The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-12-29

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27.-Until the
congressional investigation into the
allure of the United States Shipping
,oard to build ships fast enough has
-,een made, congress will not be ready
o say how the ships now under con-
>truction shall be manned. Prob
IDLY the question of manning will
come up during the investigation. In
hat case the officers Of the 1nterna-
ional Seamen's union may get a
chance to reply, if any claim is made
hat the navy should be placed in
charge of the ships that carry our
roops and supplies to France.
Here is an answer by Andrew Fur
lseth, president of the Seamen's
lnion, to the ISLANDERS spread broad
,ast regarding the union sailors on
he Atlantic:
"Thc steamers Ell Rio and Ell Dia,
when under control of the Southern
Pacific company, and running be-
ween New York and Galveston" he
;aid recently, were able to run at
'ull speed and to perform their regu
ar work with a crew Of IS men, all
old. When manned by the navy,
.hese ships have SOL men each, in
:luding % men each for the gun
.rews. That leaves 27S men, all told,
o operate the ship.
THE steamer Gargoyle, when in
merchant service carrying oil, kept
Up full speed and did her work with
crew of IS men, all told. Under
navy control she has 102 men beside
Ter gun crew.
The U. S. S. Proteus. a collier,
las naval crew of 200 men now; six
months ago. when manned by civil
ans, she carried only 40 men; under
private management her tonnage
would make a run with q crew of
,bout so men. The U. S. S. Jason,
collier, has naval crew Of $50 men.
She carried 10 civilians, and under
private control would have only so
% IS men.
Three to Ono.
CAS- q matter of fact, it always
axes at least three naval men to do
he work Of one merchant seaman.
may be that some mon nave got
trunk. as the critics Of th~ merchant
eamen claim, but that is no more
han the naval men have done when
-, ermitted to so ashore. The test
+ the inconlpetency of men aboard
hip is in the number Of mcn it
axes to run the ship.
1.-The explanation of the requiring
VI SO large crews Of naval E1en is
hat the naval men are accustomed
work in groups, with tho bYairs Of
he group leader. The merchant
-;eaman gets an order and uses his
,wn brains and his own hands to
AIRY it out.
"Section Is of the Seamer's act
,rovides that no man can become an
lble seaman on the ocean unless he
las served SO months at sea. 1t may
,e that some certificates have been
obtained by perjury, but if so they
IRE extremely few, and none of these
men belongs to the Seamen's union.
The same Section IS provides that
he members Of the crew must I'M
lerstand the language of their Off
:ers. There have been claims that
he men do not understand their Off
.ers' speech. This provision Of the
aw has not been enforced. but we
lave been struggling for it's enforce
nent. The complaint is properly
tgainst Secretary Of Commerce Red
'ield, not against the seamen"
Sailors Exempt From Draft.
Furuseth and other officers of the
Union have been trying to get from
he war and navy department Off
-,ials and from the Shipping board a
lefinite understanding as to the
light Of exemption Of masters, mates,
pilots, engineers and sailors on the
Great Lakes and elsewhere, from
military draft, shall not be lost be-