The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-12-16
DANGEROUS WORK
POOR With PAY
LIGHTHOUSE SERVICE OFFERS
FEW ATTRACTIONS FOR GOOD
MEN. PENSION LAW
RECOMMENDED.

When the low pay ana hazardous ma
lure OF the employment are consid-
cred, one cannot but wonder how UnclE
sam gets men TO enter the lighthouse
service. Acts of herosm and instances
of casualties are cited I'm the animal
report of Commissioner George r. put
man, bureau of lighthouses which show
the hazardous nature of this epnIov-
ment. Notwithstanding this continual
imperiling Of life and limb the aver
age annual salary of a light house
Keeper is but 5000 year, while the men
on first entering the service receive but
$S7 a month. Moreover. at present
there Is no provision for those who
have grown old or become crippled I'm
the service. Superannuated employees
must be discharged, but a movement
Is now on foot to establish a PEN
sion system, which the lighthouse en-
ployes on all the Great Lakes earnestly
hope will be enacted into law.
Commissioner Putnam states that
there is great need for provision by law
for the retirement of employees who.
after long service, have lost their abil-
ity for active duty by reason of age or
disability incident to their work. He
considers ii is not only a matter of hui
mainly but a business proposition and
In the best interests of the service. In
England the lighthouse organization
has a retirement system in the form of
a life insurance policy. After three
years OF service each employe is given
one and in case of disability or super
annuation the proceeds of IL provide
means of maintenance for life. Ger
many, France, Denmark, Holland. Nor
way and Sweden have straight PEN
sion funds.
Men Entitled to Help.
Provision should be made the COM
missioner adds. for compensation To
persons injured while engaged in ha-
zardous employment i'm tn, Light
house Service, by extending to them
the benefits of the act of May 80 1908.
granting to certain employees Of the
United States the right to receive from
1t compensation for injuries sustained
in the course of their employment"
Much of the work Of the service is of
a hazardous nature such as the con-
struction and repair of lighthouses and
beacOns, sometimes i'm very difficult To-
cations, the handling Of gas buoys and
gas tanks, and of other heavy weights
in vessels. 1t is believed that there
lis no class OF government employees
more justly entitled to consideration
in case of injury while engaged on
hazardous duty.
The lighthouse service is charged |
with the lighting and maintenance of
lighthouses, light vessels, buoys, and
other aids to navigation, along all the
coasts and the principal interior riv-
ers under the jurisdiction of the United |
States, with the exception of the |
Philippine islands and Panama, There |
are nineteen lighthouse districts. each
in charge of an inspector. During |
the year three new districts We're Great
ed. one including Alaska, one Porto |
Rico, and the third the Hawaiian Is |
lands.
10000 Navigation Aids.
The service maintains at the present |
time over 10000 aids to navigation, in
Guiding lighthouses, light vessels, |
buoys, beacons, and fog signals. During |
the year sos aids were established and |
21S discontinued leaving a net in
crease of 475. The service has SO
light vessels on 81 stations, the ves-
sells in excess being used for relief. |
Some important improvements in the
types of Illuminating apparatus have |
been Introduced on the light ves-
sells.
There are at present forty-siX light
house tenders stationed along the coast
and used to supply light stations and
vessels and for inspection and con-
struction. of new works During the
year iva tenders were sold or trans
ferred being not worth repair for light |
house purposes and not needed under
the reorganization. one new tender |
and one new light vessel have been