The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-03-20
Bow the clearinghouse Keepers
Evade the New Law.
THE OLD WAY AND THE NEW.
~ the Enacfaeuf which Went late
Foree February 20, the Seaman
Can ship without First D~iss
Robbed, and viii Nave All
wages, save Pay for Dae MONTH
Coming to Hta ~ Desstnation.

Seanen all over the country ere very
much eiated over the passage of the Ees
seaTaea's law which became operative GA
February ., by the provisions " which il
IL proposed 10 life The sailor from the
clutches OF the boarding housekeepers.
Trder the old lsv. which has been in
vogue FOR years. and especially through
the abuses of IL. the sailor practically Ia
bored for the benefit Of the boarding
house keeper and secured little ne
wagca for himself.
Al every seaport I'm the United States.
where aeep-water ships arrive ard de-
part. the boarding houseksepers have dad
in their employ men known along the
front as .crtmpss fl was their duty To
board all incoming ships and secure the
sailors fer their houses. just az a. runner
meets a train and prevails upon paHsen-
gers to stop al his hotel. III the case Of
foreign ships sailors are hired at wages Of
1i5 per month usually. and are not paid
of until the round trip is made. save
little spending money 10 meet their imrfie-
date aeeds.
F0retgn sailors Mlaled.
The "crimp'' would explain to the sailor.
who was probably already dissatisfied.
how foolish he was to ship for Sis
frnonth. work like ID slave and wait until
he returned TO his home port for his
wages. He Invariably told the seaman
that the scale OF wages at his port was 80
or $40. and that by leaving he would DC
taken to good house" and wonid be
reshipped at tbsi scale.
BY this scheme the .crimp would show
the crew that in the time IL would taxi. To
return Ia the port whence they came they
Gould earn enough To reimburse them for
the accrued loss OF DESERVING IN"
'ssrifup'' nearly always won the argument,
and tho sailors were rowed ashore and
taken 90 the den which he represented.
They were given all the liquor they could
swallow without tgnising and given as
comfortable quarters as a sailor usually
gets. They would be held there "A few
days and reshipped by the 'crimp when
Aefuddisd with liquor and In poor condi~
ton to- protect themselves.
They would find a bill against them
large enough TO cover the advance al
lowed under the law, which In some cases
would reach two months pay. or $40. On
a three months trip they would only have
80 each coming to them. which would be
taken away from them BY the "crtHips
at the port of destination. The United
States. at every seaport town. usually
provides 81 shipping commissioner before
whom ali crews are signed. 1T IL his place
Ga sse that no advance" contrary To law
IL paid, but in too many cases he stands
In" with the .'crimps. and boarding
masters. and his presence in many in
stances serves to Influence sailor into
when. were he amid other surroundings.
he might be tempted 10 demand his
rights.
Provisions of the New Law.
Under the new Law II in proposed To
better the saloFH condition by making q
different allotment az his wages.
IL provides that no advance In excess
OF one months pay can Be made. In any
CASE and that no boarding house bills or
Indebtedness OF any kind. real or inag-
mary. are TO he PAID out of a sailors
advance wages
The law ~ being violated already and
in Taeosna Il IL understood that several
errests have hsen threatened So far iii
Seattle no complaint has been made hy
the sailors, bat there Is no telling what
time will do.
News from New York, she most smpor
tart deep-water port IN this country.
states thar tlss 'ertnps' have combined
To raise wages from SIS 10 $50 and So per
month In the foreign going trade. This
u done go that the boarding house keep
~Ts can secure a greater advance. Intles
tina old law, which permitted the ad
vance OF net sum amounting to $40
per each month of the tifoe usually os~
cGpled on given voyage, or xts IA tho
foreign going trade. Il aas u matter OF no
concern to the "crsnes'' ahat the wages
az sailors were long they li1 not
fail below $40 month, for they got their
money i'm any cass- The new Law makes
she advance dependent upon the rate OF
Wages.
The ship owners eh}ecs. OF course. to
the raising ~ wages hat fnaSmuch as they
aiw ays SECURE crews through the 'crimps
taes have Ia pat np with their dictates
II they do not agree 10 the Scaie they afi,
have 10 ship crews az ''fana .l4tfhess -
which woaSsd affect th.tr Insurance and
ro doubt. rasfse thss loss - thesr Vessels
IN most cases
J'ils sailors ara nj! sgiiaslng the aJvisa-
htflty of living up Ia the new IAN, and
II they stand up for their rights and re-
fsiss 20 have mere shan 0ue months aa-
vance taken osat 81 their wages. tasv have
tho government behind tB*m in ta~sv post.
ton. The different sailors isniNns have
warned The hoaf$tng hotas4s Keepers sAsst
all violations ~ the taw VIII he xisof-
oussy prosecuted and the saisurs havs
been supplied with y hTGaf synopsis If the
law. frc.ss the same scarce.
nR. sRAono>. Dentist. 80 Mutna, LIE
building.