Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-11-01
OPPOSES CHINESE.
IN j. s. SHIP CREWS
Seamen's Union Chief De-
cIares They Are Supplant-
ing American Sailors.
PROTESTS TO PRESIDENT
Names Shipping Board Vessels on
Which Foreigners Are Now
Employed.
PROTESTS TO PRESIDENT
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
SAN FRANCISCO. Calf. November
IA letter to President Harding
from Andrew Furuseth, president of
the International Seamen's Union,
suggesting that the administration
should attempt to solve the problem
ships, was made public by Furuseth
here today. Furuseth charged that
American sailors were being driven
of the seas because they had re-
fused to work, eat and sleep with
Chinese coolies"
1--WE feel that you scarcely realize
the present deplorable position of
the letter said. 1.-THE workers ashore
are protected by the federal contract
labor law and the Chinese exclusion
act, not to mention recent immigra-
ton restriction laws. American sea-
men enjoy no such protection. At
the present time American vessels
owned by the United States govern
ment are to a large extent manned by
Chinese. although competent and
qualified Americans are available.
Names Vessels.
I'm the transpacific trade the fol-
lowing government-owned merchant
vessels are partly manned by Chi
nese: President Cleveland, President
Lincoln, President Taft and President
Wilson, sailing out of San Francisco;
President Grant, President Jefferson,
President Madison, President McKin-
ley and President Jackson, sailing out
of Seattle. The foregoing are passen-
ger vessels In addition the following
government-owned freighters sailing
out of Seattle are wholly or partly
manned by Chinese: Wheatland, Mon
tana, Edmore, Pomona and Eldridge.
THE present tendency. particularly
in Seattle, is to discharge still more
Americans and substitute orientals
No doubt you will be told that the
ship subsidy bill. as reported, aims to
sis Of the reported bill should prove
to you that it expressly permits en-
ployment Of Chinese and other orr
entails in the stewards department of
the subsidized vessel. OF course. you
will appreciate that the stewards de-
DartmenL IN pdSScHScI NCSSclS uSudl-
ly constitutes the majority Of vessels
crew.
ut has been claimed by spokesmen
for the Shipping Board that Ameri-
cans cannot be found to serve in the
stewards department of American
ships. This is a claim based upon
Imagination only. Americans do not
and will not shrink from any honest
toll II conditions are tolerable.
Blames Shipowners.
I'VE are convinced that the most
liberal subsidizing will not create a
genuine American merchant marine.
This can be done only by the devel-
opment of a personnel at least of
equal skill and efficiency with the
personnel of any competing nation.
We feel that highly trained, skilled
and efficient American crews are the
essential factors to the future Of our
merchant marine. Yet the tendency.
FOR the past two years at least, has
been in the opposite direction:
"Men In high authority have made
Il their business to discourage ef-
ficiency. to mock at skill and to rid
icrie proper training Of young Amer
icsns. The inevitable result of such
n policy spells failure for American
future upoHthe seas.