The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-03-07
SAYS SEAMEN'S Law
Will AID SHIPPING
Representative Hardy Denies 1t Will
Impose Burden on
Americans.

The seamen's bill will help. not hurt.
American shipping" said Representative
Rufus Hardy. of Texas. chairman Of the
committee on expenditures in the Navy
Department. in discussing yesterday The
Washington Hcrald's analysis of the
measure Mr.. Hardy continued:
The law does abolish arrest and inn
Prisonment in the United States for for
egn seamcn. for desertion or their ships
when they are safe in our harbors. but
other nations will hasten to initiate our
example or will be driven TO it by their
own people. Instead of that provision
imposing staggering burden upon
American shipping it will free Ameri-
can shipping from the competition OF
slave labor. 1t will prevent a foreign
ship owner from employing mis- crew in
the cheapest la Dor market OF the world
and then using our courts and constables
to arrest him and throw him in chains
back on board the ship II he deserts it
in our ports. Instead of burdening
American shipping. it will equalize the
wages paid on foreign and American
shipping between American and foreign
ports. 1t will help, not hurt American
shipping.
1t is true the law calls for and will
require the abrogation of every treaty
that requires us to arerst a seaman for
desertiOn of a vessel in our ports. II
also requires that foreign shipmasters in
our ports be subject to the same laws
as our own shipmasters. and all treaties
which prevent this will be abrogated.
Our ships and shipmasters must have no
other burdens or restraints in American
ports than foreign ships and shipmas-
tcrs
We arc determined to cqualize the
burdens of American and foreign ship
ping and VIC have right to do so. and
no foreign nation can or will wish to
complain when We place their ships on
exactly the same footing. subject to pre-
cisCly the same restraints as We place
on our own.
The requirements of the law are so
funda mentally simple and essential to
safety at sea that any student not OBJ
sessed with the idea that shipowners
should be left to do as they please will
approve every one of them.
Il have no doubt the shipowners object
to every requirement that provides for
efficiency. They would like to be allowed
to man their vessels with wholly mex
perienced crews whenever they wished.
We provided that a certain per cent Of
their deck crew only should be men hav-
ing some slight experience, and that 80
per cent of them should he able to in
derstand the orders of their officers on
board their ships.
Then We have made those provisions
affecting efficiency and safety, includins
the lifeboat provisions. apply to foreign
ships leaving our ports, and again the
critics cry out. Embarrassing our rela-
tons with foreign governments On the
other hand. if We had not made those
provisions apply to foreign vessels leav-
ing our ports. these same critics would
have protested against putting restric-
tons and burdens on our ships from
which foreign ships were free.
seamens bill is a great reform. helped
seamans bill Is a great reform. helped
to frame this bill I have studied 1t and
all its provisions for three or four years.
believe it is just and wise. There Is
not a seaman in my district nor a ship
owner, so far as I know"