The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1915-10-02
OF business
LAW APPLIES TO
FOREIGN VESSELS, TOO

Remember this: The seamen's
Law applies exactly the same TO for.
clgn as TO American vessels That
is TO say. any vessel. before IL
leaves an American port. must live
M TO all the conditions required
under the Seamcn'B law. no matter
what flag II flies Wherever white
sailors have been employed. the
Seamsn's law will create no new
difference between foreign and
American ships. Not the least now
difference between foreign and
lean ships could compete with
British. or Dutch. or Swedish vessels
before, they can do tho same now.
II American ships could not com.
pete with British. Dutch or Swedish
ships before. then the seamen's Law
makes no difference. Tho Seamen's
law. In other words. has made no
change In the condition Of ArerI.
can competition with foreign ships
employing white labor.
EMPLOYERS OF CHEAP
CHINESE NOW HoWlIk0
Thus you hear no such howls
against tho Seameu's law on the
Atlantic coast as you do on tho
Pacific from shipowners and their
hirelings. In the transpacific
trade even American chips en-.
pIoyed cheap Chinese cooiie labor.
Americans got no Jobs ~ sailors on
the Pacific Mail. the Minnesota or
tho Robert Dollar-and these are all
the American vessels that ever piled
the Pacific 10 the Orient Always
Il was Chinese crew that manned
these vessels.
The Seamen's law DOES NOT
affect shipping on the Great Lakes
or in the coastwiso trade. for there
white labor IL employed. Kyne SAYS
90 per cent OF the coastwise crews
speak English This includes the
Pacific coastwise trade. Ships doing
business between Seattle and Cali.
forniR ports will not be in the least
affected by the Seamen'a law.
Tho law, therefore. need concern
only tho transpacifIc ship owners.
the Pacific Mail. Robert Dollar and
tho Great Northern.
WHY DID PACIFIC
MAIL REALLY QUIT
Now. It's fact that tho Pacific
Mail Is owned by the Southern Pa
cific railroad. Because it's owned
by n railroad. IT'S ships are not per.
mltted to pass thru tho Panama
canal That Is not a provision OF
the Senmen's act. n had been en-.
acted into law long before the Sea.
mems act.
1T may be that tho Southern
Pacific has only maintained the
| Pacific Mail because OF transcon.
tinsntal freight the latter company
| brought 10 the parent company,
SAYS Kyne. 1T seems probable that
ships OF their competitors would
eventually deprive the Pacific Mail
out OF business IN the Orient BY
active competition via the canal -
That is to say. other ships, not
owned by railroads. could take Orr.
entail cargoes thru the canal to East
ern markets cheaper than tho Pa.
clfic Mail steamers. who would
have 10 stop this side OF the canal
and ship the goods by rail.
FINE TIME TO SELL
ANY OLD VESSEL
80. like sensible business men
they sold their ships" says Kyne
because now Is the accepted time
to sell ships. Nearly any old kind
Of bottom is in brisk demand nova.
days"
ships are doing big business
these days. ms everyone knows, In
the European trade.
For the same reason. tho Great
Northern probably finds that the
! Minnesota, unable to trade via the
canal. would bo unequal to com
pete with vessels that could bring
their cargoeR 10 the Atlantic by
water route turnout.
50 let's dismiss the Minnesota
and the Pacific Mail. They may or
may not have been affected by the
bugaboo OF the Seamen's law. OR
maybe they quit because they could
not have competed with other
ships. even II the Seamen's law
! had never been heard OF.