The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1939-03-09

But if you don't care, there's al
ways some shipping to be done"
There are good and bad point
| to travel, especially If you happel
to be an American. 1t puts con
fidence in young fellows, he said
You're afraid to go away at first
but after a while, you know wha
you're doing no matter where you
are"
But being an American traveller
inks him no end. People every
where think our pockets are linee
with gold" There are two price!
in all the ports. One is for tn.
American who has money and viii
spend it, according to the popular
theory. Basis for prices from Adj.
Ababba to Shanghai is on the New
York base. You can argue thai
you're not in New York and against
the unfairness Of two prices, but
they just shrug, and it does nc
good" he said. The first thing
to do when buying anything abroad
is cut the price they quote you right
in two"
A smart seaman knows where tc
get his money changed. In Alex,
andria, Egypt money changers were
giving 81 Ira for an American dol.
lar. In Italy that would have
brought II. So seamen plan ahead
the amount to be spent in Italy
and get the exchange in Alexandria
The difference is that nations are
afraid of such fluctuating currency
as Italys. Money changers will
do anything to get the American
dollar or the English pound" he
said.
In the spring of 1887, Virgil was
in San Francisco, jobless. A mari
time strike, that had tied shipping
for weeks, had just ended. The
union had gained its recognition.
Virgil joined the union because 100
idle ships had not enough man
power to move them out of the
docks. That was his undramatic
entrance to the sea. II often wish
ed since then that fellows from
Sank Centre might have been
there"
So he launched into a bit of un-
ion evangelism. Briefly maritime
now affiliated with the
American Federation Of Labor be-
cause seamen frankly don't like the
"Communistic element" in the CLIO,
has accomplished: a raise from 35
to u dollars monthly; an eight
hour day instead of twelve; a rotary
system of employment.
They in turn have cured a num-
Der of ills. The rotary system,
which dates every union man when
he returns from shipping, has elm
mated the running from dock to
dock and buying jobs with a five
or a ten, he said. When Virgil gets
back, he'll have his card dated.
Then when calls for men come in,
he'll apply. If the date on his card
is oldest, he ships. That's as SIM
pie as it is now.
Because of better conditions
there's a better class of men going
to sea today. The foreign cheap
labor has been scuttled in the pro-
union era, is now replaced by Amer
lean seamen. There are plenty of
men among seamen to-
day." Virgil said. 1.-The American
marine should be manned
by Americans"
Seamen see things tourists never
touch. They go to the native quar-
tiers where, in Alexandria, there is
no policing. They hit the dives to
get the local color along the water
front where a man can't go alone
because there's always someone
ready to roll YOU" Virgil likes
to walk the docks, talk with these
destitute characters. One day at
And and Broadway he stopped and
talked to a ragged bum. On the
docks, are some pretty decent fel-
lows who just never had chance,
he said.
And for the home town, Sank
Centre, This is as nice little city
for one of it's size that I've ever
SEEN" And he's seen a few from
Port Said to the Orient.
He wasn't going to stay home
long. He's heading back to Frisco,
but because the basketball team
won against Melrose, he may re-
main this week. He wants to get
that date on his Garland wait for
a ship to the Latin American con-
tinent in the south Pacific. Aus