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: 4 : =a APATITE TT A AAA | iy al ‘A = ) MUU AAA IHINNVTINNVNVQUVUIEIIUIUITL (| | : lll | ) | 1 AG ( i iM | JANATA VOL. 46 CLEVELAND MARCH, 1916 NEW YORK No. 3 no Are the Short Sports Now? A Presentation of Several Entertaining Facts Regarding the En- forcement of the Seamen's Act on the Great Lakes and Elsewhere NE of the most significant features of the recent From the foregoing the attitude of the Lake Car- meeting of the Lake Carriers’ Association at riers’ Association should not be misunderstood. The Detroit was the reaffirmation of the associa- association fought the bill consistently before its tion’s attitude toward the Seamen’s law. This great passage and has gone on record as opposed to many body of leading American ship owners has put itself of its provisions. Many individual members of the on record as intending to obey the law to the letter. association are using every legitimate means in their What is more to the point, recent months have proved power to secure extensive modifications or the com- that the Lake Carriers mean business. The law has’ plete repeal of the act as it stands. The official actually been obeyed; its provisions have been and opinion of the association is recorded as follows in will be enforced to the letter, regardless of the incon- the annual report: venience and heavy expense such action may cause. “It is so confusing a. measure that the practical : The Lake Carriers have even gone further and have thing to do would be to exempt the lakes from its extended valuable assistance to the government officers provisions altogether . . . .” | charged with enforcing certain provisions of the law, : particularly those relating to the certification of able seamen. : There has been no evasion and William C. Redfield, secretary of commerce, has publicly commended the Lake Carriers’ Association for its patriotic stand. Where the Shae Pinches Nevertheless, as long as the law stands on the statute books the Lake Carriers’ Association proposes to see that it is rigidly enforced on the vessels of its members. : Lake Carriers Mean Business oe ‘ Now for the other side of the story. It is notorious that this law was prepared by and enacted for the uunion labor interests of the United Staies; it was fashioned particularly according to the dictates of the International Seamen’s Union, represented by its en- terprising president, Andrew Furuseth. The law as enacted—at the behest of union labor— contains certain provisions covering the physical qualifications of able seamen. Unfortunately the en- forcement of these physical requirements has operated to deprive a goodly number of first-class union sailors At their recent annual meeting the Lake Carriers reaffirmed their position as outlined above in the fol- lowing language, quoting from the annual report for 1915: - “Your directors met on Sept. 29, last, to consider the bill in all its phases and it was decided to accept it as it stood and put it into effect insofar as it was possible to do so. The bill was accordingly codified, all the sections affecting the Lakes being assembled in a small pamphlet and every ee supplied with a copy of it. . . . The following comment ee. was ads in the pamphlet: ‘The proper and only of their jobs. course is for each master to use every endeavor to The gentlemen so affected are peeved. They have carry out all the provisions of the law, both in letter registered vigorous kicks at the home office of the and spirit, in accordance with the letter of Secretary seamen's union. The officers of this institution, re- Redfield. If a master has uncertainty or difficulty CclviINg the kicks, bestirred themselves and began to through the absence of regulations or otherwise, or §!Ve Out Interviews, pull wires and protest against too there comes up actual inability to comply in any harsh an enforcement of the physical qualifications respect, he should report directly to the first board of the law. They are still Protesang. of local inspectors that he can reach . . . and But after all, the heart of mankind goes out to the obtain their advice and assistance . . .” dead game sport. 87