The Nome daily nugget., 1915-10-28


 hy anything that congress has done in providing for the proper conduct of sea traffic and the protection of the lives of seamen and the travelling pub lie.
 Year after year the shipping com panies continue to pay dividends and the only apparent effect of congressional actions has been a general betterment of the conditions of sea travel. Some few shipping. companies have made good their threat to transfer their ves- sells to foreign register but the reason for this lies largely in the fact that operations could thereby be conducted at a greater profit and not because of operative laws instituted by the gov prnment. This Is proven by the fact that the greater number have con- tinued to remain under the American flag and to conduct business as usual And the fact that they have con- tinued is the strongest argument that Legislation has had but little effect in either restricting operation or lessening dividends. Yet in every case when there appeared a prospect that congress might do something affecting shipping we have been told that it meant noth- ing less than a death blow to Ameri- can shipping and heaven and earth has been moved to persuade the legislative body to withhold their hand.
 The seamans act is perhaps the most important enactment relating to ship ping of recent years as it Is not only a relief and a protection to the men who man the ships but also tends to proper safe guarding of the lives of those who entrust themselves to the sna as travellers There Is ample in- dication that there can be no reasonable objection to this feature in the face of the almost daily sea catastrophes. Indeed the record of sea disasters dis closes clearly the imperative demand for such enactments Yet the shipping interests have seriously objected to the provisions of the act requiring an in crease of life boats and other safety appliances and have most bitterly ought the clause demanding that at east seventy-five per cent of the 1 'rews of vessels shall be able to un 1 'erstand the language and that forty 1 'er cent of the deck crews sahll be | -bove the age of eighteen years and | hall have at least three years active ca experience. All these are measures II safety that are reasonable and justi- | jed in every way and are designed | olely for the protection of the lives , # those who sail the seas whether in | he capacity of members of the crew 'r as passengers. The seaman have a 'erfect right to demand provisions for |, he protection of their own lives and llso the right to demand decent wage . md decent treatment The life of the [ 'eaman is hard enough under the. best coalitions and they are as much en- ! tiled to the protection of the law as the passengers who entrust themselves 0 their care. The seamans ict grants to them all these -hings to which they have every right and license and nothing more and at E that, under the provisions of the en- actment they will not get but a tithe of what is their due as followers of the most dangerous craft known to man. | The seamans act is a much needed of reform and cannot be said to be greater in its demands than cir and conditions justify. If f, American shipping is to be driven from the sea by enactments that give to the seaman and travelling public greater measure of safety and also grants to the men who daily risk their lives =, amidst the tempest and the wave iecent wage and decent treatment, by |. Ill means let it go. We opine, however, hat shipping will be found after Mo- ember doing business as usual in bite of the terrific clamor now being aised as to the disappearance of the az from the seas. etc. The shipping
 npany have at all times been going II of business at the lea hint of leg lative enactment but in every in- ance they have continued as usual 1d they will probably continue after le seamans law become effective, de- ,ite their predictions of coming dis ster as result of the operations of lat measure