New-York tribune., 1901-08-25

q
brothers. cousins. brothers-in-law. fathers and
There are six Perraults. five Belsles. five
Arcands and so on through the lot, Win tne
exception OF the Franco-Canadian Line there Is
scarcely a ton of shipping afoat in the 81.
Lawrence not owned by Auglo-Saxons. and still
under the existing state OF affairs II would be
utterly impossible for an Englishman or an Eng
lish-Canadian to qualify as a pilot
This is easily explained when the Pilotage act
is gone into carefully The act and the present
bylaws make 1t necessary that an apprentice
pilot shall serve five years on the river, the last
two years under indenture to a licensed pilot,
and even then he must make fifteen trips
between Montreal and Quebec under differ
ent pilots before he can obtain his license
This is the family compact, conceived IN
the early history OF st Lawrence naviga-
tion and jealousy maintained until now II
effectually prevents a Pilots certificate being
given to the nastor or mate of any vessel visit
ing the port. no matter how competent he
may be.
and mates having years OF experience in navt-
eating the ST Lawrence; who have grown
gray in the service and who could without Ques-
ton pass any examination required OF the pres
pilots To these the owners would
gladly intrust their vessels because they know
the river thoroughly. and, what IS more impor-
tant, because they have a thorough knowledge
of the peculiarities of their ships. Ship
owners and agents have time and again ex
pressed the wish to pay the regular piIOtage fee
for navigating the vessel, and then place their
own men on the bridge, allowing the pilot to
stay at home.
However IL is not the regular liner that gets
the worst end OF the pilotage bargain. Doing
stances, the different lines running regularly TO
this port engage each year a sufficient number
OF pilots for service their several vessels, and
In this manner some forty-ffve of the total are
picked Up, leaving the rarnaining ten for service
tramps and other vessels not making the
port regularly. Years of experience have shown
the steamship people the failings and capabili-
ties of the different pilots They naturally pick
up the most capable. and 70 the lot OF the
tramp-with it's officers and crew sometimes
utterly inexperienced in ST. Lawrence navigation
falls the remainder. Thus man who for one
reason or another is not judged TO be a first
class pilot is forced upon a snip which Is utterly
strange him and he is asked to bring her up
through 100 miles of intricate waterway
The Incompetence or some OF the men who
under the present system, take charge OF prop
erty worth perhaps million dollars Is shown
IN the case Of the Tiverton This pilot in send
ing his resignation 20 the HarbOr Board con-
fessed having lost his head, and in broad day
light mstaking a red buoy for black In
justice TO the IL might be mentioned that
year ago he asked TO be placed the pension
list But here again the monopoly OF the pilots
worked the injury of commerce. for they re-
fused TO grant the pension on the ground that
the applicant not past the active age. He
may have been color blind or otherwise tncOm-
petent. but his pension would have 20 be
taken from the pilots fund they refused 20
slider his application.
The rule OF the Harbor Commissioners over
the pilots is merely nominal They can practt
cally do nothing without having the Pil0tage act
repealed by the Ottaws government A striking
example of this is given in the report OF the
HarbOr Commissioners in reference TO the strike
in the summer Of 1S9S The report saws Had
II been in the power of the commissioners 10
examine and license competent men. the num-
Der of whom is with good reason believed 20 be
very large. IL is more than likely that the strike
would not have occurred
The repeating OF the PilOtage act. far
concerns the St Lawrence between Montreal
and Quebec, government, Conservative or
Liberal has ever dared attempt These pilots
are above all things active politicians and the
loss OF one. two perhaps three constituents
has deferred both parties from ever graphing
with the question In the mean time commerce
10 the value of S120 100000 annually and ships
10 the value OF many more millions are placed
in jeopardy, that the feelings of ifty-hve
French Canadian river men may not be injured
Free trade In pilots is what St Lawrence
interests. through the shipping men and the
merchants, demand II is a recognized principle
among them that in order successfully TO COM
bat the present high marine insurance rates
radical reforms necessary They fully reCog-
utze the deSirabiliLy OF having body OF trained
pilots, and many Individual pilots are highly
thought Of by the shipping men. but the same
time the present close corporation system con-
tributes largely, in their opinion. toward the
insecurity Of the route and its abolition is looked
upon absolutely necessary.