Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1900-03-23
SAILORS ARE SCARCE
The Demand for Them Now Fal
Exceeds the Supply.
Germany spRers from . Greaaef
shortage Than Any Othef
Hion-What Has Caused the
Scarcity.

At the beginning Of 1899 the total
number of men in the service OF the
German navy was 23,400, including the
officers and engineers and a few sur
peons. guusmiths and paymasters.
From Berlin it is reported that WIN
the rapid growth and proposed 1urtner
increase of the German navy there mas
been an increasing scarcity OF trained
Young sailors. A few years ago Ger
many furnished large part OF the
crews of English vessels, but to-day the
crews of German vessels are partly
composed of foreigners. With the doub-
ling of the German navy, as contem-
plated, this difficulty will increase ana
steps are being taken to meet IT. Al
Bremen the North German Lloyd COM
pany is organizing cadet school 70
train young men for the companys
service.
The demand for additional sailors in
Germany, is not limited to the govern
ment service, however, for the two
chief German lines of ocean steam
ships have, collectively, crew. of 4,s00
sailors, exclusive of the lines connect
ing German ports with other countries
in the enormous and constantly in
creasing German shipping trade. Here
tofore country supplying many other
countries with sailors has been Sweden,
but the increase of foreign commerce
of that country and the demand for
Swedish sailors for Russian ships has
diminished the number of such sailors
available. Moreover, Germany is only
A. IL. y
recently been an extensive development
of the naval armament and an enlarged
demand in consequence for sailors.
At the beginning of the year 1898 the
total number of men in the naval serv
ice of Great Britain was 100000, OF
whom 10000 were officially described al
Officers and seamen," and 10000 were
marines" Since then a further in
crease of 5000 naval men has been au
thorized and the transport service o
the English government to South AT
RIGA has made necessary the increas'
in the number of sailors.
There has been a very considerable
increase Of sailors in consequence of tn
enlargement and improvement of tn
United States navy, and the demant
for them in the merchant marine o
the country has been increasing ccrre
spondingly. The American lire en-
ploys $500 sailors, and the enlargement
of ocean travel this next summer T.
and from the Paris exposition will max
further demands upon the service O
sailors in all transatlantic lines. Tw
European countries which are addin
| considerable to their naval equipmen
| are France and Russia, and the il
| creased Dutch commerce makes nece:
sary the employment of a consider
able number of Dr. tch seamcn unde
the home flag, Dutch sailors havin
excellent repute and numbering in a
more than 10000, of whom less tina
10000 are in the naval service of til
country.
Sailors almost uniformly, it is a
axiom of the sea, come from countrit
having a large water coast and frol
parts of the country nearest to I'll
coast line. There are, it is computes
a quarter of million sailors connec
ed with the navies of the vario,
countries and 100000 sailors employe
in commercial navigation, Englan
the United States and Sweden rankin
in this order in that regard. &c
many, France, Italy and Holland al
large commercial nations, too, and
. has been observed generally that &c
; man sailors come from the norther
, provinces of the country, particular
the Baltic and the North sea, viii
French sailors almost uniformly Al
drawn from the two provinces of Bri
tany and Normandy.
j. The threatened dearth of availab
\ sailors, which some German comp
MES are seeking to provide against
= the establishment of cadet scho<
Q affects other countries as well, al
: unless all Indications are at fault t
demand for sailors next summer w
be more extensive than ever before
the worlds history.-N. Y. Sun.