Evening star., 1936-04-09
SABOTAGE ENTERS
SEA SAFETY ROW
Widening Dissension on
Problem Breaks Out on
Three Fronts.

After months of talk, the question
of safety at sea, brought to the fore
By the Moro Castle disaster as a
problem of ship construction and ade-
uuate life saving devices, but lately
turned into an inquiry Of the danger
of maritime labor difficulties, today
became a disputed issue on three
fronts.
Principals in the debate on extent
of alleged sabotage by disgruntled
crew members are the captain of a
round the world liner, Secretary of
Commerce Roper, Senator Copeland,
Democrat, of New York Director JOS
eph B. Weaver of the Bureau of Navi-
cation and Steamboat Inspection and
Howard S. Cullman, vice chairman of
the National Committee on Safety at
Sea.
The rapidly widening diSsenSion
over the problem of employer -employe
relationships at sea today showed
these developments during the last "a
hours
l. Cullman wrote Copeland, author
OF a safety bill:
"A really searching inquiry will un-
doubtedly bring to light the leasons
why the maritime industry has lag
ged so far behind other Industries in
its treatment of personnel.
Responsibility on Committee.
"No effort apparently has been
made to study the human equation in
safety at sea. The responsibility rests
with the Senate Committee on Com
merce. of which you are chairman"
2. Copeland replied to Cullman that
he and his committee we're going
into the matter more extensively than
you could do"
g. Roper told reporters he had some
"hazy" reports of sabotage which pre-
sented no problem "out of the ordi-
nary"
4. Weaver, responsible to Roper,
later told his chief he had prepared
a list of 300 instances of insubordi-
nation aboard American ships and
that 200 more cases we're at hand.
Refuse to Obey.
Some of the reports understood to
have come to Weaver's attention in
volve alleged refusal of sailors to obey
orders both in and out of port. In
some cases, sailors were said to have
refused to take lifeboat drills; in an
other they would not sail without a
fireman who was supposed to be in
Jail in the port.
Roper emphasized that American
ships are absolutely safe" and that
any "dereliction of any type is fully
under control"
Il am for the safety-at-sea legis
lation and for an adequate American
merchant marine, adequately manned
by Americans properly trained, dis
ciplined and controlled" Roper said.
5. In New York. Capt. Gregory
Cullen of the Dollar Line S. S. Gar
field denied any insubordination
brought about by dropping four men,
bers of the crew of his ship in Eu-
rope. The dismissals had come to the
attention of the Commerce Depart
n1ent.
Capt Cullen exploded colorfully at
Interviews given out by his passen-
gers over laziness of the stewards and
INSTRUMENTATION of the seamen. The
four men were put ashore at Genoa
and Marseille as a means of settling
disturbances which included the beat
ing of three. sailors while the ship
was at Naples and four-hour strike
on the dock at Genoa in protest
against the detention of two men in
the ships brig.
That's good crew." the skipper
declared as the ship docked in Jersey
City after its cruise around the world
I'D sail again with that crew. The
only men we are dropping here in
New York are some walters, and
that's just for incompetence. They
pour soup down your back"