The San Francisco call., 1897-01-27
PILOTS WILL NOT
LIKE This PLAN
Proposed Reduction in Their
Fees in San Francisco
Harbor.
Merchants and Ship.Owners Pro.
test Against Irjustices Under
the Present Law.
LEGISLATORS Asked to Pass Bill That
Will Help Commerce at
This Port.

SACRAMENTO, CAL, Jan. 23-This
was a great day for the San Francisco
committee on commerce sent here to pre-
sent the needs OF San Francisco in the
matter of pilotage reforms before the joint
Commerce Committee of the Legislature.
| The session lasted two hours and half,
and the passage of each minute percepti-
bly, strengthened the position of the San
Francisco commercial deleeation.
Hugh Craig acted as spokesman for his
colleagues and was ably seconded by G. E.
Navlor. While no definite action was
taken by the Legislative committee to-
night, the evidence in the shape of facts
and figures presented by Craig and his
associates appeared so striking that it was
only sense of fairness to the pilots and
Pilot Commissioners that prevented the
committee from at once deciding to recon-
mend the reform measure for passage.
The first bill considered was that ap-
propriating $4,000 for the construction
and equipment of tireboat with speed
of not less than twenty statute miles per
hour pumping capacity OF not less than
5000 gallons per minute and draught of
not more than seven feet when loaded and
equipped for service,
1t was explained shat the light draught
and high speed were necessary in order
that the fireboat might be available for
use at Stockton and Sacramento and other
inland points where it might be of service.
1t was decided to report the bill favorably.
Senator Gleaves measure relative to
pilots, Pilot Commissioners and pilotage
was next considered. The bill reduces the
number of Pilot Commissioners at San
Francisco from three to one, and the Com
missioner, as we'll as the pilots appointed
by him, is required to bold certificates
| from the board of examiners of the Cham
Der of Commerce. 1t further provides for
two classes of pilots, general and special
The former are those TO be directly under
/ control of the Pilot Comm issioner, while
| masters and mates of American ships and
masters of tug boats are to be known as
special pilots The license fee is fixed at
$40 per annum, and the license can be
renewed from year to year by the payment
of 81 so for each renewal.
1t was when the section referring to the
| compensation OF pilots came under dis
cussion that general interest became
aroused. This section reads as follows:
Every general pilot of the harbors of San
Francisco, Mare Island, Vallejo and Benicia
must render an account each day. or as often
! as practicable, to the Pilot Commissioner, of
each and all vessels to which or for which he
has rendered service, and the pilotage there
| for must be charged up and collected by the
said Commissioner, who shall deposit the same
| with the State Treasurer. The Commissioner
shall draw by warrant upon the State Treas
urer, specifying the purpose, for the necessary
| expenses of the pilots, boats and Office ex-
penses, not to exceed 5000 per month salary
| for each general pilot licensed and acJu ally
rendering services that produce an income
equal to such salary; 5000 per month salary
Tor the Commissioner; 800 per month for the
| secretary; $40 per month rent and sundrIes,
and $500 per month for the use, mainten ance
and repair of each pilot boat in actual service,
not to exceed four. Any surplus remaining
shall go to the State public school funo.
After this had been read Hugh Craig
| read from a communication which had
been received from the secretary of the
Pilot Commissioners. This gave review
of the pilot business in and out of the
harbor of San Francisco for the past
fifteen years. This showed that the four
pilot boats now IN service at San Francisco
were the private property of the pilots
and tl1at their average cost was about
| $4,000, and that the average monthly
| earnings of each OF the twenty pilots en-
gagged in the service was 1929 S8. He
showed further from the statement re-
ceiyed from the Pilot Com m issioners that
| these earnings were made after rebates
amounting to nearly one-half of the gross
earnings were made to local shipowners.
| This discrmin aiion, he averred, was made
| in order to retain the friendship and aid
of the San Francisco shipowners when
necessity such as the present occasion cre-
ated arose for their kindly services.
| In response to some questions by Sena-
| tor Braunhart, a member of the Senate
Committee on Commerce, Craig stated
| that ample provision was made in the
measure under consideration for the valu-
able services of the pilots by paying them
| a salary of 5000 a month, and that ample
| returns were made them for the money
| thew had invested in their pilot boats bv
allowing them $4,000 year for each boat.
This allowance, he stated. gave them net
return of S24O0 year on an investment of
| $4,000.
Senator Braunhart still sought enlight-
eminent. He stated that several times be-
fore similar measures had been before the
Legis lature, but each time they had failed
|
ures were generally referred to by pc
cuIiar term by the press and no member
cared TO be under suspicion of favoring
such a measure. He asked Craig why
such bill was now again submitted, in
view of the past history of its prede-
cessors.
! In his sweetest tones and manner Craig
! re piled that never before had the best
| co N m ercial element of San Francisco had
an opportunity of applying to such an IN
| telligent and able body OF legislators.
| When the laugh at Braunhart's expense
had subsidized Craig further explained that
there was really no need for pilots in the
harbor of San Francisco. He said the
harbor was SO well guarded by lights
and signals that the insurance people
would charge no more for covering yes
sci that did not engage a pilot than for
! one that did.
G. E. Naylor said that in his opinion