The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-27
UNUSUAL
SPEC'.T|. AC J. |. /: .
Rude 1iltquct,ec q Workman F't .
Sweeps Members ct Commit 70 limit
tee From Their Feet.
PLEADS FOR OUR q II SHIPPING II NI''
Ttc Heads Of Big Ship-Building
Plants Also Appear Be
fore Committee.
.(By Associated Press.)

~ Aslr1Ne;rCN. I'll I, c.. Feb. 26.-rhc
unusual spectacle was presented THIS az
tcrnoon Of some fifty q tho leading
sh,pbuildcrs ship owners ana fncrchh" h'
Of tho United States joining W.. a. ,''am nj
bers OF Congress In spontaneous ana
hearty burst OF applause III the words OF
IN everyday workman
II rho rude cloqucnco OF Donald Craw-
fcrd, OF Baltimore representing tho
brotherhood or Bollerinnkers ana IRON
shipbullders, ~ pleading INC cnuhi
American workmen In the shippulldins
business, swept the members or the GO
AZ ,r,iftec m Merchant Marine and FISH
cries and the spectators from Their lect
and at tho close OF his remarks the APP
J71,luuee iasted for several minutes. n
TRAINED In the ship-yards Of the clyde
Crawford has worked in the American s7a az,
yards on the Pacific. on the Atlantic ana "a
IS An the Great Lakes, and his appeal III
8,,chalf OF his fellow craftsmen couched
IN simple language and Favored Win q
strong Scotch burr" was Almost p'i-
III ~, auditors The bill, under Discus
s,ot was that which confines tho e1-
l@,.npion of thu coastwlsc trade laws 70
Inc transoceanic trade between the
tinted states ana the Philippines, ex-
cmptinS the interisland traffic.
Are Obsolete. Il.
3"As American workinen. N building
ships he said, .'wc are practically opso-
le.e I am proud Of ITO history OF INC
American merchant marine but am nv
inflated 10 think OF it's downward course
nr'Inio years. At the plant Of Arthur
sewall and Company ut Bath, Maine.
Il II was my pride and pleasure to work
on the first steel sill ship built N on
American yard. Now am humiliated
10 know that the plant is tied UP. and
"a the only profit IN ~ is INC INC f'ise "a e''s
up the machinery.
%53 "At Newport News you are building
naval vessels OF the flrst-class. to pro-
1ect what? Not our commerce, ior VIC
Il have none"
'It seems that everything Is being done
10 prevent the American f1ag from
4 floating on the seas" continued Craw-
ford, ii a pathetic tone. You are voting
TO day on tho naval bill, providing for
great battlcships and cruisers not
eoualcd by5those of Johnny Bull himself,
to guard what? Not our commerce, Tor
that Is carried in foreign bottoms. We
4 talk about being o world power on the
seas when ninety per cent OF our conf
r:crcc is under foreign flngs.''@
Would Not Raise Rates.
5@ George s. Dearborn, president Of the
American Hawaiian Steamship Company.
Of New York city, assured the committee
ihat the ship owners would not raise the
fatG to an excessive figurc,ns competition,
u IA les down to the lowest possible work
inE baais. His company were earning
only six per cent. on It's capital and the
stockholders expected no more.
Alfred Winsor, OF Boston. president OF
the Boston Steamship and Towboat Com
pany. stated that he had five ships in
tbe Oriental trade. running between Pu-
get Sound and tho Orient. and con,pet-
ing with the subsidized japanese and Ca
madam lines.
a Furuseth. OF San Francisco. repre-
senting the Seamans Union. favored the
bill, and Representative Littlefied read
q telegram from the Ship Owners Asso-
citation OF the Pacific Coast. opposing any
extension of the time when the coast
wise laws shall apply to the Philippines.
Winthrop l.. Marvin, of Boston, who in
troduced the speakers, explained at
length the advantages to be derived to
the American ship owners, ship builders
md workmen, and pointed out that II
this law was enacted the trade between
the United States would be conveyed in
American ships, owned and differed by
American citizens, and manned by Amer.
lean sailors.
Mr.. Orcutt Heard.
c. b. Orcutt. president of tho Newport
News Shipbullding and Dry Dock COM
l,any, hoped the passage Of the bill would
ncccssitate additional tonnage. is5plant.
with sl5,0O0,OO invested capital and $500
y workmen, was aim ost nttrely given over
to tho construction OF government yes
sells. He guaranteed that II moro mer-.
chant vessels were needed for the Phil
ppine trade. he would take an order for
ten of ten thousand tons each. and de-
liver the first witilin nine months. and
one every four months thereafter ex-
banding his payroll to ten or twelve
thousand men.
Every ton of American shipping adds
to our military strength; every dollar
stays in America and is turned over and
ovcr In American ind,lstries,''1he said.
Mr.. Circuit gave n forcibe demonstra-
ton of tho languishing condition of the
shiphuildIng Industry. "Wc had to bid
on four ferryhoatS to got any business.
Imagine a fifteen million dollar plant
building ferryboats!" exclaimed Mr.. Or
cult, sarcastically.
when we come to the seas Wo have
to hide our faces. The American flag Is
merely an incidental proposition. occa-
sionally seen in the voyage around the
world"
Could Get No Cargo.
N II. A. Kelley, Of Cleveland. Ohio. repre-
scnting the American shipbuildlng Com
pnny. with yards at Buffalo. Cleveland,
Lorraine. Detroit, South Chicago and
Nest Superior, told the committee of the
disa srous results which followed the
attempt OF tho Lake shipping Interests
to enter the Ocean-carrylng trade. They
had built two large steamers ut CeVe-
land and flonted them In two pieces to
Quebec where they were Joined, These
steamers now lie dIsmanted at Brooklyn.
never having carried n cargo because
they could not get the freight at anything
but a loss,
SUSSEX &COuRT