The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-01-06

ing as much produce and as a con-
sequence the merchants would feel
the result. Mr.. MacRae said indus
I, tries n progress came where there
was the least resistance and that the
future OF Wilmington depended great
~ on her commerce. Some, he stated.
! said $4o,0 600, the amount annually re-
ceive1 by the pilots or Whereabouts,
would not and could not effect the
growth OF a city. Those who made
these statements he said were rar from
being right for a far less sum would
materially effect the shipping.
The speaker said it was difficult for
him 10 see the reasoning and COM
| mon sense in saying that a aDtain
who is allowed to have absolute
charge of a vessel to carry it all over
the world should not be allowed to
come e the bar with a vessel draw
ing say - to IS feet of water with
% feet Of water. This argument he
said was unreasonable. The speaker
| sad people We're not required to in
sure their houses nor their lives and
! wanted to know why captains of YES
! "e's and those who owned the
- '!y- VIZ olIO"Sd IL DIlt&iSEG
/ =" rsing tneir judgment of en-
, plcying a pilot if they considered It
! necessary. He said It was infused
sympathy hat supported so able
bodied men who did absolutely moth
ing. He said of the 40 pilots ten did
the work.
Mr., c.. c. Covington next addressed
the Chamber and showed by facts the
result OF the existing pilotage laws. On
the 9Th OF last March Mr.. Covington
said a schooner came here from Barna-
| does with a cargo of molasses for his
firm. He said he had another cargo
of molasses from the Island of st. Kits
and that he offered to get the captain
return cargoes of lumber if he would
bring the cargo from st. Kits but OF
| account OF the excessive pilotage the
captain absolutely refused. Thinking
he wou:d have no trouble in getting a
vessel, a part OF the second cargo was
sold and when Err. Covington found he
could not charter a vessel to come here
on account Of the pilotage, the molasses
was sent to New York and sent u
from there causing Mr.. Covington to
pay $500 by reason of his failure to Sc
cure a vessel to come to this port. lie
JOIN I IA hAS tiIo IN it~N " ~"
OF molasses sent to Baltimore rather
than bring it here on account of the
pilotage and that the molasses was sent
to points in this immediate vicinity.
Mr.. Covington asked Captain J. w.
Craig if the Towing Company was in
corporated and he said it was with a
| capital stock of $4,000. The fact was
brought cut that the Towing Company
s-~l T. ~~,x-Ay
and that nearly all the tax paid by the
pilots was to Brunswick county.
Captain Adkins, who was present
and represented the pilots. made a short
talk in which he placed the pilots side
of the question before the chamber.
He said that there was not a port Of
any consequence on the Atlantic coast
where compulsory pilotage had ever
existed that it had been done away
with. He named over many of the ports
or the Atlantic coast as having compul-
sorry pilctage. There w a no port he
said in the state OF Maine where COM
pulsory pilotage was charged.
Captain J. w. Craig, who is a pilot,
was present but only rose to state that
he had nothing more to say than that
he was going to fight the present move
ment to a finish.
Mr.. Sam Bear said the science of all
government was to secure the greatest
good for the greatest number aid that
he thought Wilmington should be put
on an equal footing with the other ports.
MI. Calder said if compulsory pilot
age was not q necessity in the state
of Maine why should there be compul-
sorry pilotage here. He said If pilots
| were needed there would be pilots ana
the increase in the shipping If ~coEnpul-
sorry pilotaee vas abolished would help
to give the plots employment. There
was no use he said of getting the gov
eminent to remove the barriers on the
river and then place an artificial bar
rier on shipping. The gates of VIII
mington should be opened he said and
this made the distributing point that
it should and without such burdensome
laws, will be.
Mr.. Marcus jacob was the only mem
Der of the chamber present who made
a taik favoring compulsory pllotage.
He laid that pilots were needed Il
| that every business had expenses con-
nected with it and the shipping had
| pilotage. He expressed himself as fav-
| oring what was fair and said he knew
the pilots were willing to do the right
thing. The pilots ne stated had appoint
ed a committee to confer with a COM
mittee from the chamber relative to
| placing Wilmington on the same foot
ing as savannah. Mr.. Jacobs argued at
some length favorilg n pilots side Of
the question and aas followed by Cap
! tain Adkins. Captain Adkins stated
that lie was not begging the chamber
| OF for anything, although he
| thought at one tine he would do So
| He said what he had to offer was that
| they wrouid be willing TO the Savannah
| pilots law but not to that of Norfolk.
! because Norfolk was mo- in tbs ~ re
| class.
| Chairman Taylor asked Captain IL
kins of the pilots would be willing %
| abolish pilotage from southport 70 VIII
mington and Captain Adkins said they
were and offered the following suhts.I-