The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-06-24
THE OTHER SIDE,
OF SEAMAN'S BILL
M LENDERS Of Union Have Different Idea
Of It Than the Ship
Owners,
.[By Lowell Mellett, United Press STAFF
Correspondent

/
Correspondent
WASHINGTON, June 24.-If Presi-
dent Wilson is being persuaded. as re-
ports have it, that American shipping
| is due to disappear from the sea
when the LaFollette seaman's act goes
into effect November 4, it Is the re-
suit of misinfornation, according to
President Andrew Furuseth, OF the
Seamen's union, who
with Vice President Patrick ]. Flynn
| is In Washington to plan a fight
against the acts modification or re-
peal by the next congress. Furuseth
declared today the constantly circn-
lated statement that the Pacific mail
line is going out Of business, Is I'M
| true.
THE Southern Pacific railroad owns
1.-The controlling interest In the Pacific
mail" he said. land consequently its
steamers are not permitted to go
through the Panama canal. There Is
every evidence to prove that the Pa
cific Mail is simply reorganizing SO as
to divest the ships OF Its owners and
ireadjusting the trade route to make it
extend from Hong Kong through the
canal to New York.
The Union Iron works has furnish
ed on request of the Pacific Mail, epeci-
hcations for changing the latter's
steamers to oil burners. To make
the change it will require about two
months, disarranging schedules SO that
the company cannot make bookings
for definite sailings while the changes
are under way.
These facts enable the officers of
1.-THE Pacific Mail to say with partial
truth that they are to discontinue sail
lings November 4. The Mongolia is the
first scheduled vessel to be convert ed
from coal to oil, and 1t probably will
Igo to the Union works in November.
I'VE expect big howl from now until
then because of all the bookings on
the Mongolia that must be cancelled. :.
/ Furuseth argued that after the
change has been made, the Mongolia
will be operated for less than before.
even with white crew, as contemplat-
ed by the new law.
Instead Of carrying 115 Chinese
lfremen," he said, "the boat can oper-
ate with eighteen white men in the
hole. They pay the Chinese 50 a
month. White men will be paid s55.
Where 1t has cost 81, OBS in wages for
Chinese, it will cost $500 for the white
men. To feed the lis Chinese at IS
cents day each, has cost 1921 a
month, against $216 for the eighteen
white men at forty cents a day
1T will cost the Pacific Mail more
lin its deck crew, however. The deck
crew of forty Chinese could be cut to
Itwenty-four white men. The differ
ience between So a month for Chinese
:. and $50 for white men would make
the increase in wages here amount to
1855 and food would be $62 more on
the month"
l Furuseth referred also to the COM
pany's educational campaign.
THE Pacific Mail is trying to edu-
cate the Chinese crews in English"
he said. "a special dictionary has
commonly used in the work aboard a
vessel, and their equivalents in Chin.
csc characters. This dictionary was
ISSUED in June. The Mongolia was the
first vessel to be fitted with a 'facul-
ty' General Manager Schwerfn be-
lieves the boys can thus fulfill the sea.
mans acts requirements that they
shall understand the language Of their
Officers"
He was not disturbed, Furuseta
said, by Robert Dollars statement
that the Dollar line would be placed
under Japanese or Chinese flags.
His vessels were under the Eng
lish flag prior to the war;" said Fur
useth. THE presence Of German
cruisers in the Pacific caused him to
use the American flag. II he goes
under an oriental flag, he'll have to
have oriental officers. as well as crews.
and If the orientals leave him In an
American port it may cost him more
to get another such crew than It
would to get an English speaking one
AS the law has stood, japan must
inevitably have taken complete mast
iery of the Pacific. Under the La
Toilette act Japan has no advantage
lover anybody coming to United States
,ports I predict Mr. Dollar will con-
ltinue the American flag.