The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-03-25
AMERICAS ENEMIES
FIGHT SEAMEN'S LAW
British Shipping Trust Is Secret
'tnn. lii;;.~-At-Sea
St,,te rstoricai
cap'tol HSoc. g.,
OPPOSITION TO MEASURE
TRACED TO FOREIGNERS
Andrew Furuseth Exposes Pro-
gram of United States
Chamber of Commerce.

Andrew Furuseth, president of the
International Seamen's union, who is
campaigning in Wisconsin for Sena-
tor La Toilette, gave out an interview
in Milwaukee the other day in which
he went into considerable detail in
commenting on the recent referen-
dunn by the United States Chamber Of
Commerce as reported in an editorial
in the New York Times, and which
was approved by the Duluth Com
mercial club.
''The Chamber of Commerce of the
United States has taken a referendum
vote, and according to The New York
Times, the vote was practically unani-
NOUS in favor of suspension forth
with of such sections of the law as
discriminate against American COM
merce, until it is possible to reach an
international agreement upon the
subject making the law applicable to
all nations" said Mr.. Furuseth.
No Discrimination.
Gerard Henderson. editor of The
Harvard Law Review, definitely
states that every one Of the import
ant sections of the seaman's act, by
specific terms, applies equally to all
foreign vessels coming within the jur-
isdiction of the United States, and to
American vessels. There is no dis
elimination against American vessels
to be found in the seaman's act
There are no such sections, and Mr.
Henderson said. at a meeting at Col
umbia university that the only dis
elimination has it's origin in a ruling
by the department Of commerce.
which ruling has no justification in
the act itself. The ruling is to the
effect that the vessels of certain for
eign nations are to have their inspec-
tion certificates accepted here in the
United States, and this in spite of the
specific provision in the law that life
saving appliances their equipment
and the manning Of the same shall
apply to foreign vessels in the same
way as to American vessels.
Who Can; Be Employed.
THE editorial, says the law was
construed in a manner enabling Las
cars. Chinese and Japanese to be en-
ployed.' There is nothing in the law
to prevent Japanese, Chinese or Las
cars from being employed, either OIL
foreign or American vessels if they
can understand all orders given by
the officers All orders here neces-
sarily means emergency orders or or
ders given in emergencies. 1t is of
very little Importance whether the
orders can be understood by every
member of the crew under ordinary
circumstances. It is in emergencies
that it is Important; and the depart
ment has so construed the law in it's
circular, No. 265. as to make it apply
to ordinary orders given under nor
NAL conditions. This is a direct vio-
lation, not only Of the spirit, but of
the letter of the law, and is contrary
to the ruling of admiralty courts of
the United States and other countries
for the past 100 years.
According to The Times editorial,
the vote favors the repeal of sections
regarding desertions as they apply to
foreign nations. and urges that the
state department should negotiate for
the repeal by all nations
Why Foreign Shipping Leads.
1T is the ability of foreign ship
owners to compel the seamen on ves-
sells while in the ports of the United
States to continue to labor at the
wage agreed upon in the lowest-sal-
aried ports in the world, that has en-
abled the foreign ship owners to drive
the American merchant marine from
the ocean. When the National Cham
her Of Commerce wants to continue
Continued on Page 2.