Arizona republican., 1915-09-04
A Related Proenostication

The Seaman's Act; a Blessing or Boomerang Is the title of an article by Ernest J. Hopkins in the current Sunset Magazine. A monthly magazine IS not the place for prognosticaton regarding mat ters which are in motion. MT. Hopkins prognosu- -,,f,p had failed widely before made public
 lie s evidently advocate of the SeaInahs A,t though like MT. Furuseth he regards it as a c..,,zIins loo much of compromise. He would have had legislation still favorable to seamen and more oppressive of ship-owners. But events have shown that while seamen have not been pehe- fitted American ship-owners have been thoroughly repressed: at least. they think they have been' and that amounts to the same thing.
 Mir Hopkins article deals with the expressed fear of the owners that the language clause of ,he act would fatally handicap them in competition with foreign shipping compames The threat or pre- setion of the Pacific Mail company before the pas
 sage of the IaFollette bi that, if enacted 1t would drive the American flag from the sea- was regarded by MT. Hopkins a bluff. He thought so at the time the threat made, and it was with some satisfaction he had subevidence later that u was a bluff The Pacific Mail, he learned. had started a school teach its Chinese seamen all the English they would have know under the act; N1r FIonkins had traced down groundess rumor that the Pacific Mail was about to sell its great liners to Chinese company. He had also learned that the Pacific Mail had shipping contracts eA- tending far beyond time, November l, when 1t was understood it would have to out of business
 Mr. Hopkins also quoted from R. F. Schwern of the company a denial that its ships were to be sold to certain Asiatic company. Therefore. in the opnion of MT Hopkins all tbis furore was intended m the Pacific Mail to intimidate congress so that inc seaman's Act might be repealed or modified
 With all the information MT Hopkins had col lected. We would have felt about 1t very much as he did at the time he prepared the article. We ,,o vvouId have suspected the Pacific Mail of en- raging in a gigantic bluff. between the sub mission of the article and printing of it, things happened The Pacific Mail out of business three months ahead o the appointed time. It sold all of its great liners to eastern com many and since then it sold the remaining ship the NIanchuria It is known what is going to be done with them, but is definitely known that they are to be taken of the transPacific trade which is to be abandoned wholly to the Japanese They may be used in the Atlantic trade, or they may De employed in coastwse trade via the Panama canal In the coastwise trade there will be no com petition with foreign shipping.
 Thus whatever designs the Pacific Mail com many may have had congress, it has none now IL is out of the shipping business and it is imrnl- terial to it whether the Seamans Act is repealed modified or strengthened But it must make a mighty difference to Mir. Furuseth and the seamens union of the Pacific that there will be no employment on American deep-sea vessels. If the Japanese the masters of the Pacific trade should adopt language that is, requiring that seVenty-five per cent. of the seamen employed on a, vessel should speak understand the language of the vessels officials, would be mighty few American seamen who could qualify for employ ment on the Pacific.