Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1911-04-07

sea- no one loses but the sailor and his widow and
cnlIdren. Inc property Is paid for by the
munlty, by you and by me; for insurance shifts
the burden of loss from the shoulders of the in
dvldual to the shoulders of the community Per
lect pohclng of the sea has removed the dangers
from piracy, and losses from state or local dis
turbances are paid for by the states and localities
responsible
And so the old principle of common hazard has
been abandoned far as the ship-owner is
cerned through the operation of maritime insur-
ance and modern laws. But how is 1t with the
sailor and with you and me? 1t is easy to see
how this has worked to increase the hazard borne
by the crew. Formerly the ship-owner would not
load his vessel to the danger point; he would not
risk employing unskilled men or too few sailors,
because he did not want to risk his property. Now
he does not care; insurance will take care Of the
risks, and the idea is to make all the money pos
sble.
Let us look little more closely into the cond1-
ton of the sailors occupation that has been
evolved out Of this hodgepodge of laws ancient
and modern. And then very clearly
how this condition affects not only the sailor but
you and me and every other American citizen. A
brief comparison of the conditions shipboard
under the American flag with those under the
flags of other nations will explain why the Amert-
can boy does not go to sea, and why it is neces-
sary to keep the American sailor chattel slave
by law of congress. To begin with, the American
sailor who would ship over the high seas is com
PEELED to seek his employment through "crimp."
the crmp Is the for the notorious sailors
boarding houses" which furnish for all
deep-sea-going vessels. He is the absolute master
of the sailors employment. All deepsea captains
ship their crews through the crimp. The crimp
is paid out Of the unearned wages of the sailor.
1t is called advance money" which the law per-
mits the sailor to sign away and which the system
cOmpels him to sign away. The sailors call IL
blood money. The money Is paid by the captain
directly to the crmp. In fact all the negotiations
carried directly between the captain and
the crimp. The sailor Is not consulted at ALL
More often than not, he is taken on board after
having been literally treated to third rail- or
doctor" drink that robs him Of all conscious
ness. The practice smacks very much Of the old
practice of "shanghaing" The act Of December
81, 1898, prevents the payment or this blood
money, called allotment to original creditor in
the domestic trade (coastwise shipping and the
trade to nearby foreign countries). But 1t is per-
mitted In the deep-sea trade and sailor ever
obtains employment deep-sea going vessel
without having visited the crimp The crimp
exists because the law permits him to exist, by
permitting the assignment of advance money.
One state, oregon actually recognized the system
by statute limiting the amount of blood-money
to thirty dollars. The crimp ceased to exist In
the domestic trade when congress abolished the
allotment to original creditor" in 1898.
When the sailor gets aboard he is compelled to
live in space feet long by feet high and 2
feet wide. This is the legal forecastle space az
cubic feet) except in sailing vessels built re-
built after June 80, 1898. The sailors call 1t the
dog hole" to distinguish 1t from the fire hole
(hremen's quarters), and the glory hole" (stew-