­ • • J/l­J'­ittvi'­'­ :'''­S,T^'S:;%;)®^!?SgS3^^ ''. • • • .# VOL. XIV No. 4 \. LOG OFI^ICIAL ORGAN OF THE SEAFARERS INTERNATIONAL UNION • ATLANTIC AND GULF DISTRICT • AFl • "111 • ^IS • ^1 m • vi; I _!>­a 'i''^­1 a^spife '• 'v­;'­'' ; A F A R E R S :L Erlday, Febnuujt 22, 195t^ First JEntries Arrive^ Art Contest Rolling First entries have already arrived in the LOG office as Seafarets start submitting bids for prizes in the Union's first art contest. Prizes will be distributed in four categories— oils, ^atercolors, drawings­* ^ —— arid miscellaneous—^with the test, SIU Secretary­Treasurer Paul deadline for entries se£ at MaJ' Hall declared: "We know we have 10, 1952. a lot of talented fellows sailing Aside from conventional paint­ our ships. Now's the time for them ing, drawing and sculpture, entries to strut their stuff. We can show involving any type of decorative or that Seafarers have a lot more on handicraft work will be welcome, the ball than some people give They could include such items as them credit for." ships' models, wood carvings, dec­ Contestants can submit as many orative work in copper, leather or entries as they want in any one,, or other materials, clay modeling, all, of the four categories involved. weaving and similar hobbies which Entries should be mailed in to Art Seafarers might pursue. As long C^ontest, c/o SEAFARERS LOG, as the work is original and cre­ 675 4th Avenue, Brooklyn. Use reg­ ative, and shows, skill and work­ istered mail wherever possible to manship it will be eligible imder make sure that your entry doesn't the miscellaneous heading. go astray« It's also important to Gladly quitting their ship after requesting payoff rather than cross a legitimate dockers' picketline, Urging participation in the con­ identify your entry on the work SIU crewmembers of the cruise ship Puerto Rico leave the ship, with their gedr in San Juan. itself by putting your name on the back or bottom whatever the case may be. All pntries will be well taken care of and returned to the' owners. ' PR's Crew A Hit Judges of the contest will in­ clude the art editor of^the LOO plus other professionals in the field. All entries will be exhibited In Longshore Win in headquarters for a week follow­ ing the conclusion of the contest! Aided by the deteriqination of Seafarers not to cross their lines, Puerto Rican AFL longshoremen have returned to N, work with a sizeable pay increase, thereby enabling paralyzed operation of the SlU­con­­* tracted Bull Lines to resume their conditions. The walkout was SIU Votes $ through the port. endorsed b:/ the SIU as a legiti­ , The 25­day longshore beef mate economic strike for wages; , slowed harbor activity" to a walk as Negotiations dragged for almost the workers, affiliated with the a month until the final settlement In Tidewater ILA on the mainland, struck , for which sent the men back on the the second time in less than two job with an 18­cent­an­hour pay months in an effort to improve boost for the current year. A retro­ active pay accord was also reached, Union Strike in addition to liberalized shift dif­ ferentials. Stretching out the hand of Maritime labor officials who helped obtain dockers' accord in friendship to a former "cap­ Docking Mn San Juan with the Puerto Rico included: (from L.R.), Packy Connally, ILA v­p; Whiter SIU School strike already on, Seafarers on the tive" independent union, Sea­ Mason, AFL rep; Eddie Mooney, SIU rep; trear), Sal CoUs, SIU "hard­luck" , cruise ship Puerto farers at a headquarters branch ­• Rico quickly made their feelings rep and Maritime Trades president; E. G. Merino, ILA District meeting February 13 voted $600 known in the situation, by immedi­ Council president, and G. Ortiz, San Juan ILA president. cash aid to the striking Tidewater Busy As 5th Oil Employees Association in their ately voting afa shipboard meeting battle against the giant oil con­ to set things in motion for ^ pay­ cern. off­the next day. The aggressively union­minded crewmembers on the NMU Has More Woe Once happily married to manage­ Class Forms ment during the several years of Bull Lines cruise liner chose leav­, its existence at the Tidewater As­ The Seafarers deck training ing the ship rather than push school continues to function sociated oil refinery and tank through a legitimate ILA picket Cuts Crew Services farm.at Bavonhe, N. J., some 2,000 as a source of trained AB's for barrier. US ships with four classes grad­ "Having belatedly caught up on the inequities of its contract, workers finally bristled at com­ Touch and Go pany antics seven weeks ago and uated. Class No. 5 gets underway The Puerto Rico has been dogged the National, Maritime Union Is now turning its attention to at headquarters Monday, February voted to quit their jobs. by a streak of ^ bad breaks which, lother long­standing sbre­spots which it has heretofore neg­ The breaking point in the cosy 25. canceled four out of five scheduled lected. Included among them** arrangement came when company The fourth class, largest group sailings last fall since she was dry­ negotiators refused to budge in thus far to qualify, took lifeboat are the problem of the stew­ number of patrolmen and their docked for repairs October 8. visits to ships in transit. the talks which had dragged oh examinations early last week and Following the inking of the new ard, union hall facilities and sat for their written and practical ' At the same time the newspaper since last September 9 when the agreement, the vessel finally un­ others. previous contract expired. The re­ AH exam'on Wednesday, February loaded cargo laying in her holds revealed that stewards have been finery employees had been on the 20. since she arrived in port early in At the same time, ^NMU Presi­ neglected by the Union, in negotia­ job since then without a working CandMates for the Mcket sent February and sailed for Trujillo dent Curran, in the last issue of tions and "thete is­a conviction agreement. ­ ,up oy the SIU have thus far shown City, Dominican Republic, a regu­ that union's newspaper, announced that justice needs to be done." (Continued on page, 15) Action by the SIU in voting to larly scheduled stop on her cruise that the NMU­is going to curtail while stewards are mem^bers of lend an assist to the strikers came run. She is expected back in New its services to the membership still the NMU, under their contract the after an appeal to SIU Secretary­ York Monday. further, by cutting down on the companies are given wide latitude Treasurer Paul Hall by officials of SEAFARERS LOG in selection of the steward. This the independent union, which he keeps the steward under the Feb. 22. 1952 Vol. XIV, No. 4 presented for approval to the mem­ " thumb of .the company to a great bership. As I See It Page 11 degree, with consequent neglect of By Sea and Air that department and detrimental Crossword PuSzle Page 10 Lose Your Papers Again? The strike at the Garden State effects on feeding. ^The NMU. is Did You Know Page 16 now turning its attention .to defi­ refinery has been highlighted by Editorial Page 11 ciencies in its contract for stew­ picketing and strikebreaking by Inquiring Seafarer..... Page 10 ards and cooks, in an attempt to sea and air. CG May Refuse Duplicate Located right off the Jersey In The Wake Page 10 give, these men long­overdue ad­ justments. shore across from Brooklyn, the Letters Page 19 Seafarers who lose, their validated papers too often may refinery and tank farm provides Letter Of The Week... Page 11 find themselves in hot water with the Coast Guard under its Halls Need Overhaul the production and storage facili­ Maritime Page 20 latest, policy. The Coast Guard is clamping down on such Curran also admits in his col­ ties for petroleum products dis­ umn that the NMU's halls through­ Meet The Seafarer.... Page 10 men in the belief that some of tributed throughout the eastern the lost documents may be a thorough investigation as to his out the country are badly in need seaboard area. Personals " Page 15 falling into the hands of un­ reliability. of overhauling and "that some new At a time when 200 supervisory, Ships' Minutes Page 23 authorized persons. The law permits the Coast buildings might be erected." He employees were manning the plant, Ten Years Ago......... Page^ 10 ­ Guard to deny a duplicate set of blames the inability to proceed a helicopter had been used : to Can Deny Duplicates . Top Of The News..... Page i papers to a seaman, even though on these improvements on the drop food for them inside com­ A Seafarer can save himself a they have issued them in the first grounds that Union members re­ pany grounds, weather permitting. Washifigtom News Page 4 considerable amount of ^trouble by place. 1­ fused to vote a $1 a month duos When, early in the strike, hazy Vacation, Welfare taking' good care ol his papers. The Union can do very little un­ increase in p. recent ref^endum. A skies barred the airborne feeding Benefits Pages 20,21,22 Should he lose then) once or twice, der these circumstances for the simple m^ority of those voting mission, pickets took advantag*e of the Coast Guard will issue dupli­ Published biweekly at the headquarter* men involved. Seafarers are was needed, but the NMU mein­ the occasion by manning a boat to of the Seafarers International Union, At­ cates without too much trouble.