The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-05-02
incidents of the Consular System.

A writer in the Boston Advertiser illustrates
some of the the evil workings of the Ameri-
can Consular system by couple of incidents;
which may be briefly summed up as follows:
In August, 1880. brig Jessie Rhynas, put into
st. Thomas to replace chain and anchor lost.
While there the captain was taken i'll and tho
crew refused to proceed in the vessel. Mean
time the brig VIM. Mason, owned by the same
parties, and commanded by brother OF the cap
tain of the Rhynas, came into port and in or
der to hasten the voyage OF the latter vessel,
put his own mate in charge OF the Rhynas and
received the second mate of the brig Julia K.
Haskell. The consul's charges for these trans
fers were as follows: Fees for shipping mas
ter for the Jessie Rhynas, for dissharging
mate from the William Mason, and for ship
ping another; for discharging second mate
from the Julia e. Haskell and shipping anoth-
er; and three months extra wages each to the
mate promoted from the William Mason to
master of the Rhynas, and the second mate
promoted from the Julia E. Haskell, as beil g
discharged in foreign port, although they
were simply transferred from one vessel to an
other The consul abated two months OF the
extra pay, as allowed by the consular regula-
tions but exacted all the other charges enum-
Grated. All the wages and fees demanded
were paid, and request was afterward made
to the State Department at Washington that
the extra wages be refunded, and it was SO
recommended to the Treasury Department,
but in the latter department it was decided
that the consul had not only acted In accord
ance with the regulations, but had been very
generous in not taking three months pay for
each man instead of one month. In the case
of British vessel in foreign port there
would have been simply fee of fifty cents for
discharging and shipping each man, and not
allowing shipmasters and seamen to make their
own bargains and their consuls simply ratify-
ing such bargains without charge, except the
fee of fifty cents for dischargng or shipping.
A few weeks ago the barque Megunticook,
of Boston, was at Portland, in the stream, rea-
DIV for sea, bound to Montevideo for orders,
with crew all on board and fair wind blowing
When the captain went on board with his pap
ers ready to sail, he found the crew thad NUT
inied and refused to 60 in the vessel, giving no
reason whatever except that they did not wish
to 90. A new crew was finally obtained. The
captain, explained why he did not take the re-
fractory crew to sea, as follows: II can do 1t
and perhaps havesno further troubleIwith them,
but on arrival at River la Plate some sea law
YER amongst them might put the others up to
demand to see the consul, to swear that they
had been ill-treated, no matter how well they
had been treated, and ! should be at the mer-
cy of the consult and if he felt inclined, he
could discharge the whole crew and compel me
to pay three months extra wages to each man.
Then I should be obliged to get another crew as
best conld in foreign port" Is it any won
der American shipowners groan and complain
under such burdens, and demand that such
laws, made in the years of our forefathers,
should be blotted from the statute books, and
something more suited to the times substituted
in their place?