The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-06
$4,000 ENGINEERSON
SEA LOSE PAY PLEA
Shipowners Say Advance
Would Endanger U. s. Mer-
camille Marine.

Tho demand Of the National Marine
Engineers Beneficial Association, COM
prising -ncst of the $4,000 licensed engi-
neers on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
for increases in wages and overtime pay
was refused yesterday at meeting Of
the American Steamship Owners Asso-
citation. Its president. II. H. Raymond.
who is head OF the Clyde and Mallory
lines, presided. and A. ]. Mccarthy, man
ager Of the American flag steamships OF
the International Mercantile Marine,
presented the recommendations OF the
associations committee on wages and
working conditions aboard ship and
gave an account of the conferences be-
tween the engineers and his committee.
These conferences ended Friday night,
Mr.. Mccarthy said, in n complete dis
agreement over the demand of the en-
gineers, whose compensation Is the high
est of any marine engineers In the world.
The engineers asked also for the crea-
ton of an IA class of steamships. COM
posed chiefly of former German liners
seized by the United States. on which
higher rates OF pay were requested than
the present standards would afford"
This question was referred to the Ship
ping Board, as the owner of most of the
ex-German vessels. and the Shipping
Board announced that 1t was opposed to
considering the creation of such an extra
class.
Table shows Gaps In Wages.
Shipowners explain their position in
. statement which gives a table of the
comparative monthly wages Of British
and American engineers and assistant
engineers of five classes, from A to Il,
and which shows that the American
chief engineer of the highest class re-
ceives $3S7.50 and the British s1S9.26
& month. The third assistant American
engineer receives s1Ss.75 and the British
S99.63 The statement says further:
Wages of American engineers are
very considerably higher than the wages
Of British engineers in all grades from
chief to third assistant. and particularly
In the case of second and third assistant
engineers the American wages are we'll
RICH double the British wages. IT Is
commended by the Shipping Board and
the shipowners that a still further In
crease In wages. already 30 extraordi-
narily favorable to American engineers
as compared with their British competi-
tors. would gravely handicap American
of which no man can yet determine. IL
must be rendered that on the Pacinc
Ocean. and indeed on the Atlantic
Ocean, the wages Of Japanese engineers
are considerably below even the BRUSH
standard.
Freight rates, generally speaking. the
world over are substantially lower than
n year ago and show general TENDENCY
to decline still further. American yes
~ ,1a "A
IN for lack of employment or Tor IN
ability to compete with the cheap wage
foreigners.
Doubt About Marine Act.
"The new merchant marine act Tor
which SO much is promised has not yet
gone into full effect. Its exact results
cannot be known before another year.
and indeed there seems to pc soma
doubt whether Il will ever be made COM
pletely operative by the Government In
Washington.
"The American Steamship Owners
Association and the Shipping Board sew.
eraI months ago renewed their wage and
yorlsin0 Agreements with the deck off,
GERS. sailors. oilers, wetertenders anu
firemen. and the cooks and stewards Oh
the American merchant marine on tne
bas sis Of the existing wage scale "a.
these other seagoing associations anu
unions responded to the argument tha'
at this critical period in our maritime
history, when competition with Ioreish
ships was intensifying and the result OF
the conflict was in doubt. further IN
crease of operating costs would De
grave handicap on American shipping
The marine engineers. on the other hand
declined to cooperate In this matter with
Az ,htr burners and the Government