The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-11-14
SEAMEN ON OIL
TANKERS SLAVE
FOR sS5 MONTH
Like the DAILY" Are
Communists at Heart

LOo ANGELBo Thy MAIL - ne
following information was given by
young American seaman. Pat
King, who came back from Buenos
Aires, Argentine, three days ago.
King went down to Buenos Aires
on the w. g. Miller, West India Oil
Co. steamer, whose captain was G
A. Johnson. That was about three
months ago, the middle of the win
ter in that country. When he left
it was spring time.
Argentine is the greatest cattle
country in the world, King said
Meat, hides and even bones are
shipped from there all over the
world, including the United States.
No wonder that Wall Street bankers
are trying hard to get rid of all
German influence in that rich coun-
try.
Seamen Like Daily"
The conditions on said ship could
have been better, King declared. AL
though King admitted that he does
not know much about Communism,
he expressed the opinion that the
A. F. of L. Seamen's Union does not
amount to a great deal. II am in
favor of a union that would take in
ali the saamen in the world" he de.
clared--"and l think that most sea-
men are really Communists ct
heart" he continued.
"Have you ever seen the Daily
Worker on any ship?" he was
asked. EYES," he said, gin foreign
waters in the last few months"
"What do tn. seamen say about
it?' l wanted to know. "They like
it very much,' he said.
I. w. w. Has No Influence.
"Has the I. w. w. any influence
among seamen ?" was the next ques
ton. "No," he said. Members of
that organization do not GO on
ships" according to King, "thcv
like to keep their feet dry, on land
He also said that when an /. W. W.
occasionally hires out as seaman
Re generally takes the job for less
than the union scale, $3.50 per
month. King had also heard that
the 1. W. w. "sold out" during the
1921 seamen's strike. Being a
wobblie in the past myself, I am
slow t. believe such things. But
am giving the l. w. w. chance to
explain matters.
$40 A Month.
"seamen are getting $S5 pei
month in Argentine" he said, "com-
pared with S6250 on American
ships. Seamen's wages in the United
States are even as low as $40 8
month";" King said. The Dollar
Steamship Company of San Francis
co is using Chinese crews, paying
the men next to nothing, King de-
clared.
After staying II weeks in Buenos
Aires he had to leave the country,
King said, because he did not have
the necessary papers with him. He
as the required documents now
with his picture, fingerprints and
all on them. He was sent back to
San Pedro, Cal, as a passenger by
the U. S. consul in Buenos Aires
But it is next to impossible to get
a job on this coast now, King said
And last winter the Pacific coast
was the "worst place in the world
to obtain jobs for seamen, he de-
clared. What about it Mr.. Furu
seth of the A. F. of L.? King sale
that it is easier to get jobs in Ar.
gentine than it is in the United
States, especially if you know the
language,
Standard Breaks Agreement
King also was in China this year
Going up the Yangtze river on the
Standard oil tanker Acme, the Chi
nese fired upon the ship-because
somebody violated the regulations
and went into the war zone, King
stated. The crew signed up with 6
u. S. commissioner, and the under.
standing was that the snip woulC
not go into the war zone, he de-
clared. Some of the boys wanted
to start a suit against the U. S
shipping board, but others got ''cold
feet" King thinks he has goot
case against somebody, anyhow.
King slept in my room last night
Talked Communism. Had breakfast
together. Handed him 6 copies Of
the Daily Worker, and he went on {
cross country trip for New YorI
City. Promised to write to ant
visit the office of the "Daily" be.
fore he takes a ship back to Buenos
Aires, "the Pacific of the South"
L. P. RINDAL