The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-03-30

None of the great dalies seem to re-
gard as more than a passing incident
the deportation from Manila of Mr.
George 4. Rice for such a criticism OF
Braunersreuther, Captain of the Port
I of Manila, as would be regarded as per-
/ fectly legitimate in any city on this
continent. Yet, though the subject re-
lated to purely civil matter, the mill
tary authorities assumed entire juris-
diction, making only nominal and Sec
ret inquiry into the allegations.
| On learning of Mr.. Rices arrival we
| imediately opened correspondence with
him, says the San Francisco Star, as a
result of which he called at The Star
office, and from a written and verbal
| statement by him we enjoin an outline
| Of the case as follows:
Before the captain of the port had
been in that position three months, he
| became insolent to those having BUSH
| ness at his office, as many sea captains
and residents know. When Rice took
charge of the Daily Bulletin, English
| speaking merchants began to wake up
from their two years trance and urged
| Mr.. Rice to investigate, and he spent
| two weeks in gathering data as to
Braunersreuther's mal-administratiOn
believing that in so doing he was per-
| forming his duty as a journalist to his
patrons and the public generally, with
| the result of establishing the following
| charges:
A pamphlet of regulations concerning
pilotage and warfage (of which Mr..
| Rice showed us a copy, requires that
pilots submit to a competitive examina-
| ton, which is carried out in a very
slack manner. if at ALL Two pilots
were in service who had not been so
| examined. AS result there are many
accidents in the river, nearly always
traceable to the pilots incompetency.
These regulations require that the chief
pilot should own a captains certificate,
/ and that should pilot be found I'M
suitable because Of physical or other
defects, including want of health and
| strength, to carry out his duties, he
must be dismissed. Yet the chief pilot
has no captains certificate and has
been laid up in his house for four
months, because Of something wrong
with his hip"
The senior pilot has to see that all
the following books are kept with ex-
actness, including registering accidents,
details as to the depth and dredging of
the river, etc. No such books can be
| found. There is but one dredger in
use, kept at one spot for a month at a
time, and another not in use. Yet the
| Pasig river badly needs dredging in
many places.
The regulations require pilots to be
on vigorous watch day and night;
Iyet. though paid handsomely, they
don't examine mornings in stormy
weather, and vessels entering without
a pilot have to pay pilotage fees the
same as if they had one.
After an article criticising these short
comings had appeared in the Bulletin
of November 14th, Rice went to the
captain of the ports office to note from
the register there kept the morning.
arrivals, but was refused access there
to, Captain Braunersreuther asking
Rice what he meant by such covert at
tacks, to which Rice replied that he
! could not make an article more open
and public, and added that he was will
ing to correct any errors which the
| captain would prove to be such. On
the afternoon of the same day he was
Idebarred from entering the office, where
he went to copy the record of clear
ances. In the next issue he published
these facts, having seen the captain
and learned that he had given the
orders for Rice's exclusion.
Rice then made a written complaint
to the military governor, embodying
the preceding facts and asking for an
investigation.
In the Bulletin of November II, Rice
had an article stating that a petition
had been sent to the civil commission
asking that an appropriation be made
to dredge the Binondo canal, an i'm
portant factor in transportation which
had been well dredged during the Span
ish time, and calling attention to the
shoaling of three feet in the Pasig rive,
at the bridge of Spain since the Ameri-
can occupation, and to the unneces-
sary mooring of cascos where the
ships with cargos We're waiting to un-
load.
About Nov. rs, Rice went to the pal-
ance to see about his complaint, he was
told that no action would be taken, yet
was refused it's return. He then sent
a similar complaint to the civil com.
mission, which sent it to the military
governor. A few days later the cap.
tain of the port ordered him out of the
office with a fixed baynot.
Between November 9th and January
18th, the Bulletin persistently urged the
renovation of the Pasig river, and also
called attention to the captains insO.
lence, which resulted in much bet
terment of the service, as noticed by
the merchants, who then made com,
plants to Rice against the captain:
honesty, which Rice on thorough in
vestigation found to be true, whereup
on facts were published in the Bulletir
of December 18th and 14th, proving
. malfeasance in office, which caused tn,
business men to demand return of tn
overcharges.
On December 18th Carson Taylor
business manager of the Bulletin, ant
Rice received orders to report at tn
office of Lieutenant Colonel C. E
Crowder, seth U. S. Infantry, secretar!
If tho military governor IN Docemha