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eration as far as worked out in 1901, have examined. these in the light of intervening experience and the evils which compelled the declaration and resolutions of April 9, recognizing that the association: has no management of ships and is not the employer of crews, but has, as one of its objects, "to establish and maintain ship-. ping offices for the convenient securing of seamen for the ves- sels on the great lakes, their connecting and tributary waters, * * *- to establish and maine tain, by contract or otherwise, such amicable relations between employers and employed as _ will avoid the pubiic injury that would result from lockouts or striies in the lake carrying service; to pro- vide for the prompt and amicable adjustment of. matters affecting shipping and the interests of ves- sel owners of the great lakes." Pursuant to the duty and author- ity put upon it by the members, and more recently by the board of direct- ors, yaur committee has concluded to adopt and put in practical form the plan in contemplation in 1901 for the betterment of conditions, uplifting and dignifying the service, better protec- tion. of life and property afloat, with a reasonable and pruper consideration for the employes and their designated beneficiaries, to the end that a care- ful and sufficient test be made of our own plan, and as the same shall de- velop through experience. This we make available to every officer and man without regard to membership or affiliation with any union or asso- ciation, industrial, religious or philan- thropic, based alone on competency for reasonable performance of duty, and without expense except for the use and privileges of the assembly rooms and their conveniences, which we have put at the nominal sum of 8 1/3 cents per month to seamen and a somewhat higher charge to officers, this being also with a feeling that the fact of paying something dignifies the position of the seamen in their use. With this will go certificates of as- certained fitness, record of service as evidence and credential to him, and then having regard to the numerous cases where accidental death in the employment and the loss of effect and the expense of return have involved unnecessary delays, complication and hardship, we provide independent of all questions of fault or liability of the owners or of any one in reason- able manner to meet such exigent ex- penses at the charge of the associa- tion without cost to the employe. Appreciating that in the progress of working out our plan some changes TAE MaARINE REVIEW will probably be necessary, as, for ex- ample, the development of the assem- bly or club rooms will be carried out as fully as warranted, and pos- sibly an additional charge may be jus- tified, and it is hoped that a plan for sailors' home and_ institute may be put into operation under the auspices or with the co-operation of the Lake Carriers' Association, we now report that we have adopted the following plan, co-operation in which is asked on the part of the members of the association and the officers of the ships in their employment and dealing with officers and,seamen: -- 1 ASSEMBLY ROOMS, These shall be established in such principal ports on the lakes as the special committee, acting responsible to the executive committee, shall from time to time decide. These rooms 'shall be clean, bright and attractive. with good sanitary provisions, and furnished with current newspapers, magazines and, as they may be se- cured, with libraries. They will be provided with writing materials, as- sistance in the writing of letters, reli-- able places of address for letters, and have similar conveniences. For the privilege of their use, under reason- able rules for proper use, the charge shall be at the rate of $1 per year to seamen and a somewhat larger charge to officers, available to all officers and seamen who have the certificate of recommendation as such from the as- sociation; and the revocation of such certificate shall debar further use of the assembly rooms under the certifi- Cate: iT, CERTIFICATES OR CARDS.. Any officer or seaman applying for a certificate or recommendation of the Lake Carriers' Association must declare himself willing and pledge him- self to discharge his lawful duties on towards the ship on which employed, regardless of membership or affilia- tion on his own part or that of any other member of the officers and crew with any union or association of any kind; and these certificates once given. must be revocable in the discretion of the association upon such information as it shall have received and requiring that its consideration and decision of the matter shall be exclusive and final. PB ISSUING CERTIFICATES. In putting the system in operation, certificates of competency will be granted as a matter of course to hold- ers of government licenses according 25 to the grade of the license. - There will then be two other grades of cer- tificate, to able-bodied seamen and to ordinary seamen. 3 The regular certificate below li- censed officer will be issued in the first instance and until record in dis- charge book can be presented, to any seaman upon his own representation as tO previous service, supported by such information as the issuing officer can obtain, preferably the recommen- dation of at least one licensed officer, and conditioned on the pledge of the applicant that 'his representations are. true and that he will faithfully per- form all lawful duties without refer- ence to membership or affiliation of himself or other members of officers and crew in any union or association whatsoever, with the discretion and authority in the association to revoke its: certificate of recommendation on such information as shall come to it: IV. RECORD DISCHARGE BOOKS, To insure reliability, the certificate will be limited to one year so asto cover a season of navigation. At the time of isstiing the certificate, except as to masters and chief engineers, the association record discharge 'book, bearing the same number as the cer- tificate, will be put in the hands 'of the holder, to ibe deposited. by him at. the time of signing articles with the master or the chief engineer, accord- ing to the départment of service. In this book such executive officer will at the termination of the service on the ship enter a discharge, and in the appropriate column a statement of the character of service. If this entry be "sood" or "fair," the book~ shall bé returned direct to the man, but when in the best judgment of the officer: with whom the book is deposited, such entry cannot justly be made,- and in every case of desertion or fail- ure to.serve after engaging, the book shall be returned by the master to the sectetary of the association,' to- gether with a statement of explana+ tion from the officer with whom the book was deposited. The association: will thereupon take such action and in such manner as it may deem wise and just as to canceling its outstand- ing certificate. or a ue V. DEATH EXPENSE RELIEF. es The association realizes the diffi- culties which have come in caSes of accidental death, to families, relatives and friends from the absence of some immediate provision for expenses, as eee one oot Tees cer eee a) eis SAUDE So eee ela