The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-02-24
COMPULSORY PIL0TAGE.
MASS MEETING OF BUSINESS MEN
AND CITIZENS.


mer. Mr.. Is. Is. Munford. and Colonel
PurcelI-CompuIsory Piiotage on Coast
wise Vessels Experimentation.
The business mems meeting, announced
Yesterday to be held at the Young Mems
Christian Association Hall, to consider
the subject of compulsory pilotage, was
held last evening at q o'clock. The hall
was very we'll filled BY the leading busi-
ness and representative men OF the city,
and the meeting was called to order oy
Captain George Ainslee, President OF the
Chamber of Commerce, who nominated
Colonel Archer Anderson as. president.
He was unanimously elected, and on TAX
ing the chair made few well chosen,
appropriate remarks, favoring the aboli-
tion of the compulsory piotage system,
and stating the object of the meeting.
His remarks elected the decided approval
OF the assemblage.
COLONEL A. $. BUFoRD
was the first speaker. He addressed the
House, at considerable length, in favor
of repeal of the present pilotage laws,
taking the ground that compulsory pilot
age was a protective tax laid upon the
commerce of the State of Virginia for the
benefit of an individual association. lie
believed that Virginia would be per
fectly willing TO give the pilots ade-
ouate fees for services performed by them,
but il was unjust for that class OF people
TO be able to levy tax on all coastwise
tonnage al the rate OF lI,0UO year lot
their personal emolument. lie thought
the law unjust, unwise, and impolliic,
and a direct blow at the prosperity OF
the Commonwealth The bill repeating
compulsory pilotagc had already passed
the House Of Delegates, and he was sat's-
fed il would also pass the Senate when
II had fair hearing before that body.
He would do all he could to bring about
80 desirable result.
MIR B Is. MUNFoRD
was next called on He gave the law un-
der which that close corporation, the
Pilots Association, consisting of twenty
seven men. was formed He showed how
any of these pilots could enforce pay
ment Of pilotage if he hailed a foreign
vessel whether the master desired the
services of said pilot or not. Bnt it was
not proposed to touch the law relating To
foreign vessels What was desired 10 be
reformed was the law which required
coaslwise vessels to pay license to the
Pilots Association at the ra'" 81 I'll cents
per ton Of drarGa;, OF which sum not
9..e cent went into the treasury OF the
State, but the whole Sl7500 so collected
was tax upon our commerce, for which
there was frequently not one dollar OF
compensation rendered.
This, however, was the minimum of
damage done. This tax prevented yes
sells from coming 10 our port, and the
speaker quoted the figures, as published
in Yesterdays TIMES, showing that, on
this account, the shipping OF Richmond
had fallen off from 1917 few years ago
to 573 last year. Al this was due TO the
enormous tax so levied on our shipping
by a close corporation, which chose their
own members and regulated the tax
which they levied upon all vessels com
ing to our ports, and for which they
often times rendered no service al all.
BY act of Congress large passenger ships
are exempt from the operation OF this
law. and so vessel carrying 800 passen-
gers could take all the risks of life with
out pilot, when lighter loaded with
pig iron could not come up or 60 out the
river without paying a high license for
so doing.
COLONEL ". II. PALMER
next spoke. He said that the river com
merce Of Richmond was dying, and the
great expense which our commerce had
to meet, due to great extent to our
pilotage laws which drove vessels from
our waters, was the cause.
The meeting was further addressed by
COLONEL JOHN B. PURCELL,
who spoke strongly in favor OF repeal
of the compulsory pilotage law, and who,
in conclusion, offered the following
RESOLUTION.
Under the call of the presidents Of the
Chambers of Commerce of Richmond,
Petersburg, and Dsnville this mass-meet-
ing or business men, assembled 10 consid
er the present statute. which requires the
payment of license tax by all coastwise
vessels to the pilots, who are private in
dividuals, for the privilege OF trading in
the waters of Virginia, desire to present
the following statement in regard TO said
law 10 the people of Virginia, and their
conclusions as TO the burdens which ii i'm
poses upon our shippers and its injurious
effects upon the commerce Of our state.
Bv the fourteenth section OF the pres
ent law tsee Acts lSsl-'S2, page 39I) all
sailing vessels plying between points
on the coast OF the United States are
required to pay to the agents of the
pilots, who are private individuals, an
annual license tax of 10 cents upon each
ton of the vessels burden for the privi
lege Of trading III the waters OF Vir-
gina. The revenue derived from this
source, not one dollar of which goes into
the State Treasury, and in return for
which the pilots render absolutely not
one moment of service, amounted TO
over $l1 900 during the year just passed.
Unless the above-described license il
obtained the vessel is required under the
law to pay to the pilots fees graduated
according TO the number of the feet
which she draws, and the payment of
these fees is compulsory whether the
pilot renders any service or not.
The provisions of the law requiring the
payment of fees by foreign vessels, which
amounted to over $4,000 during