The sun., 1917-09-30
CALL OF THE SEA SUMMONS THOUSANDS OF AMERICA
Demand Practically Unlimited. With
High Rates Of Pay, and Men Beyond
Draft Age Have Great Opportunity

who for years has fought the Asbt
Of the American merchant marine
from San Francisco to Washington
He II the head OF the powerful sea.
mems union and ne IL the man respon.
sible for the seaman's act enacted into
law few years ago which took tho
sailor on American ships out OF Tho
slave class and guaranteed him a
reasonable wage and human living
conditions.
Furuseth has come to be a character
In Washington in the years OF his tirh,
for the sailors rights and he has
earned q reputation. 1t is a reputation
Of keeping his word. and Furuse,b
never fails to live up to an agree.
ment. When the Shipping Board de.
manded men and laid before Furuse,b
tire urgent need which confronted the
nation Furuseth promised that the
men would be forthcoming and the
Shipping Board was content. The
sailorman outlined the conditions upon
which the new race Of able seamen
could be supplied and the agents of
the Government undertook to con.
slider.
A conference was called at which
all the Government departments in.
volved we're represented, the Ship.
ping Board. the Department OF Com.
merce and the Department of Labor
sent their delegates. With them me,
representatives Of the private ship.
owners Of the country and the sailor.
men themselves. There were a mum.
Der Of men In the sailors delegation.
but Furuseth headed the representa-.
ton. For week the committee
threshed over the conditions under
which the much desired sailormen
should work ana then 1t reached an
agreement.
1T 10 believed" said the conference
In announcing It's conclusions, that
the agreement renders easy the task
OF obtaining sufficient qualified men
to operate the large number Of mer.
chant vessels now building"
The agreement provided:
THE wage scale which will remain
In force until a year after the war
ends shall be as follows:
Sailors and firemen. $50 per month:
coal passers. $50 per month; oilers
and water tenders. S65 per month;
boatswains. $40 per month; carpenters
SIS per month.
"A 80 per cent. bonus Is to be paid
crews entering the submarine zone.
Overtime pay for cargo work is figured
at 30 cents per hour and for ship work
40 cents per hour. Employers will pay
each seaman 500 compensation for
loss Of personal effects when a ship 4,
sunk. The scale Of wages and bonus
for stewards and cooks Is unchanged
at present.
I'm order to increase the number
Of men available for work each ship
will carry a certain number Of boys in
proportion to the number Of seamen
carried. The number Of able bodied
seamen will be reduced and the de-
hciency will be made up by employing
more ordinary seamen. Representa-
tives Of the seamen's organizations
will be given access to docks and decks.
"The committee agrees that bonus
and otter conditions arising from the
war shall terminate with the war, but
the wage scale named above shall re-
main in force for a year after the war
terminates Employers and seamen
will unite in an appeal to mon who
have left the sea to return and 10
young men to 60 to sea as pro-
fession."
Included In the agreement was
provision exempting men qualified for
service In the merchant marine from
military service wherever possible on
the ground that the scarcity of sailors
makes them more valuable in the mer-
chant fleet than In the fighting forces
With this agreement in his hand
Andrew Furuseth has gone forth TO
provide the necessary sailor men and
they are coming. The long arm Of the
seamen's organization is reaching out
all over the land for men who can
hear the call OF the deep blue water
and they are responding by the thou
sand. There will be no lack of men
to man the vast merchant fleets which
America will send forth to contest for
the commercial supremacy OF the
world after the war is done.