Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-01-15
Rowe Bill Should
Be Defeated, Says
Andrew Furuselllhl

SrE5sFESEk r5sfS Z.
san Francisco, Jan. 15;-Tae.K Row:
ibiii, seekingHto amend the sg nl'4 ~
act. sis vicious and en1ulu. .DetxaS
feated,,",g Andrew Furlsesn. 1Ininn
~ xmarica told delegates here ~ the
onening Of the tw~enty-third an lanus
~conyentiona Of the union.
.The bill, passed by the house ans
awaitinr action In the senate. Woul1
makegit possible for q person Eto Vs.
come m able seaman after servin1
air weeks in q training vessel O spasa
inp tha@ examination required aIter
Sir weeks Of such training ano sess-
ing nine months, in
sci. Furuseth asked me convenSSn
to, go on record against me = n.
.rnn.i .report.. .that in suitable
niaces we establish at the sultaD!c
tins ~ year. some schools In Wnat
We I,sualiy call .marlinspike
shin. together withA lectures wneto
thnse VII need the instruction may
receive Il. At such lectures We may
with propriety deal with he lore o.
the sea. history of 80
power, its Importance tottthe :counuy 1
and to our calling" ...+1
Reviewing the history OF tne nsnt
for, enactment of the seamens a. ~;
Tlruseth said more than $oV'VVV H"u
been spent in defending II
sTSe end is mot yet" he said: Tine
attack came first in the press, then N
the department and then IN the
courts. where it still continues. IL
has been attacked through interna-
tional efforts connected with tho
of the League OF Nations
and through the International Con-
ference on Labor Legislation.
During the incumbency OF Wuiiam
C. Redfeld as secretary OF
the act was enforced, as
serted, cas- q purely labor measure:
That Is, whenever any question vas IN
doubt, such doubt was resolved III Log
vor Of the vessel"
"The purpose Of revfving the mer-
chant marine and getting the Ameri.
an to again seek the sea" was lost
sight of. the president Of the union.
The section Of the act, setting forth
that mo vessel Of 100 tons gross and
upward shall be permitted to depart
from any port of the United states
unless she has a crew, notices. tnan
rs per cent Of which in each depart
ment thereof are able to understana
any order given by the officers or
such vessel" has not been properly
enforced, Furhseth said. The sup
Elementary rules made by the secre-
tary Of commerce rendered n sec
tion dead, he declared, but through
Secretary of Labor come OF the rules
were somewhat. modified.
"Unless the section is finally en-.
forced, the failure will place a, premi.
UNI on the employment OF Asiattcs,"
Furuseth said. 1.-THE section was ene
acted for the specific purpose OF DIG
%couragingS employment OF
on American vessels and of placing
other nations vessels on equality
with American vessels
Wages have been increased as a
result of the Seamen's act, -Furuseth
said, and wages paid in foreign YES
sells have followed the wages paid IN
American ships like a wagon follows
a horse to which 1t is hitched.'
The shipping board. Furuseth's re-
port said, has been generally fair
and even friendly to the Seamen's
act"
The. convention was asked to pro-
test against a movement which
quietly under the surface" to give
the navy control over merchant ves,.
sells and virtually make all sailors en-
listed me in the navy.
The army, Furuseth said. desires to
continue to operate transports with
merchant seamen who are paid COM
mercial wages. >sssef l&&-a iNs.
General Hines. who is in. charge Of
this service, he added. would like to
arrange SO that the men in the mer-
chant marine and sailing in the trans
port may, upon the breaking out OF
any war, be. enlisted as seamen In
stead Of being. taken into the army"
Furuseth said 1.-The idea seems to be
worthy Of our most serious atten-
ton"
He recommended that ~the most
cordial relations be cultivated" with
the unions Of officers.
The report was made to the con-
vention, Furuseth said, ''for such ac-
ton as shall be in the best interests
Of. all the seamen, whether they be
members OF our organization or
members Of none: Organisations are
but a can to an end. The real
good Of all seamen everywhere al
ways was our endeavor. May the
time never come when this shall not
be So" ~