Evening star., 1935-09-13
.3O,oDOU.S. SEAMEN
TO Be GIVEN JObS
Aliens Will Be Replaced on
Mail Ships Under
Bland Act.

More than 80 900 porn or
fully naturalized sailors who in recent
years have been lolling jobless in
seamen's rests or subsisting on relief
rolls in dozens Of ports today were
assured berths on ships holding ocean,
mail subsidy contracts.
At the same time an equal number
Of alien seamen holding first citizen
ship papers. who have been crowding
American seamen out Of passage be-
cause of their willingness to accept a
lower pay scale, will be forced from
their jobs, u
This is brought about by the Bland
act, which goes into effect at mid
night. repeating. a 1918 immigration
law which designated holders Of first
papers-"the yellow tickets"-aS citi-
zens as far as workers aboard ship
are concerned. The 17-year-old law
was passed during the stress Of war,
when thousands Of sailors were needed
and not enough natives were avail
able.
Bona Eide Citizenship.
Hereafter 81 per cent Of all men,
bers of the crew in every department
of every subsidized vessel will have
to be bona fide citizens. All officers
now must meet this requirement.
The Commerce Department now Is
moving to bring the percentage to rs,
where it rested in 1928.
The new law. enacted June IS OF
this year to become effective in 80
days, affects the 282 mail-contract
ships crossing 100000 tons which
made one or more voyages during the
fiscal year 1884.
These ships were paid $29, $50, 900 Of
United States funds from the Treas
ury for carrying mail and in sub
sides.
Latest Bureau OF Navigation and
Steamboat Inspection figures place
the total number of sailors needed by
larger United States ships, whether
ocean going or Great Lakes, at l83,-
563, exclusive only of masters. The
10000 who will be put to work soon
is practically one-sixth OF this num-
Der, and no officers are included in
the 10000.
Late last year. in an exhaustive re-
port, the Interdepartmental Commit
tee on Shipping Policy, appointed by
the President to study needed changes
in our merchant marine program, rec
commended to Congress:
The committee feels that all Amer
lean companies should be manned as
far as possible by American crews"
Since 1924 Commerce Department
officials have sought the Bland act.
The legislation was given spur by
the Interdepartmental Committees
findings:
"It is believed that by manning our
ships with American citizens and by
licensing or issuing certificates to GER
tan classes Of the crew.a definite i'm
provement will be realized in discipline
and efficiency"
For years. according to the Com
merce Department, organizations have
made practice Of bringing alien sea-
men. with three years service aboard
foreign vessels, to this country, where
tAACy Obbd1l bAACAA AAA oO RaPCkS dAAo okllP
aboard United States boats.
Ships articles today are dappled
with these "3yc" men, who, accord
ing to the hackers of the legislation
contained in the Bland act, might be
o menace in time of war.
These holders Of the yellow tick
cts" could 60 on forever declaring
their intention to become United
States citizens without ever doing so,
according to C. w. Sanders, director
of the Sea Service Bureau of the
Shipping Board, who told the House
immigration Committee:
I'VE have thousands who take out
their declaration papers, their first
papers, and they stay here and they
become citizens within three years.
five years, seven years. If they do not
take further ones out in seven years,
they 60 before the court and after
10 minutes standing there, there is
issued to him another first paper and
they continue on for seven years
again.
There Is no doubt that some Of
them become citizens, but the ma
jority of them take out intention pa
pers purely in order to get an Amer
ican status"