The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-12-31
CONDITIONS ON
CANADIAN SHIPS
WORSE THAN JAIL
Crews Subjected to All
Kinds Of Graft
BY SYDNEY WARREN

ment's vessels lead seamen of Van
couver to believe that the govern
ment has deliberately settled upon a
policy to force white seamen from
the vessels as an excuse to replace
them with coolie labor, as is the case
on vessels belonging to the Canadian
Pacific Steamship Co.
Seamen on these vessels are sub
jected to conditions worse than those
prevailing in most jails ashore. Food
is so scarce that it is a common thing
for vessels to arrive in port with the
crew half famished and i'll from work
ing for days on short rations of very
inferior food.
Fines Are Assessed.
Apart from general living conditions
aboard the governments vessels, the
crews are subjected to almost every
conceivable kind of petty graft and
discipline Fines are assessed for the
slightest infractions of the ships ar
ticles and in many cases at the whim
Of the commanding officer. In cases
where the men appeal to the shipping
master of the home port to arbitrate
that person usually is job conscious
and gives his decisions accordingly
A specific example of the treatment
melted out to the men is found in the
crews complaint of conditions pre-
vailing aboard the government boat
I(fonodfor Cd hxr
Capt c. Wallace. This vessel left
Vancouver August IS, 1924, bound for
Australia and arrived at the first port
Of call 81 days later, at Melbourne.
The Tailor Graft.
During the voyage the crew had
worn out most of their gear" and
asked for an advance of money to
refit themselves for the remainder Of
the voyage. The captain refused to
allow the men any money advances.
: but told the crew that he would get
them tailor and they could buy their
; clothing thru him. The tailor" graft,
hoary with years. is still notorious
aboard Canadian government vessels.
Briefly it is this: this captain ar
ranges with some cheap clothier in
whatever port the vessel happens to
! be, to sell his crew slop clothing at
/ tailored-to-measure prices. The c1othieI
to placate the men usually advances
them few dollars and later collects
this along with the exorbitant price
: Of the goods he has sold from the
crews wages. The captain comes in
! for his rakeoff in the form of com
mission
Z Men Were Fined.
4 So bad were conditions aboard the
q Canadian Importer that two members
- of the crew deserted at Brisbane
] Queensland, and when the captain at
e tempted to put to sea shorthanded
} five other members of the crew re
r fused to go aboard the vessel unit
( the full complement of men was OBJ
i tanned. They succeeded in forcing the
r captain to get the full crew, but after
e wards were fined SLIPS each for hav
ing refused to sail shorthanded.
Returning to Vancouver the fooC
, ran short and for 10 days the crew
Il were forced to work and subsist OF
. mush three times a day with no sugar
or tea. On arrival in Vancouver sever
al members who complained were dis
charged and placed on the govern
ment's blacklist. The water the mel
we're compelled to drink was putrit
and the color OF mud.
The secretary of the Federate,
Seafarers' Union OF British Columbia
w. Donaldson, attempted to have /
analysed by the Vancouver city an
Il alyst, but that official refused to d,
a this, giving as an excuse that Their
o was not sufficient water to analyze
g despite the fact that a large bottl
L full was submitted.
Break Agreement.
Similar conditions are reportel
'. aboard the Canadian Spinner and tn
= Canadian Miller, where in addition t
poor food the government Official
Z lowered the wages Of the ordinar
= seamen and deck boys below wha
they had signed articles for at MOI
treal. On the Canadian Travelle
sometime ago an old stoker, so year
old, was fined $50 from his wages b
cause he fell sick as the result OF tn
treatment he received aboard tn
vessel and was unable to work. TIL
captain charged him with Sinking HI
work. The aged worker appealed {
the shipping Office in vain.