The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-02-26
By J. CAVITY

The term of office for the shin committee aboard
ships navigating throughout the year is for months
and on board ships engaged in seasonal NAVIGATION
the term is for the duration of the period of naviga
ton.
On request being made by not less than ono
third of the members of the crew. the ouestion of
reelection Of the ship committee before the expra
ton of their time may be raised at general meet
ing of the crew.
In order to audit the finances of the shin COM
nittee an auditing committee is elected at the same
meeting of the crew in the same manner connosad
OF three members and serving for the same period
as the ship committee. The auditing committee ev
amlnes the financial activity of the ship committee
at least once month"; and furnishes its report both
to the general ships meeting and to the leading or
gan Of the union.
The ship committee chooses its officers. consist
ing OF the chairman, secretary and treasurer
In order to cope with its tasks, the shin commit
Tee may organize subcommittee for labor pro-
lection and educational activity composed of 2 to
people each. Furthermore, on large sea vessels
and dredges owned by the state production COM
mlttee may also be organized having for its pur-
pose the discussion of problems relating to the best
organization of work aboard ship, and so on The
members of this committee are chosen bv the shin
committee from among its members and from among
the more active and efficient members of the crew
The production committee is an auxiliary organ
d the ship committee working under its guidance
The ship committee carries on its work during the
time That they are free from their regular duties
or board For any additional work upon the chin
committee, either all the members or those that are
most charged with work, getting a special com
pensation of from to % roubles per month ac-
cordng to the size of the crew.
The funds for the maintenance of the shin COM
mittee and for the conduct of cultural and educa-
tona activity are obtained from the ships admins
tration in the shape of contributions of from 1os
to $50 of the total wages paid to the crew. accord
ing to the terms stipulated in the collective agree
ment
In 1926 the Water Workers Union of the USSR
had 706 ship committees. which organized over 2,
600 subcommittee and attracted about 5000 people
into active work in the union.
In the capitalist countries the living conditions
Of the seamen are different from those prevailing
in the USSR. In those countries the trade unions
are hampered by the ship owners at every step in
the conduct of their work. But the seamen musc
insist on the formation of ship committees aboard
every ship. Only the ship committees will help them
to become organized, only under the existence of
the ship committees the seamen will be able to
build up the organization in the proper way and on
sound democratic principles.
On the other hand, none other than the ship COM
mttee look after the faithful observance of the
working agreements, the labor protection rules etc.
or the part of the administration
The organization of ship committees aboard the
Soviet ships should example for the sea-
of all countries to emulate