The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-05-18

owe have examined the payToIls and
records of the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company from which the foregoing
statement was compiled, and we have
verified the procedure followed in de-
tail, - says the accountant = statement
TO Viee-President r. p. Schwerin.
Proposed rates have been obtained
by applying to the crews of ships in
the trans-Pscifc trade the rates which
other companies operating on the Pa.
cifie ocean arc paving crews of their
ships in the eoastwise trade; for column
2, the rates which the company. now
pays English -sneaking crews on other
Off shore runs" -..- 49,.
The feeding increase is the same for
both computations, total Of $l93,.
1920. The increase for the Korea,
Siberia, Mongolia and Manchuria is
about $4,000 each; for the China,
Persia and Nile. 1t is from $4,000 to
$2l 900. On basis of coastwise wages,
the increase for the four big ships Is
about $l05,000 each; for the three
smaller vessels, from $53, 900 to $69, 900.
On basis of off shore wages, the wages
increase for the big ships Is about
$4,000 each; for the smaller ones,
from 1877 900 to $4,000. &c..
The following editorial on the bill
is quoted by the Review from Ship.
building. and Shipping Record, an Eng,
lish publication: ~ /.
The American SPameD 8 Bill, draft
ed BY the Sailors Union, has received
the Presidents signature, and Is on the
way to become a law. The bill was
passed in the face of formal protests
male by the British ambassador on
behalf of British shipowners, whom the
measure will hit very hard should II
ever be allowed to be enforced In its
present shape, Substantially, the bill
gives any member of the crew of o
foreign ship calling at an American
port the right to demand half his
earned wages and allows him full lib
erty to desert This, of course, Is in
eontravention of all existing consular
conventions, but provision 10 made for
this by calling upon the government to
denounce all treaties to the contrary.
Most Pernicious' Of All ~ Z
''The bill-or rather seamen 3 act,
as it should now be called--compels all
ships carrying passengers sailing from
an American port to carry o crew .
large percentage of which (seventy,
five per cent? understands the language
of the officers. This clause is the most
pernicious of the whole measure. II
also reveals the power behind 1t. The
Sailors Union enjoys no power what,
ever on the Atlantic Coast, but on the
Pacific it is supreme, and 1t was the
heads of the union, who all originate
from the Pacific, who insisted on the
language test in order to compel Ameri.
can trans Pacific boats to carry white
| seamen. -
ITO the shipping trade of Great Brit.
ain this clause, if enforced, would mean
doing away with LascRrs and Chinese
! seamen, if it is conteHt plated to carry
| passengers from American ports. Nor
is this all. Upon arrival at any Ameri.
can port the union delegate wouN come
on board ship and instruct the crew as
to their rights, The sequence would
probably be that all the men would
walk ashore, and the union would pro,
vide substitutes at the rate of wages
ruling at that port at the moment
The seamen 5 act is one of the most
vicious measures ever passed. 1t will
make trading with American ports q
matter Of endless difficulties, unless
the nations whose treaties are 10 be-
denounced to allow the provisions Of
the act becoming law resolutely op
pose any attempt to enable the Ameri
can Seamen S Union to dictate how
they shall run their ships. " 49,.