The Labor enquirer., 1884-04-12

many pilots were 50 long absent OF
voyages. However, the repentant sinner,
scraped their savings together. and one
by one, by our tedious voting process
they were added to the fold. "a time
came, at last, when only about ten re.
mained outside. They said they would
starve before they would apply. They
remained idle long time, because Of
course nobody could venture to employ
them 81 c
i By and by the association published
| the fact that upon certain date the
wages would be raised to $500 per month.
All the branch associations had grown
strong now, and the Red river one had
advanced wages to 500 a month. Re
luctantly the ten outsiders yielded, in
view of these things, and made applica-
ton. a
There was another dew by.law by this
time, which required them to pay dues
not only on all the wages they had re-
ceived since the association was born,
but also on what they would have re-
ceived if they had continued to work up
to the time of their application, instead
of going off to pout in idleness. Itturned
out to be difficult matter to elect them,
but it was accomplished at last. The
most Eirulent sinner had stayed out and
allowed his "dues" to accumulate against
him SO long that he had to send in 1926
with his application.
The association had good bank &C
count now, and was strong. There was
no longer an outsider, A bylaw was
added forbidding the reception of any
more cubs or apprentices for five years,
after which time limited number of
apprentices would be taken, not by in
diylduals but by the association upon
these terms: The applicant must not be
less than Is years old and of respectable
family and good character. He must
pass an examination as to education, pay
81 900 in advance for the privilege of
becoming an apprentice, and must re-
main under the commands of the associa-
ton until great part of the member
ship (more than half, think should be
willing to sign his application for pilots
license.
All previously articled apprentices
were now taken away from their masters
and adopted by the association. The
president or secretary detailed them for
service on one boat or another, as they
chose, and changed them from boat to
boat according to certain rules. If a
pilot could show that he was in infrm
health and needed assistance, one of the
| cubs would be ordered to 60 with him.
The widow and orphan list grew, but
80 did the associations financial resour-
ces. The association attended its own
funerals in state, and paid for them.
When occasion demanded, it sent mem
bers down the river upon searches for
the bodies of brethren lost by steamboat
accidents. A search of this kind some
times cost 81, ,OOO
The association procured charter and
went into the insurance business, also.
1t not only insured the lives of its mem
bers, but took risks on steamboats,
The organization seemed indestruc-
table. 1t was the tightest monopoly in
the world. By the United States law no
man could become a pilot unless two
duly licensed pilots signed his applica-
ton; and now there was nobody outside
of the organization competent to sign.
Consequently the making of pilots was
at an end. Everv year some would die
and others become incapacitated by age
and infrmity. There would be no new
ones to take their places. In time the
association could put wages up to any
figure they chose; and as long as it
should be wise enough not to carry the
thing too far and provoke the national
government into amending the licensing
system, steamboat owners would have to
submit, since there would be no help for
it.
The owners and captains we're the
only Instructions that lay between the
association and absolute power and at
last this was removed. Incredible as it
may seem, the owners and captains de-
liberately did it themselves. When the
pilots association announced, months
beforehand, that on the first day of Sep
tember, 1861, wages would be advanced
to $500 per month, the owners and cap,
tains instantly put freights up a few
cents, and explained to the farmers
along the river the necessity of it, by
calling their attention to the burdensome
rate of wages about to be established
1t was a rather slender argument, but
the farmers did not seem to detect it. II
looked reasonable to them that to add
cents freight on bushel of corn was
justifable under the circumstances, over.
looking the fact that this advance on a
cargo of 10000 sacks, was a good deal
more than necessary to cover the new
wages.
So, straightwsY the captains and
owners got up an association of theil
} own, and proposed to put captains wages
up to $500, too, and move for another
advance on freights. 1t was novel idea