The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-01-24
SAILORS PREY OF Tue
LAND SHARKs2
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sailors that, aside from any talk Of
crookedness, this is matter that needs
sharp looking after. Jack ashore Is a
fool in a variety of ways, and not a
yefy dependable one. That is, he will
tell many stories. At the same time,
there is a class of men in all seaports,
and Honolulu is not free from them.
who make their prey of seamen. This
has been true ever since men have
gone down to the sea in ships, prob
ably, although the better sentiment of
modern times has borne strongly
against the evils of crimping.
A sailor, as everybody who knows
the breed at all knows, will go on no
ship and sign no articles that do not
give him advance money. When a.
sailor reaches port, the shipping mas
ter, who is usually also the keeper of
a boarding house with a low groggery
attached, meets him, greets him as a
friend, and generally manages to get
him so drunk that he parts readily
with the money that he has in hand.
1t is not hard. Jack likes to show the
landsman that he is a good fellow
and usually finds that the other isn't.
When Jacks funds are gone, he falls
back upon the shipping master for his
board, and If there is no ship in want
of a crew just then he is apt to get
mighty short commons. If there is a
ship in port. Jack Is welcomed. He is
worth anywhere from five to seven
dollars blood money which is what
captains have been paying per man for
crews in Honolulu lately, and which
goes to the shipping master who signs
on the men. Added to this is Jacks
advance of a months wages for the
voyage most of which also goes into
the pockets of the crimp for board, or
anything else which he sees fit to
charge for.
1t will be readily seen what a use
full man to crimp, which is sea slang
for shipping master, plant captain
of the Harbor Police might be. And
that is not to say that Flint was pill
ant. OF course, If the officers ashore,
whose duty it is to protect Jack, ally
themselves with his enemies he has no
chance for his life.
Another evil practice that it is
charged has been INDUCED in more or
less in Honolulu has been for dishon-
est captains of ships to force their men
to desert at the end of a long voyage,
because of hardships in port, thereby
FORGETTING whatever balance might be
coming to them from the ship.
The men then fall into the hands of
the crimps and, being broke, are alb
solutely at their mercy. They must
find ship as soon as possible and the
crew of one ship is sold into another
like so many sheep, the crew of some
other ship being sold in turn to the
dishonest MASTER who pockets the diff
ference between what his old men have
forfeited and what his new crew has
cost him per man.
1t is very easy. A captain, coming
into port. finds out what the GUS
toms are and violates some law, such
as, say, making his men work over
time. Jack is emotional, inclined to
stand out for small rights to the for
fixture of larger ones. And he curses
the captain and deserts the ship, leav-
ing his wages due behind him. If the
amount is twenty or forty dollars, as
1t well may be, and a new crew which
the crimp stands ready to deliver costs
but 81 per man, the captain pockets a
very handsome balance.
1t must be understood that this APP
plies only to deep sea ships so called.
The sugar ships trading to the coasts
are classed as coasters. their men are
members of the Coast Seamen's Union,
knowing their rights, and their crews
are furnished by the union in San
Francisco always up to time, always
doing their work satisfactorily. They
are paid better wages than deep sea
sailors, but perform better, although
not so hard service. They are, In fact,
the best paid sailors in the world. The
humanity of the big Honolulu shipping
houses sees to that.
The deep sea men are under Federal
regulation, and have nothing to do
with the union. 1t is said, in shipping
circles, that strong effort will be
made, however to establish a system
In Honolulu that will do away with
the present evils, even If there is no
corruption on the part of officials who
Z have to do with sailors. The plan will
be to have an administration of the
Office of the Shipping Commissioner
which will be above even hint of sus-
picion, as Commissioner Holt promises
that it shall be in future, no matter
what comes of the present investiga-
ton, and to do away altogether with
the crimp, the big shipping houses
uniting to pay a shipping master who
will ship crews honestly and fairly,
taking no advantage of Jack and do
ing away once and for aft with any
faint OF robbery in dealing with him.
There is no real reason Why sailor
III Soy