The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-11-06
Liberal Viewpoint
by DIR HARRY ELMER BARNES

THE Moro Castle case now is at the parting
Of the ways. We may learn the lesson that
it holds and take steps to prevent another like
disaster. Or We may let it drift into oblivion
until it is recalled in the historical introduction
to another news account of similar holocaust.
Hence, one may turn with profit to an article
on The Lesson Of the Moro Castle" by William
McFee in The Forum" This is a very sensible
and penetrating analysis Of the whole situation,
devoid of indignant desire to saddle the blame
on any individual or company. He well sum-
marizes the usual course of such tragic event.
However widely recent sea disasters may
have varied in detail, the attitude Of the public
has remained stable, and can be predicted with
reasonable accuracy
There is a first period of emotional hysteria
organized and intensified by expert newspaper
and camera men. This is followed by wage of
ignorant indignation, during which various po-
litical personages, selling the chance to make
the front page, go OF at half cock, blame the
foreigner line or the native reds and introduce
legislation that would have the effect Of keeping
practically every vessel off the sea.
The third period begins when another news
story pushes the disaster from the front page,
and it ends in complete forgetfulneSS-until an
other ship goes down or burns up"
But the public is not primarily to blame. The
ship owners come in for their major share of
responsibility. During the last fifteen years
water transportation has been subordinated to
the profit motive to a degree unmatched before
"A large number of men who had no tradition
of ship owning behind them entered the ship
ping business and they have bedeviled ship
owning ever since"
MYTH this background the making of money
w has been put first. Little consideration
has been given to insuring working conditions
which would produce crew alert and charged
with professional interest and devotion.
Nothing will be of any avail unless the
continual shoulder of discomfort, among the
officers and men, with conditions of work at sea,
is quenched by concessions that will send them
out keen on their work.
IF shpowner can not make money without
sweating the men who have the lives of passen-
gers and millions Of dollars of ship and cargo in
their care, he had better go out of business"
When the crisis comes the shipowner de-
mands type of behavior from the crew which
he has done everything to discourage and is the
opposite of what he himself displays: What the
shipowner demands, in a moment of crisis is
that his employees display the courage of ancient
knights, while he himself hides behind a squad
of high priced lawyers.
"If the shpowner showed as great lavish
ness with his money before the crisis, in the way
of inSuring better hours and wages for the crew,
as he does in paying large legal defense fees
",
plished to avert sea disasters.
THE passengers can not be freed from a real
share in the responsibility for such disasters
as that of the burning of the Moro Castle They
insist upon a speed and luxury which sacrifices
safety at many points.
The passenger insists upon getting to his
destination at a faster and faster rate of speed
and in a luxury and spendor beyond anything
the degenerate Roman emperorS ever conceived.
The passenger is the first to utter loud cries at
the slightest delay. He must be housed and
fed as he never dreams of housing and feeding
himself ashore and he must have the speed of
an express train.
LIE must have penthouses and solariums,
l. Il swimming pools and night clubs, orches-
tras, gardens and gymnaSiums. He must have
elevators to save him exercise and deck games
and horseback riding electric horse to
give him exercise. He must have toys given him
when he eats, to distract him like a child. The
trash, most of it inf1ammable, which is carried
for one captains dinner would fill box carr
This conditioning to luxurious. ease makes
passengers reSentful over any inconvenience
afforded by fire drills and other precautions for
their safety. They do not even wish to be re-
minded of the position of the life-beltS or life
boats. They never must have moment to think
of possible peril. Time enough when the ship
is going down to have the orchestra play Nearer
My God to Thee"
If we wish safety at sea, we must be willing
to pay the price in decent wages and treatment
of seamen, in safety drills that may interrupt
for a few minutes a cocktail party or bridge
game and in the enforcement of inquiry from
inspection. This latter farce literally allows
the defendant to become the judge of his own
de1innIencieS