The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-11
Biz S2O.OOO,OW Company
Finds New Sea Law Too
BurdensOme.
CAN'T COMPETE
WITH JAPANESE
Plans to Sell or Lease Its
Fleet of Twelve and Re-
tire From Field.

The American flag will practically
disappear from vessels in the Pacific
Ocean as the result of the decision Of
the directors Of the Pacific Mail
Steamship Company to withdraw the
company's big fleet Of steamships from
the transpacifc service after Novem-
Der . These ships, it is said. will be
driven from the Pacific by the burdens
put on American shipping by the La
Toilette seamen's law. The law goes
into effect on November 4.
The fleet OF twelve steamships
owned by the company Is to be scat
tered unless the law is changed before
that time. The Pacific Mail company.
one Of the greatest OF American steam
ship companies, capitalized at s20.-
100000, will probably wind UP its af-
fairs and sell all of its ships.
There has been no decision yet by
the board of directors" said julius
kruttschnitt president Of the COM
pany and chairman OF the board Of di-
rctors Of the Southern Pacific COM
pany, which controls Pacific Mail.
The La Toilette bill presents so many
ADVERTISEMENTS and obstacles to the
operation Of the company's vessels
that the directors do not see at the
present time just what they shall do.
There are several courses that
could be followed. one is to sell the
ships, This of course Is synonymous
with dissolution of the company. An
other course would be to put the ships
n,o different service where the re-
strict.ons Of the La Toilette law with
regard 10 the employment OF Amer
lean labor do not operate so heavily
as they do in the Pacific. A third pos
s.ole course would he TO lease the
ships
tction Depends 4 non OMcrs.
The directors will consider the mat
ter from all points OF view. They have
until November to determine a course
They will do what is to the best interests
o'the stockholders of the company. Their
action will depend naturally on the rela-
tive advantages OF the offers that the
company may have for the sale Of the
ships, for leasing them or for putting
them into n different service"
Inc provision of the La Toilette law
- al h.,. 40.
some is that which forbids ship to
leave an American port unless IS per
cent Of its crew can speak the language
OF the executive officers of the vessel /
THIS prevents an American or European !
snip from using sufficient Oriental labor |
10 compete with Japanese vessels.
In series of statements which ac- |
company the annual report of the com |
rany for the year ended April 80, 1915. |
T. j. SchWerin. vice-president and gem !
oral manager of the company, vigorously !
attacks the seamen's bill, the labor lobby |
mat worked for it and the Congress
which passed it,
THE Congress OF the United States, |
a, the demand Of organized labor" says |
Mr, Schworin, has legislated to place |
he t"anspacific traffic exclusively under |
the Japanese flag, II does not seem !
possible that the trainers and promoters |
Of this act could have contemplated so |
disastrous a result. yet from a study Of |
the different requirements OF the act II |
plain that the conditions to be COM |
Piled with are such that only the Japa-
nese steamship lines. ofiicered and |
manned by japanese. all speaking a COM |
mon language. heavily subsidized by the !
JapaneS" Government. can fully and |
easily meet
VIII Drive Away Other ships.
It's effect, therefore, will not only !
result in the actual disappearance OF
,he tiX American steamers now operat- |
ing In this trade. but also will prevent !
me ships Of any other nationality en- |
er'ng the trade through inability to |
.omplv with the terms OF this act. |
THIS Will give TO the ships OF Japan an !
t"'n'l monopoly Of the trade between /
PaciHr coast ports of the United States |
and In" Orient"
M' Schwerin declares that 1t will /
% impossible for ships operating with |
E9ropeau or American officers and /
manned with Asiatics to obtain crews /
u "hich - per cent. IN each depart
A'ht viii hc able 10 understand amy |
o'n"r' given by the officers OF such ,
fs'clS l. might he possible to MI /
~. L"qulrcment for tho "omm'ssary |
ma deck forces. but no, for the fire |
.''0 force, which Is tho largest de- ,
''run'n' on an ocean going liner.
a, "' annual report of the company for
'ns year ended April 80. 1915. shows |
WAT ."' 'n" revenues from water line o2er-
auohs were s5,737.662. as compared
''h F",d6o,23a the year previous. with |
h"' Operating revenue from water
A. - |