Rocky Ford enterprise., 1911-04-07


ards quartersJ. Here the men must ave. cat
sleep and keep their clothing. 1t has been de-
scribed too large for coffin and too small FOR
a grave" It is unsanitary dark. and dirty.
The American sailor Is compelled TO sign away
in the foreign trade his right part of the wages
due him at ports Of call. Consular agents have de-
cIared this be the prolific cause OF deser'
tons from American ships. The act OF December
a. 1898. gives the sailor right to half the wages
that may be due him at any port OF call. but add
unless tho contrary be expressly stipulated In tne
contract" The shipownsrs see to II that this
stipulation is always made.
The sailor must compete with tho unskiiieo
and destitute Of all nations and races because the
law as to citizenship repealed In 1864. and the
operation OF maritime insurance has reduced tho
standard Of skill in seamen. No standard OF EN-
cheney has been supplied by law. The ship-owners
may hire whom they please and as few men as the
inspectors will let them. There Is no standard 70
guide the inspectors. And so the sailor must 90
the unskilIed mans work At sea because the Work
has to be done and there is one else to do 1t
Often he must risk his life because the vessel Is
undermanned and unsklfully manned Because
Of this competition with the foreigner. his wages
are as small as the wages of the cheapest port OF
call OF his vessel. and he cannot get enough 10
marry and live a normal life. As vessels grow
larger his chances to earn a decent livelihood grow
smaller
Big Business conceves ships to be for tho
purpose OF making money. not for the purpose OF
carrying goods from place to place: for the pur-
pose OF piling up dividends no matter at whose
expense the dividends are piled up. no matter at
what cost to the sailor or to you and me II
would take away cargo space to provide decent
living quarters for sailors shipboard. and less
cargo means less dividends. To load a vessel SO
as to minimize the danger from shifting cargo
means less cargo also. Better food. more men
and skilled men all cost moro money. and there
fore Big Business. which is not compelled to take
risks because It's property Is insured. refuses these
things In fne. It 10 much cheaper To run vessels
with slaves: therefore Big Business employs
slaves
Not only is American commerce being con-
Quoted by vessels flying foreign flags, but Ameri
can over-sea commerce in American ships Is being
handled by foreign seamen. The astounding fact is
true that not only has America fewer sailors than
any other nation the face OF the globe. but the
great majority OF the men In the American
merchant marine are men OF other nations. Ana
the majority OF American seamen are sailing. by
choice under the hags of other nations than
their own. So when We trust our lives and our
goods on the high seas. entrust them TO foreign
seamen slaves under-manned vessels. living
under conditions that have driven Americans from
the sea- That is what concerns US And II con
Germs us vitally.
Statistics published by the United States com
missioner of navigation show that out OF every
hundred American seagoing steamers OF over one
hundred tons for the past seven years. an average
OF 2.24 have been lost each year, and that out OF
every hundred foreign seagoing steamers OF over
one hundred tons for the same period. an average
Of only SO have been lost Out OF every hundred
American seagOlng vessels OF over n1ty TONS lof
the past seven years an average OF Alb have been
lost each year and out of the same number OF
foreign seagoing sail vessels of fifty tons. the
loss has been only 2.s7 year.
On the Pacific ocean the situation is almost in.
tolerable The United States commissioner OF
navigation in his report for 1s9s-99 page 90. de-
clared: Tho crews Of our own steamships plying
to China and Japan are almost wholly Chinese and
Japanese shipped before American consuls at
foreign ports where the vessels enter and clear"
And this condition has grown worse instead Of
better since that time.