New-York tribune., 1921-03-25
Ship Owners
To Decide ON
Pay Rate Soon
Increasing Unemployment Is
Factor i'm Marine Labor:
Idle Tonnage of World
Now Put at 40 Per Cent
4 Captains to One Ship
Three Take Mates Berths
Due 80 Scarcity of Jobs;
More Freight Is Moving

Steps toward the drafting of a wage
scale by sub-committees of the Ameri-
can Steamship Owners Association
have reached point which may result
ii decision on rates next week. Fol-
Iewing this the matter will be taken
no in cooperation with representatives
Of the Shipping Board. The new scale
il to take effect at the ending of the
present agreement on May /. A radi-
cal revision in the overtime scale of
pay and reduction in the general
wage scale Of from 10 to 90 per cent
are locked for.
While representatives of the organi-
zations of officers and men EMPLOYED
on American oceaIgoing steamships
have Indicated that resistance will be
made to reduction in pay along the
lines expected, the situation in regard
to unemployment continues to be an
Increasingly important factor. The
Shipping Board alone has consider
ably more than a hundred steel
steamers tied up in the harbor
ofN New York and vicinity, and the num-
Der of idle vessels, both government
and private owned, at other ports is in
creasing.
III we had hundred vessels ready
to put into service we could readily
secure crews for them before night
fight here in New York" it was stated
at one of the large operating com
panles' offices yesterday. Recently it
became known that an engineer was
wanted for an outgoing ship and within
few hours fifty applications had been
made for the place"
Four Captains on One Ship
As result Of the shortage of berths
snlps cfflcers, In many instances, are
sh'pping as subordinates where thew
iormeriy were In command. On one
vessel which sailed from New York
this week the captain and three mates
all held masters certificates. In some
cases men who had served as engineers
nave become wipers.
Some signs of Improvement have
been noted in the freight situation
here this week. More grain is moving
than formerly. There has been an in
crease in the Inquiries for space for
manufactured goods and small ship
ments OF different commodities for
European ports. There has also been
steady run of provisions, including
those requiring refrigerator stowage
The volume of demand has not been
suffclent to cause any appreciable stiff
fening OF rates, rhowever,s and there are
as yet no indications that the improve
ment is more than temporary. Freight
quotations continue at the level 1f the
past few weeks and this tendency to-
wards STERILIZATION is regarded in some
quarters as encouraging
Slump in Coal Exports
In the coal export trade there is
practically nothing being done. Rates
are still at a point where profitable
carriage is out of the question fol
are being taken for Continental Euro
pean ports at as low as 1915 per ton
and freights for carrying coal to South
American countries are pl ops rtionately ly
low
Shippers generally continue to de-
mand lower rates because of the heavy
amount of tonnage still supposed to
be available, despite the extensive lay
ing up of vessels both here and abroad
Some estimates now place the aggrer
gate Of idle ships at nearly 40 per cent
Of the worlds total of seagoing ton
mage. II is beginning to be felt that
the available tonnage is reaching the
point where the surplus over cargo
demands is not marked and that with
in the near future balance will be
struck between supply and demand
Pending Ms, however, the freight LIAR
kets continue unsettled.
The rate var between the lines oper-
sting to Continental European ports has
now been in effect for about six
months and there are no signs of q
settlement through the reestablish-
ment of conference agreements. One
result of this war was that it was
found that owing to the cut rates goods
could be shipped to the Continent, un-
loaded and transshipped to the United
Kingdom cheaper than they could be
shipped direct from this country te
Great Britain at the freights received
by vessels in the United Kingdom con-
ference. To meet this situation, how
ever, the lines in the conference have
made q; per cent reduction in rates