The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-02-18


not only lost herself but she Is q great
danger and obstruction to the port and
| to other vessels, aud would interfere
with tho commercial business OF tho
| port" -
Kent says that the Service which d
| pilot renders commerce ranks next III
Importance to that OF salvage"
Illustrating further from our own
standpoint, will say that compensation
Is based upon two distinct phasea OF
servlce--viz: direct and contributive.
| Fhese may be subdlvided as follows:
The responsibility involved In pilot.
ing into md out Of port vessels mud
cnrs0cs, ranging In yaIuc from ono
hundred thousand to several million
Iollnrs-wfth crews and frequently
passengers on bonrd.
Cooperation with health authorities.
both national and state, DR.. +. NJ Urati.
hart, United States quarantine officer
4 mt Cape Charles, snying.
81 have relied almost entirely upon
the pilots to prevent foreign and coast-
wise vessels from passing our quaran-
tinc.o
And DIR. william A. Thorn, State quar-.
nntinc officer for Norfolk, said:
.Eor nearly four years I have bccu
quarantine medical officer for Elizn-
beth River and It's branches. During
that time cnch day has taught me the
absolute helplcssncss Of my Office with
out the aid OF the Virginia Pilot Assoc
citation. They are required by two
statutes of this State to MD In the en-
forccment of the quarantine regulations,
and ar~ the only available means by
which such regulations can be mnde
known to the masters OF incoming yes.
scls."
Cooperation with United States Hy-
geographic Branch by reporting drift
ing or stationary wrecks lying In the
path of unsuspecting marines.
Cooperation wifi, United SUITES GUS
toms officials, which contribute. to the
safe guarding of the country's revenues.
Co-operation with the United States
Signal Service, which cO-opcrntfOn fur
nlshes more than one-ha1f Of the news
I'm regard to vessels movements, this
Information being valuable to the mer-
chants, without any charge by the pl-
lots.
Cooperation by maintenance Of
powerful steuln pilot boat (value
ss0,oOO) Off the cnpcs of Virginia, which
Is atanding insurance against loss
of life and property OF all commerce,
whether foreign or domestic, entering
or leaving the Chesapeake Bay.
And cooperation, more or less spe-
cihc, with every organization or body
doing business In any way with ship
ping.
And yet another condition justif1es
liberal compensation for the pilot--that
is, the matter of unlimited liability. A
pilot in charge of ship Is responsible
to the extent of his earthly posses
sions for damages arising from his neg
ligence Near the close OF his life
they can take from him all he may have
accumulated, leaving him only his
heavenly crown"
Pilot Guy, within the past sixty
days has drawn upon his building
and loan association savings and paid
Donnell $4,000.
Mention is made of the fact that
captains who ply the seas do not re-
ceive half as much pay as pilots. We
are glad that they mention that and
welcome the opportunity OF saying that
If there exists any evidence of foreign
parsimoniousnes in regard to compen-
sation, 1t Is fully demonstrated in the
case OF captains of tramp steamers
Generally men of intelligence), whose
relation to the owners of vessels is
little short of serfdom in the matter
OF privileges, and in the matter of
compensation about equivalent to that
of hod-carrier. We are only too glad
ito say a word OF sympathy for these
| mariners whose services are so poor
ly appreciated.
We know these conditions we'll, and
know that many foreign masters. in
charge of vessels and cargoes valued
at from 100000 to 100000. receive
generally between s75 and s125 per
month: and this is the scale upon which
the pilots of this country might be
Ir,nn Gov tsrv,r
could dominate legislation in this grand
old Commonwealth.
During all these years of conten-
ton over coastwise pilotage. the for
eign shippers and steam coal agents
have found no fault They have ever
recognized in the Virginia Pilot As-
ISOLATION a system we'll nigh perfect
No serious complaints have ever ema-
mated from them
During the past quarter OF n CEN
fury the cOnstwisc pllOtnEc hns justf-
fed low rates ON cargo vessels, half
rates on bunker steamers, und cut
rates on vessels seeking; hut now
thnt 1t is proposed to no longer sub
sidize the foreign vessels through the
collection of pilotage from American
bottoms, the dIssruntled plea Is set up
that the pilots could do without the
coastwisc pllotagc without my In
crease on the foreign.
Do they want to see how little the
pilots cnn get along on:
(From ..Iln Market Place. Wall
Street, New York Cityo
"Sccmingly the only opposition that
has developed against the measure now
before the Legislature at Richmond
comes from the nEents of foreign
steamship companies, md this, while
natural. Is based on the narrow ground
of disinclination to pay II reasonable
pilOfnEe chnrge even though 1t Is so
carefully graded az to entail no hard
ship ON any class of shipping anl
which places the burden where 1t can
be least irksOmcly borne. 1t IN scarce
ly likely, however. that 40 narrow and
selfish nm argument Will influence the
minds of lesislntors taking clear
view OF the subject.
s"rhe present situation, briefly, In
this: Both foreign and coastwise ycs-
sells pny piiotnse. The pending hill pro-
poses to abolish pil0taSe ON the ho,..e