Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-07-26


'ceived, that something more
ON THE COMPULSORY FEATURE-THE
VESSEL BEING COMPELLED TO ACCEPT
SERVICE OF THE PILOT:
The public is lead to believe that this principle
OF marine practice is peculiar to Virginia, when, in
TACT 1t obtains at every seaport Of the United States
and practically all the great ports Of the world 1t
is marine traffic regulation which has its founda-
ton in the experience OF the great commercial
countries Of the world during several centuries
the vessel being required to be under skillfu guild
ance Tor the safety OF ports, other vessels, and
human lives, for said by Lord E.shcr:
IT 0cssel is a1cekcd and lost and sunk
near to the entrance of commercial port she
Is not only lost herself, but she is q great
danger and obstruction to the port and to other
1cssels and 1oonld interfere zr1th the CONNER
col Business of the port"
IL has also been found experience OF com
mercia states throughout the world that loss life
and property have greatly increased when vessels
were allowed. under optional conditions OF potage
to run amuck in crowded channclways. New York
over half century abolished compulsion, dur
Ing which period there many casualties the
most frghtful them being the loss of the ship
NEW ERA and four hundred immigrants whose
bodies washed ashore and now lie buried at the
site of Ashury Park. The NEW ERA'S captain in
reckless confidence. and within law, had declined
the services OF pilot
Sweden and other countries have tried hut al
ways with quick TO compulsion a few years
ago North Carolina made the experiment blu,
at the next session OF her legislature restored com
pulsory pIlotage-her commerce having become vir-
tually ruined within few months. volume might
be devoted to this point.
HIGH RATES OF PILOTAGE:
10 this reply that nine out of ten steamship
agents and chartcrers who bring the vessels to our
ports. certify their signatures that the rates
bear favorable comparison with those OF rival ports
and that they want no legislation on the subject
what better testimony is desired than that OF those
who arc SO directly ntcrcsted-evcn to the extent
OF paying the money
THE RATES AS PER DISTANCE:
y purely iaIiacious argument plotagc is not
based upon distance; many ports OF the United
States being but five to nine miles from sea have
higher rates than Virginia Baltimore has been ire
'luentiy cited. and il is well to explain here that
piotage TO that port is very much higher than with
us. he maximum rate there begins on thirteen
lcct draft, while the maximum charge at the Vir-
gina ports is not reached until the vessel draws
twenty ice Baltimore has only two rates-Vir-
gna SIX, besides the Baltimore pilots operate with
: ono boat wh'le OF necessity we maintain four with
hundred men on our payroll and cost OF operation
perhaps three times as great
MAN-POWER-THAT WE TAKE BUT FEW
APPRENTICES:
During four years OF war cared efficiently for
the shipping OF Hampton Roads though the de-
mands upon were most extraordinary (tcs,;-
monials OF high Government officials are availablc\
while we have enough pilots in the making to care
tor over one hundred percent increase in commerce
mere are twenty-five in training which is more
than New York and New Jersey together have
THAT EQUIPMENT MIGHT BE IMPROVED.
The equipment OF the Virginia Pilot Association
IS one OF which the State may be proud as it equals
tnat OF New York and New Jersey combined-sm-
ply silly argument, which indicates either utter
ignorance or willful indifference to facts
THAT PILOTAGE DRIVES VESSELS TO
OTHER PORTS:
f1nd one steamship agent who makes that claim
and we will produce twenty to disprove his state
men Name ship which has been kept away.
THAT PILOTAGE IS A MONOPOLY:
The Virginia law is monopostic here in exactlv
inc same sense as IN every seaport of the United
States. hat is the pilots at all ports operate under
State laws which in the main provide that there
shall be Board Of Pilot Commissioners ncnalties
Tor derelIcton of duty, fixing rates apprenticeship
etc-the pilots in every instance owning their eou;p'
ment and running the business themselves. consist
ent with law, and free from demagoeic Influence
THAT WE SELECT OUR OWN APPREN-
TICES: NEW
This is true of Virginia, and of most of the norris
and we might ask who is better qualified for de-
termlnng such selections than the men who hav.
to train, live and work with them.
THE METHOD OF APPOINTING THE
BOARD OF PILOT COMMISSIONERS
The members of the Board are appointed hv The
judges of Norfolk and Newport News, with n;lot
representation 70 the minority NAV be loo;r.ll
assumed that hcse judges who are in the midst