Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-11-05
FRIENDS OF SEAMENS ACT DEFEND MEASURE
NOT DRIVING AMERICAN SHIPS FROM
GREATLY INCREASED TONNAGE UNDER


chant marine is being driven from the
sea by the LaFollette seamen's act,
which went into effect November /,
supporters of that act held a mass
meeting in San Francisco recently, at
which Rudolph Spreckles presided as
chairman and which was addressed
by Walter Macarthur, United States
shipping commissioner, and Andrew
Furuseth, through whose efforts,
largely, the bill was passed.
Mr.. Macarthur said that the Amer
lean merchant marine is not only not
being driven from the sea by the sea-
mans act, but that it is not being
driven from the sea at all, and quoted
recently compiled statistics to show
that the American merchant marine
is the second largest in the world and
that it is increasing constantly.
In reply to the report that the Dol
lar ships had been taken from Ameri-
can registry because of the seamen's
act, Mr.. Furuseth made the following
statement: "The Dollar feet consists
of seven steamers, three of which are
engaged in the coastwise trade carry
ing lumber, and three Of which 60
anywhere a profitable charter is Of
fered. The three coastwise vessels
always were and still are in American
registry, and probably will remain
there. The other half of the Dollar
fleet always were and still are manned
by oriental crews, and they always
sailed under an alien flag. But in
order to avoid German warships that
were raiding the Pacific. two of these
were put under the American flag,
and Captain Dollar said at the time,
that this was done for the time being
only One Of these two oriental
manned. foreign-built steamers has
been returned to foreign registry.
These are the facts about the Dollar
ships and they do not show that the
o!eamen's act is the cause of any
change in registry"
The Pacific Mail.
In reply to the statements that the
Pacific Mail steamers were sold be-
cause of the seamen's act, Mr.. Furu-
seth said the real reason why these
ships were taken of was the fact that
they we're railroad-owned and could
not therefore, according to federal
law, pass through the canal. To sub
stantiate this statement Mr.. Furuseth
quoted the published testimony of r.
p. Schwerin, vice president and gen.
eral manager of the Pacific Mail COM
pany. before the House committee on
merchant marine and fisheries. long
before the seamen's bill had been
made a law, to the effect that the Pa
cific Mail was, in any case, going out
of business.
Mr.. Macarthur brought out the
fact that American ships carried 20
per cent of the tonnage in foreign
trade entered and cleared in Amerl-
can ports for the year ending June
lao, 1914 (the latest figures avail
able). and sought to show that the
recent growth in the American mer-
chant marine is due not only to the
cessation of European shipping but
to normal conditions and to the shlI
registry act of 1914, and that the
American merchant marine is in mucf
more prosperous condition than Is
generally believed.
The following figures and facts
which show the condition OF the
American merchant marine up t.
August %, 1915, were submitted tt
the meeting by Mr.. Macarthur:
1.-THE latest issue of Lloyd's Regis
ter brings the estimates of total worlt
shipping down to June 80. 1915
These estimates show that the tota
tonnage of the worlds merchant ma
rine has slightly increased, notwith
standing the war. The present tota
tonnage is 49,261.769, of which 81,
274,O6S. or 43 per cent is owned b,
Great Britain.
/ U. s. Ranks Second.
During the year German shippinl
has decreased 753,269 tons, Will
that of the United States has in
creased 524.445 tons. Thus the lates
estimates place the United States II
second rank among the maritime ma
lions of the world. The total ton
mage of the American merchant ma
rine is now 5,892,639.
"The increase of American tonnag
during the past year is about thre
times greater than the average an
nual increase during any previou
year in American history.
"The larger part of this increase
represented by vessels transferre
from foreign to American registry ur
aer the ship registry act of August IL
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