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

WASf1lNG1ON, JUNO St.--lI FrSSi-
dent Wilson is being persuaded, as re-
ports have 1t, that American shipping
is due to disappear from the sea
into effect November 4, it is the re-
suit of misinformation, according to
President Andrew Furuseth, OF the
international Seamen's union, who
with Vice President Patrick ]. Flynn
is in Washington to plan a fight
against the acts modification or -'e-
peal by the next congress. F'uruseth
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
the controlling interest in the Pacific
mail" he said, "and consequently It's
steamers are not permitted to go
through the Panama canal. There is
every evidence to prove that the Pa
cific Mail Is simply reorganizing 80 as
to divest the ships Of its owners and
lreadj,lsting 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, spect-
| fications for changing the latter's
St6dn0l4 " O1l OukhCA6 v 1AoAO
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
the Pacific Mail to say with partial
truth that they are to discontinue sail
lings November 4. The Mongolia is the
first sch eduled vessel to be convert ed
| from coal to oil, and 1t probably viii
| go to the Union works in November.
We expect big howl from now until
then because of all the bookings GA
! the Mongolia that must be cancelled.
Furuseth argued that after tho
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 lis Chinese
fremen," 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 $55.
Where it has cost $l,O35 in wages for
Chinese. it win cost $500 for the white
men. To feed the lis Chinese at IS
cents day each, has cost s621 a
month, against $216 for the eighteen
|
1T will cost the Pacific Mail more
in it's deck crew, however. The deck
crew OF forty Chinese could be cut to
twenty-four white men. The differ
ence between So a month for Chinese
and $50 for white men would make
the increase in wages here amount to
1888 and food would be $62 more on
the month"
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
been made up OF words and phrases
commonly used in the work aboard a
vessel, and their equivalents in Chin.
ese characters. This dictionary was
issued in June. The Mongolia was the
first vessel to be fitted with 'facul-
lty.' General Manager Schwer1n be-
Ilieves the boys can thus fulfill the sea-
mans acts requirements that they
shall understand the language OF their
officers"
! He was not disturbed. Fur1seta
said, by Robert Dollars statemen
that the Dollar line would be placed
under Japanese or Chinese flags.
His vessels were under the Eng
iish flag prior to the war said Fur
iuseth. THE presence OF German
| cruisers in the Pacific caused him 70
iuse the American flag. If he goes
under an oriental flag, he'll have to
! have oriental officers. as well as ere ws,
and If the orientals leave him In an
American port 1t 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
cry of the Pacific. Under the La
Toilette act Japan has no advantage
over anybody coming to United States
ports / predict Mr. Dollar will con-
tinue the American flag.
The same as to James J. Hill. Rail-