The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-07-23

Knows of the Union and Gives 1t
GOOD Name
EDITOR STAR: in my last at
tempted 20 draw public attention to the
state of nonprOtection of the rights, OF
justice that now play such an import
ant part in the condltion of affairs re-
galdlng American ships, owners. cap
taIns and mates in Honolulu.
Cody and calmly take another phase
of the matter, as occurred a week since
i'm your port. the G. ID. Bryant was set
on fire by "A drunken crew trying to
breach cargo. Many thousands of dol
lars OF property were destroyed. CONF
bine that with the dastardly cOwardice
of deserving the ship i'm her emergency
and peril and you must i'm fairness adj
NIT that all sailors are not of the smart
hard WORKING sober, intelligent class
and thai the mates and masters Certi-
fed by the United states authorities
as licensed to command their men
are in some conditions reversed by
facts.
The cowardly crew attempted to
shield their cowardly behavior by
claiming that the union was the cause
of it. This is all bosh and ignorance es-
pecially ignorance. a few remarks TO
your commercial though nunpTofesslOn-
al ItdltIS may tIdISt hIlul'll DIS re-
CARDS the seamens union and its pun
pose.
IT is a combination of shore people
for their own benefit, and to obtain the
highest standard of pay for seamen
legitimately. by combination Of num-
bers. Like all labor unions, it has
grown and swelled embracing not only
the steady men who were and are worth
all they get both at sea and in port
who originally Joined ii, Dut it is in
creased by part or Of all the drunken
scallawags lOafers, sea tramps and
useless boys of the criminal classes
that are daily driven out and dumped
on the shores of Pacific America as
useless on bOaru every foreign ship.
The union pays strict attention to
business. While unable to guarantee
the mems abilities Cthey do not pretend
to govern quality they bring the men
promptly without commission or blood
money" Any changes are promptly
made good, free of expense. But the
ship incuIs the same risk Of having a
lot of useless drunken stitfs among
their crowd, today as from outside
parties, no better no worse, exactly the
same.
Just look at the reef inmates Study
Queen street Note the tramps lying
in the sun on the grass about the
Government buildings Can you Won
/
| from competing with the class that the
| American Marine is now in the main
| manned by?
The books printed by the union and
| handed to each man who joins consist
of few extracts from the law, a copy
| of the legal scale of provisions and a.
| few words of advice; not a word, that
a legal expert could by any far fetched
means construe into claiming for the
union the smallest right, privilege or
favor of any shape form or make that
is not bindlng and granted by law to
every seamen on board. The level head
| ed men who have successfully piloted
the union are not going to sink the
ship, by contact with the strong arm
of the law. a most powerful seamens
union once came to the front in Great
Britain. All joined it of every nation
atty In its ignorance the members of
1t encroached on the law. The outcome
| of the conflict waS-that Down went
| McGinty to the bottom of the Sea"
There is but one law that rules on
! board any American or British vessel.
| NO union custom, or rules, or non
union nor taproom intentions. And that
| is the shipping law, every seamen signs
| to obey that law, which calls Tat they
shall be orderly, sober, and obedient
in all things relating to ship stores OF
cargo They contract for the voyage.
Sundays and Mondays every day they
are paid for and fed. The mates and
the cooks as well as the seamen are all
| bound by the contract of the shipping
laws To prevent any mistake a govern
ment officer is appointed SO that the
men VIII thoroughly understand what
they have agreed to. In ports like HO-
nOlulu the customs rules the hours of
discharging cargo, port rules and city
customs rule Sundays and holidays.
nave not known of any case of nsub-
ordination or refusal to comply with the
law upheld by the union. The ignorance
shipping laws they need obey in an
American vessel, requires a sharp ex-
ample to teach them different
a seamen recently on board a small
Honolulu owned bark was "A disobedi-
ent, cowardly, loafer and was bounced
as such.
j Probably it is the same one who in
the G. ID. Bryant said the union would
protect him, as it did not permit it's
seamen to work on Sunday. once
prove the union encroaches on the AM
erican shipping law by melting its MEM
bers to refuse duty in ship i'm times
of emergencies and peril. In a rush
and tumble like it's older and richer
British brother-"Down will go Magin-
ty to the bottom of the sea" The utter
righteousness of the claim that it is
vessels, that shipping laws rule; en-
gaging on board vessels on the Pacific
coast, is not to be a binding agree
ment, only a farce.
The union itself is not i'm fault. The
ignorance of some of it's members
should in fairness, not be attributable
to the union as they would be were
there no union, only loafers and beats
on the other men. Again we have some
very good men in this trade who are
never in trouble unless whiskey rules.
| The word foreigner is used only so
| far as it is correct i'm the sense of
men from Europe, staying on this coast
| for voyage or two only, who having
! been tramps in their own ships, con-
! tnue TO remain SO i'm other vessels.
! criminal classes. Boys are placed i'm re-
I formatory vessels I'm Great Britain and
/ every inducement is offered all cap
/ tains TO take one. two, or more at from
/ two To five dollars a month such