The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1913-12-25
CITIZENS ASSOCIATION OPPOSE
La FOLLETTE'S SEAMEN'S BILL

bill into law in its present form; that
it is committed to the amendment OF
said bill, before it shall become law,
by excepting from it's requirements
vessels sailing the Great Lakes as we'll
as vessels sailing upon the rivers, har-
bors and smaller inland Takes of the
country; and that this assoc. .tion use
all honorable means to procure such
amendment, in the interest of the bus
mess men and working men Of the city
of Man;towOc.
The Citizens association. of Manito-
voc, as result of the adoption of the
above resolution, has gone on record
as opposed to the LaFollette seamen's
bill, which has passed the senate, at
Washington, is now before the house
committee, and which measure, II
passed, will ruin the lake steamboat
business, and render practically useless
the great marine and ship building in
terests of Manitowoc.
The directors of the association will
forward the resolution, with pream-
BILE, outlining the views of the local
association, to Washington, to be sub
mittod to the committee there, in
whose hands the bill is now for con-
sideration. The same was drafted by
a special committee, composed OF A.
L. Nash, julius Lindstedt and Edwin
Schuette.
The preamble recites the purposes
of the Manitowoc Citizens association
and recites that the LaFollette sea-
mems bill, in its present form, consti-
tutes serious menace to Manitowoc,
as well as other lake ports.
The association asks that the bill be
amended to exempt passenger boats on
the Great Lakes from the provisions CT
the bill, also that if the boats were re-
quired to be so equipped with life boats,
the excursion business on the lakes
would be killed and ordinary passenger
fare would be doubled Besides boats
like the Christopher Columbus of the
Goodrich line, would be forced out OF
business.
The report goes on to state:
"This association does not speak for
the owners OF the lake passenger boats,
It is concerned with the effect upon
business men and working men OF this
community which would follow the
ruin of the lake PASSENGER business,
Some of these effects would be:
81. That shipbuilding plants, the
machine shops and the boiler works
now operating here and employing
hundreds of men at high wages, would
find their business with the owners OF
lake vessels cut in half, or worse. The
higher class labor is employed upon
the building, repairing and fitting un
of the passenger boats, since it is these
boats which require comfortable and
commodious cabins, highly finished
woodwork, plumbing, heating and al!
modern conveniences. The industries
mentioned would be left with only such
work as might be required for freight
boats. More than half, and probably
three-quarters, Of the men employed in
these plants and shops would lose their
jobs. Many of them have families and
homes, and the disaster to them and to
the city would be irreparable.
"2. The merchants of the city would
lose valuable part of their business
which now consists of supplying pas
senger boats with groceries, meats,
furniture and other cabin equipment
SO. The merchants of the city, both
wholesale and retail, would suffer
heavily by depriy yation of important
transportation facilities. They now
receive and send out annually thou
sands of tons of package freight, prac-
tically all carried in passenger boats.
If these boats should cease business
this package freight would have to go
by rail since it is not of character
that could be handled in small quanti-
ties at frequent intervals by freight
boats. All of this tonnage, if carried
by rail, would cost the merchants and
consequently their consumers heavily
in added freight.
"a. Many citizens of this city are
now employed at high wages on the
passenger boats. Their means of live
lihood would also be destroyed by the
withdrawal of passenger boats from
service.
IS. The federal government has ex-
pended huudreus of thousands of dol
lars in perfecting the outer harbor at
the port of Manitowoc. The city it
self, by taxation OF its inhabitants, has
expended hundreds of thousands of
dollars in deepening, dredging, straight
eni1g and docking the Manitowoc riv-
ct, Constituting its inner harbor. Not
only the money expended by the gov
ernment, but the money taken from
our taxpayers, would become largely
wasted investment If passenger traffic
should disappear from the lakes.
'6. The people Of this city and vi
cinity, of all classes and occupations,
would permanently lose the privilege
Of cheap and convenient transportation
by water during the summer months
While this kind of travel Is largely |
for pleasure, it is impossible to see
why our people should be cut of from