Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-03-01
MEN WHO MAN MERCHANT AND
PASSENGER SHIPS WIN
GREAT VICTORY.
GET FAR AWAY FROM
CONDITIONS OF sERviTUDE
Imprisonment. For Desersion Wiped
out-safety For Passengers as Well
as Crew Joined in Bill Just Approved
by consress-severai Technical Rec
lamentations Turned Down.
Especial Corresoondence.]

Washington, March !. = The much
discussed seamen's bill. after stormy
/ career has been agreed TO in confer
ence and the conference report has
been adopted By Doth houses
/ The measure as finally approved
! promises in time 20 raise one of the
largest issues before the country. The
:; bill now gives to the American sea-
man almost everything he has been
/ fighting for during years of virtual OPP
| toms. and from his point of view 1t is a
Magma Charta beside which all other
! legislation looks relatively unimport-
ant. The seamen's unions have tried
strenuousiy to combine the interests OF
] the travelling public with their own and
! have made the emancipation of the
I seaman" contingent upon other pro-
visions which would guarantee the
safety of passengers. In this particu-
( lar the bill does not mea sure up to the
expectations of its promoters.
Radical Changes Made.
1t aboiisnes allotment, WHEREBY
harpies rather than seamanS family
c.utched his wages as soon as he sets
foot on shore. and it also wipes out
! imprisonment for- II:seT;;iiosi GO either
American or foreign seamen In the
United States. 1t gives the sailor the
right TO one-half of his wages earned
on demand al every port where MS
vessel may load or deliver cargo, and
1t provides that at least 10 per cent
.N..
in each department OF the vessel snal.
be able to understand the orders of their
superiors. The measure also estao-
fishes two watches on deck for sailors
and three for firemen. oilers and wa
ter-tenders. The seaman also is
granted his demand that three years
service on salt water shall be required
before an able seaman's certificate can
be granted and eighteen months on the
Great Lakes. The unions are expected
to disagree with the latter provision.
as they declare that the fresh water
sailors will come to the coasts and
after a brief service on the ocean be
able to secure A. 3. certificates with
out serving full time.
Compromise on Safety.
The safety provisions of the bill are
n compromise but even as written will
be regarded as onerous by vessel own
ers 1t adopts the standard of the in
.ernational conference on safety at sea
for the construction of lifeboats and
RATS, and in this respect IS approved
py the representatives Of the seamen
as establishing a standard by law
which can not be varied by executive
authority. All ocean-g going vessels sail
ing more than twenty miles from shore
are required To provide with hfeboats
for IS per cent Of persons on board ana
with liferafts for .he remaining % per
cent between Sept. Is and May 10 OF
each year. The same vessels between
May Is and Sept. 10. however, are re-
CURED to equip with So per cent OF
boats and 30 per cent of RATS. leaving
80 per cent unprivoded for A complete
equipment of boats and rafts-1o and
p per CENTS required OF vessels
whose keels are laid after July !. 1918.
for service on the Great Lake more
than three miles off shore for the win
the winter months; but during the ex-
cursion season, or from May 10 to Sept.
Is. these boats need equip~for only 20
per cent with iifeboets and for 30 per
cent with RATS, leaving 80 per cent to
sink or swim.
The attempt Of Senator i.aFollette in
| his original bin to fill boats from
sinking ship strictly according to act
| of congress has not 5een repeated by
| the conference committee. which pro-
/ vides only that a licensed officer or
! an aibie seaman shall he placed IN
charge of each lifeboat or pontoon raft.
! The bill creates a class Of "certificated
/ lifeboat men, and provides in case OF
! accident for their assignment to boat
| or raft. one to every twenty FIVE per-
sons or less, two to ever forty-one.
/ three to every sixty one. fur to every
! sixty-one to eighty-five. and so on up
till boat or raft carrying ISL to 2lO
persons must have assigned to 1t seven
certificated lifeboat men.
| Recommend atoms Turned Down.
! The Recommendation of bodies ike
| the committee on maritime affairs OIL
the 2osto.. chamber of commerce have
been ignored, as a rule. Many of these
| were of greater or less technical I'M
| portance. For example, the phrase
| safe harbor." which the critics
thought rather indefinite, as describing
! the position of a ship which would
limit the amount of work the men
might do. has been retained thruout
the bill. Neither have the committee
of conference been Impressed with the
argument that il the crews OF 1oreisn
ships were legally entitled to demand
80 per cent OF their wages earned on
arrival at American ports, 6. very large
j percentage would desert and thus come
/ into the country without being sub
lject to the immigration or the medical
laws. Champions ri the Dill like An
drew Fnrnseth regard this as one OF
the crowning g1ories Of the legislation
one. in fact. which ultimately viii
eaualize wages thruout the American
and foreign merchant marine. The
half-wage provision applies alike t
American and foreign seamen. and tint
courts are open to both for its en-
forcement The theory of Mr.. Furusetf
is that altho To legislation can estab-
lish the wages to be paid either II
vessels Of the United States or OF Tor
eign countries, foreign owners In time
must make wages and living conditions
aboard their own ships SO attractive
that their men will not desert Tor ser
vice under the flag OF the Unitet
States. Indeed. the freedom to aui
Ibis employment which this bill pro.
poses to grant the American seaman ].