartices he given due bill for
the amount of his advance. This he takes to the
board ing house keeper with whom he is staying,
who has made the arrangements with the ship
owner Tor shipping him upon this voyage. In Tact.
Captain Tracy says. the bOardng-hOuse keepers
have reduced their methods to such q perfect
system that seamen are unable TO procure places
and shipowners are unable to secure seamen except
through members of this association. The board
ng-house keeper takes the sailors due bill and
settles with him he pleases. The sailor is either
too simpe-minded or too ignorant to understand
the extortOn that is practised upon him, else is
rendered perfectly helpless and is left without ap-
peal by force of the circumstances that surround
him. He finds himself charged from T3 to Is for
the cashing of the bill; about much more for the
chance" to ship, and most exorbtant prices for
hta hanr I'd nvs fAr thar Nnfht hn hnG N mi
been supplied with CT which he has been persuaded
to take while under the influence of liquor
The result is that when the sailor who probably
has occupied the lodgings only few days comes to
settle with the keeper the bill against hln VIII
more than swallow up the amount of his " ad-
vance, which Will vary from $20 to $40. The
boarding g-hOuse keeper will ordinarily cOntriye 10
keep the sailor few dollars in debt TO him. so that
wien the sailor returns To this port he VIII feel
bound to return to the same house TO pay OIL the
Indebtedness. Sailors generally are said to have
very nice OF honor upon such point. After
the seaman has started upon his voyage, the board
yhouse keeper gets the cash for the due bill from
the Shipping Commissioner.
The proposed law is substantially the same as
that passed in England more than year ago-de-
claring all such due bills or agreements for the
payment OF advance wages to seamcn to be void
The law did not go into effect in England until
August |, 1881, one year after its enactment Dur
ing the inter gening months the boarding house
keepers, whose system there IS murh the same as
that here, were making preparations to prevent Its
practical enforcement. Their principal method was
20 stir up the feelings of the impractical and I'M
sophisticated sailors against the measure, by nduc-
ing them to believe that ii was directed against
their welfare. Consequently when the law came to
be enforced last August, strikes were organized
among the seamen in London and continued for
some time to cause considerable trouble to ship
owners and merchants. Even nOw although tho
sailor Is beginning tc understand that the
is calculated to benefit him, the boartng-house
keeper has not gwen up the light against law
which practically destroys what has been very
lucrative business. There, a. here, the boarding
house keepers act together under an organized
System.
The same plan is being pursued By them here,
Captain Tracy says. to prevent the enactment of
the " no advance" law. They are epdeayoring to
induce the sailors to believe that the law will be
prejudica TO seamen and will deprive them of
their rights to do as they choose with their own
money. They make the necessity of raising funds
to oppose the enactment the excuse for deductlng
an additional dcllar from each due bill when the
sailors make their settlements in New-York, Boston
and other chief seapOrts. In this way fund of
sex eral thousand dollars has teen raised.
Not only prominent ship-owners and merchants
eem to be agreed in thinking that such law
should be passed, but the petition has also been
signed by the chief United States Shipping Com
missloners COMMISSIONER Duncan. OF this city, IN
signing it says that he fully believes that the
worst of the evils to which American seamen are
exposed are caused by the perncious system OF ad-
vance wages" Commissioner GiDbinS, of Phadel
phia, and Others of the Commissioners express
similar sentiments. The validity of such law is
sustained by the concurring opinions of of the
most eminent lawyers in the country.
Speaking on this topic recently, prominent ship
tced upon the sailors all over the world by sailors
boarding house keepers and their runners has
caused much discussion and legislation and tear
that the proposed i'll will not eradicate the evil.
IL is worth trying however. The advance wages
system is evil that is nni limited in its injury to
the sailors interests, but fear that the sailors
landlords will be able TO get around the proposed
law in fact they threaten TO- The proposed law,
they say will not prevent sailor from contracting
debt. and for the sake of little money he is will
ing to pay 100 per cent or more interest. Hence,
all the landlord has to do is to take the sailors
to be collected within a specified time, and this he
can readily have cashed by many ship-owners at a
small discount, the amount having been checked
against the sailors account.
This is the way they manage it in England. We
must have law that will also make it misue-
meanor for any runner 10 go on board of any
vessel for the purpose of soliciting sailors, or to
communicate with them in any way on board OF
the vessel Tie sailor has been accustomed to
receiving an advance that it will be n difficult |
matter If not impossible. to educate him to any
other system and the British law applies only to
sailors shipped British vessels in foreign ports
and rs the American law will apply to American |
vessels in the same way 10 is feared that runners
will be more Jealous and by glowing promises of !
higher wages induce them to desert and forfeit |
what may be due them, to ship vessels where |
they can obtain their advance and thus get little
pocket money which they would not have otherwise
until the end of the cruise"
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THE SUND1Y TRIBUNE.
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