Seafarers^Log Official Organ of the Seafarers International Union
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SEAFARERS^LOG OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE SEAFARERS INTERNATIONAL UNION . ATLANTIC, GULF, LAKES AND INLAND WATERS DISTRICT . AFL-CIO I INc* Tw* StAFAHERS LOG April *, 1965 Rap Foreign AttaekB On UJ, Ship Aid fof/cit Sea Unions Hit Bricks At U.N By Paul Holi Urging Strong U.S. Ship Poiicy The U. S. Department of Agriculture is once again demonstrating its unconcealed hostility toward the American-flag merchant fleet. De •NEW YORK—Seafarers took to the picket lines at the United Nations with other mem partment officials, under the direction of Agriculture Secretary Orville bers of the joint Maritime Labor Committee to voice their support for a strong U.S. merchant Freeman, continue to sing that tired old song that the use of U.S.-flag marine and to warn U.S. delegates to a 12-nation maritime parley against any weakening merchant ships is detrimental to the exipori of American farm products of our cargo preference and"*^ to Russia and other Communist countrie«. ship subsidy programs. Also Committee." continually seeking to undermine "The State Department insisted the position of the U.S. merchant The Agriculture Department's latest attenipt to reduce the role of participating in the demon this was never contemplated but marine, and regard every move to the U.S.-flag fleet to insignificance in the nation's commerce occurred stration were the ILA, NMU and we know different," Gleason said. improve the lot of the U.S. fleet as when its Undersecretary, Charles S. Murphy, testified before the the MEBA. U.S. government agencies—the a threat to themselves. International Finance Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency. Murphy's warmed-over testimony about the MA, Agriculture, Defense, State The countries represented at the The three-day meeting pick and Commerce Departments—have alleged harm resulting from the use of U.S.-manned vessels was a eted by maritime labor was called 12-nation meeting share between repeat performance of the views expressed by his boss, Secretary been chipping away at the founda them the largest merchant fleets in by the U.S. for the declared pur tions of 4he American merchant Freeman, who tried to sell this story to a group of cabinet officers and pose of explaining American ship the western world. They are Great marine over the years in order to Britain, Japan, France, Norway, others on March 23, 1964. ping policies to other western gain favor with foreign govern Netherlands, Sweden, West Ger The theme that Murphy and Freeman have been using is actually nations and convincing them that ments. Cargo preference laws have the policies were not aimed at giv many, Belgium, Greece and Den a repeat of the views of E. E. Kelm, the president of Cargill, Inc., who been continually Jeopardized in mark. Representatives of many of issued essentially the same opinions only four days before the Secretary ing the U.S. unfair advantages. this manner. IMaritime labor charged, however, the same nations met last month In of Agriculture made his exaggerated statement in 1964. Cargill is that U.S. officials would use the European countries which main Paris with Admiral Harllee and one of the nation's biggest grain trading companies which was involved meeting to grant more concessions tain large merchant fleets are also other American representatives. in the shipment of U.S. grain to the communists. The company stood to the foreign shippers at the ex to profit handsomely from its ability to turn to low-wage foreign-flag pense of our merchant marine. vessels in moving this grain. At the top of the agenda for The ridculous part about the arguments advanced by Secretary the meeting was the continuing Credentials Committees Act Freeman and his subordinates is that while they never miss an oppor controversy over the release of tunity to wail about the "high cost" of using American ships, these freight rate setting information by same officials run government programs which spend billions of dollars European and Japanese dominated On SfU Convention Nominees annually to support a small segment of our farm population. steamship conferences. American- flag companies have been trying to NEW YORK—The rank and file credentials committee of The $5 billion which Agriculture spends.each year for farm sub get the Maritime Administration sidies is over twelve times the amount spent for all the programs of the Seafarers International Union of North America, Atlantic, assistance to the U.S. merchant fleet including construction subsidides, to take a stronger stand regarding Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District, has reported on the disclosure of the information. operating subsidies and the cargo preference programs combined. The 8^00 million which American taxpayers ante up annually for the three Weakening Cargo Laws eligibility of nominees for^ delegate to the SIUNA con Inland Boatmen's Union and the separate subsidies which are paid on domestic cotton, are 10 times the But the unmentioned issues in United Industrial Workers were annual cost of our cargo preference program. We find it ironic that the meeting were the reported vention. The credentials com elected at special membership the subsidy dispensing Agriculture officials spend most of their time willingness of the U.S. delegates, mittee for the Atlantic and Gulf meetings held on March 29. The worrying about the cost of the cargo preference program. led by Maritime Commissioner Ad district have found that all nomi committees checked the qualifica Secretary Freeman and his officials have claimed that the depart miral John Harllee and a State nees for the position of convention tions of all nominees and certified ment has no intention of ignoring Congressional intent to insure a Department officer, to discuss delegate are qualified, and in ac they are eligible to run as conven strong, flourishing merchant marine for our nation. We would like tion delegates. weakening of U.S. cargo prefer cordance with the report of the to believe, these statements, but Agriculture officials don't give us a President, dated March 8, 1965, an ence laws. Those laws, though chance. Over and over again the department seems intent on dra weakly enforced, were designed to election will be held on April 19, The credentials committees of the IBU regions, and the UIW re matically illustrating its contempt for the U.S. merchant marine. The keep the U.S. fleet afloat in a sea 1965, in all AGLIWD ports to deter latest example of this thinly veiled antagonism was Under Secretary mine the convention delegates for gions referred to their Regional of cut-rate foreign competition. Murphy's testimony before the International Finance Subcommittee the district. Directors' reports of March 8 Because of protests from mari dealing with the SIU convention, which showed, all too well, the department's desire to downgrade the time labor, the government was The credential committees elect provided that: "In the event status of the U.S.-flag fleet. forced to shy away, publicly, at ed by the regions of the Inland the number of qualified nomi least, from any position compris Boatmen's Union, and the United nees is equal to, or does not U.S. maritime expects this brand of conduct from Agriculture ing our merchant marine. Industrial Workers reported that exceed the number of delegates to oflicials. We all remember how American ships and American seamen were short-changed when U.S. grain shipments were moving to Russia all nominees are qualifled and be elected to these conventions, ILA president Thomas W. Glea- last year. U.S. vessels got the bureaucratic cold shoulder even though son, chairman of the Maritime La shall be deemed elected, pursuant such nominees shall be deemed to to the reports filed, by their re be elected convention delegates." th late President Kennedy had issued a public statement that American bor Committee, said: "The united bottoms would be used to move the bulk of these cargoes. protest by the maritime unions spective regional directors. The reports of these regional di against the State Department plan The Twelfth Biennial Conven rectors, dated March 8, 1965, were Same Treatment Expected to discuss basic U.S. maritime pol tion of the SIUNA will start at mailed to the membership of the icy with foreign governments ap 10:00 AM, Wednesday, May 28 IBU and UIW regions on March 10, Unfortunately, it looks like the U.S. maritime industry is going to parently had an effect. We have thru June 1, 1965 at the Gramercy 1965. be faced with the same situation all over again when American farm received assurances from Secretary Inn, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue, AGLIWD Election products start moving to communist countries in the next few months. of Labor W. Willard Wirtz that N.W., Washington, D.C. A most blatant example of how the cargo preference statutes are The AGLIWD credentials com ignored came to light recently when the Department of Commerce U.S. representatives were under Elected Commltteca deflnite instructions not to discuss mittee, which was elected in approved an export license for the sale of 90,000 tons of soybeans to questions under review by the The credentials committees of New York port and headquarters Russia. Despite our determined attempt, not a single government President's Maritime Advisory the Atlantic and Gulf regions of the on March 29 has certified the official can give us any assurance that even a single ton of these soy names of 28 members as qualifled bean cargoes will be transported on an American ship. to run as convention delegates from the district. The qualifled The Union's list of particulars against the Agriculture Deprartment's nominees are: record in degrading the role of the U.S.