The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-03
APPEALING TO THE LAW.
CoaSting Sailors Bringing Suits
for the Return of Their
Advances.
Secretary Furuseth of the Union
Denies That the Strike Has
Failed.

The arrival of the large feet of coasters
and deep-water ships during the past
week has filed the union strikers with
exultation, they seeing an increased want
for sailors to man the vessels. Secretary
Furuseth considers that the battle is vir.
tually over and in a short time the union
wages will be paid all over the coast.
"Al the steam schooners with the ex.
ception of the North Fork, +" said he, "have
taken our men, and three-fourths of the
sailing schooners are paying the wages
which we contend are just. The reports
coming from the Ship-owners' Association
that the clearinghouse keepers were
throwing out men who refused to ship fol
scab wages is untrue, except in the case Of
one house and the home, and only few
men were sent away from those two
places.
1.-THE Tam o. Shanter which arrived sew
eral days ago paid Peter Grant, a runner
in Astoria, Just before the vessel sailed
So 80 apiece for three men. Upon being
paid off here they demanded their money
in full. Simpson e. Co., the owners, re-
fused at first, but when threatened with
prosecution by the union paid the whole
amount. Calender, the boarding master,
was paid 81 so apiece for four men by Pope
q 1dIDOJ IOT Ile DdIh AIN yTd. L NE men
were induced to sign the advance by read
ing the Reports false information that the
Secretary of the Treasury had authorized
a sort of allotment, etc. Their attorney, H.
w. Hutton, will bring suit if necessary to
compel the return of the $50 to the four
men.
"Three seamen on the Oriental and sew
eral on the Two Brothers, which arrived
few days ago from the north, were induced
80 81, Il
to compel the return of the money. The
ship E1weu paid off in full last Tuesday,
notwithstanding John Cane stood by and
demanded $40 apiece paid by somebody to
somebody else. Secretary Furuseth said:
1.-THE yarns told by the secretary of the
association regarding the unions back be-
ing broken are nonsensical. We have
money to carry on our cause, and we were
never in better condition morally and
financially. The Coast Soamen's Union is
determined to bring about fair living wages
for the sailor, and break up the crimping
business by law. The shipping acts will
be upheld in spite of Matthew and his gun
runners. When the association reported
that it had won its fight there were twelve
vessels lying in the bay unable to get
crews, though $50 was offered"
Two ships are lying in the stream bound
for Sydney via the sound. The vessels are
the Elwell and King Cyrus, and neither
has yet secured her entire crew. The own
ers of the King Cyrus asked United States
Shipping Commissioner Gwin to allow the
crew to be shipped at the rate of $40 for the
first month and SIS for each month there
after. The owners of the Elwen desired
the commissioner to write on the face of
the allotment notes payable after leaving
the sound"
81 refused both these requests" said
Commissioner Gwin, 'for considered that
they were evasions of the law. In the case
of the King Cyrus it would have been tan
tamount to holding back SIS of the mems
wages, and this Office could not do that.
The owners finally consented to pay sos a
month until the vessel was loaded, and
$40 month on the trip across the ocean.
In the case of the Elwell, had | made the
payment of the allotment notes due when
the ship left the sound it would have been
aiding in coercing the men to remain on
the vessel.
''The schooner Uncle John is going to
Seattle and thence to Redondo. The own
ers wanted to pay $15 for the first month
and S25 for the balance of the voyage. /
decided that $50 would have to be the
wages for the round trip"