The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-08-31
ANDREW FURUSETH
DEFENDS OBJECTS
OF SEAMEN'S ACT
Father of 10 Measure Declares
Purpose Of Legislation Is To
Perpetuate Shipping
ALSO TO KEEP WHITE L..
SAILORS ON THE SEA
Bill viii Increase Maritime In
'terests and Insure More
Safety Aboard Vessels


plined in Washington by the bureau
Of navigation, have, been received by
the collector Of the port Of Honolulu
Rules for the enforcement Of many
provisions of the measure cannot be
framed until the attorney general Of
the United States has passed upon the
effect Of certain clauses in the law re,
ferred to him for an opinion. a. ID.
The regulations just distributed GOV,
er that section prohibiting "allot
mcnts" or the advance OF a sea'Aan s
wages to persons other than dependent
relatives of seamen. All allotments
must be shown on the ships articles
Clearances will be refused where the
articles show violation of the law.
The regulations become effective No.
vember 4 as to American ships and
March 4, 1916, as to foreign vessels, ex.
cept in cases where treaty provisions
would be violated, when the effective
date is postponed until the abrogation
of the treaties. Notice of termination
Of treaties involved already has been
given, and most of them will be abroga.
ted automatically on July I, 1916. Tho
state department has prepared amend.
ments to the consular regulations GOV.
ering the duties imposed upon Amer
lean consuls abroad by the new law,
which have been submitted to the
bureau or navigation for approval. -
Defense Of Seamen's Act
At the final session of the federal
trade commission, held recently in San
Francisco, more than one hundred men,
representing a wide range of CONNER
cial and industrial interests, got a
clearer insight into the meaning of the
Seamen's Act, its results on American
merchant marine, the American seaman
and the ship owner. During the gen
eral discussion at a previous session OF
the commission speech by Capt. Rob-
crt Dollar of the Dollar Steamship
Company was referred to. Captain
Dollar had declared that the Seamen &
Act in its present form meant the
ruination of American shipping. e"
The reply to Captain Dollars deela.
ration was made by Andrew Furuseth
father of the Seamen s Act. Furuseth
denied that the bill had been passed.
without due elaboration by congress.
and offered as evidence before the com
mission several books which incorpor
ated the various petitions and discuss
ions before the house.
The discussion of both sides of the
question assumed the proportion of q
controversy between Furuseth and
Captain Dollar. Chairman Davies wa,
obliged to interrupt and ask Captain
Dollar to wait until Furuseth had fin
iuhol Tho rooIinn nf hi. A. hs
conclusion of the remarks made by
Furuseth the questions as to the fu
ture of American shipping as asked by
Dollar were answered by the father 81
the Seamen's Act.
Reasons For Legislation
1t was declared that the first rea
sons for the passing of the Seamen 4
Act were the pcrpetuation of the Am
"rican mercantile marine and the rails
ing of the standard of the American
seamen, so that they might regain
their lost place on the high seas. Fur
Wseth cited that in the United State
there were only trife more than SO,
200 citizens who followed the call o.
he sea for a livelihood and that with
n seven months after the bill goes In
% effect he had authentic information
the number would be almost doubled
He declared that the ship companie
Who had announced their intention o.
abandoning business because of tn
passage of the bill saw an oportunit,
to dispose of ships which were rapid,
becoming obsolete. Because of tn
high cargo rates that prevail at thi
| time they were able to sell at an enor
nous profit.
VIII Increase Merchant Marine
zone of the chief objects and re
suits of the Seamen Act will be tn
gradual increase in the American meT
camille marine" said Fhruseth. "Here
tOfore one of the greatest drawback
has been the excessive cost of the con
strurtion of ships and the cost Of op
GRAFTON as compared with the foreigl
operator. In the full operation of tn
| Seamen 5 Act the cost of operation
viii he abolished, from the fact tina
the foreign bottom that comes to Am
eriran port, will have 10 meet tn
| American standard of pay for thej
men, or the men of the better clas
will leave and join the craft wher'
the highest wage will be paid. Thi
is only an element of human natur,
that can easily he depended upon.
Ke""ing White Man at Sea
Zone of the chief objects in the pas
sage Of the bill, however, was to keel
the white man at sea and to keep tn,
sea power in the hands of the whit,
man. We do not anticinate that thar,
will be any Immediate increase In, IL,
wape of the seamen Of this country O.
J in other nations that employ member
of the white race as seamen, but ",
do know that the compP ufes who eu
ter the United States with other thai
white labor on their decks, to then
the cost will in most cases be ncreas
/ ed as much as 200 per cent, with tn,
rPs"lt that the white man, not only o.
American nationality, but Of all otkel
countries, will gradually supplant tn,
Asiatic.
'The Seamen 5 Act has not vet Civ
en- anything but minimum of safety