MAY, 1939 No.5 he Master, Mate and Pilot Official Journal of tho National Organization of Madon, Mates and Pilots of Amorica. Published on thE; 15th of oach month of 810-16 Rhoda Island Avo.. N. E.• Washington, D. C. MAY, 1939 No.5 ISteamship Service Between Puget Sound fAnd Orient to Resume After Lapse of Year 'iU. S. Maritime Commission Signs Contract With Pacific Northwest Oriental Linc--Four · Cargo Vessels Assigned to This Routc--Employment for Several Hunill..ed 'UNITED STATES MARITIME COMMISSION itself to select its employes through a private agency ~ has announced that steamship service between or instrumentality or exclusively from the member­ dhe Puget Sound area and the Orient is scheduled ship of any organization whatsoever. To do so, it 1ito be resumed immediately under a contract which would be necessary to abandon the principle that 'ihas been signed between the Commission and the citizens applying to their government for employ­ ';.Pacific Northwest Oriental Line, Inc.; of Seattle, ment shall not be accepted or rejected on the grounds 'iWash. of membership or nonmembership in any organiza­ No service has existed on this essential trade tion. Citizens offering their services to the Federal irollte since the snmmer of 1938 when the American Government have never heen required to apply i:Mail Line suspended operations. Since that time, through any private agency or instrumentality. · the Commission has been unable to induce private Tbe Maritime Commission has and does employ ,:enterprise to undertake operations. members of unions upon such ships as it now The new service will offer sailings from Seattle operates. They constitute a very substantial ma­ ievery three weeks to ports in Japan, Cbina and the jority of the unlicensed men. These men, however, I' Philippine Islands. It may also call at other ports are drawn from the lists of eligibles maintained i:.in the Puget Sound and Pacific Canadian regions. by United States shipping commissioners. In ob­ I The service will operate under the trade name, taining its seagoing personnel through this agency I Pllget Sound Orient Line. of government, the Maritime Commission has never Establishment of this operation follows a series consciously permitted the master of a vessel to dis­ of conferences with a number of Seattle citizens criminate against men upon such lists on any basis · who organized the Pacific Northwest Oriental Line of membership or nonmembership in any organiza­ 'to serve as managing agent for the account of the tion. } Maritime Commission. The Commission, therefore, feels that it must The Commission has also had extended discus­ continue to recruit its seagoing personnel, both , sians with representatives of various West Coast licensed and unlicensed, from the shipping commis­ } maritime labor unions as to the Government's policy sioners' lists in the various home ports of the vessels , in respect to hiring seagoing personnel for this involved. There would seem to be no other course I operation. until the Congress shall specify otherwise. The new service will afford employment for sev­ For that reason, the seagoing personnel to be eral hundred people of whom approximately 170 employed On this new Seattle-Orient service is to constitute the crews of the four. cargo ships be drawn from the list maintained by the shipping which the Commission has assigned to this route. commissioner in the home port of those vessels, The representatives of the maritime labor groups namely, Seattle, Wash. conferring with the Commission requested that all The four cargo ships which have been assigned seagoing personnel, both licensed and unlicensed, to this service by the Maritime Commission are: which might be required by the Commission to man S.S. Capillo, 8,000 deadweight tons, 390 feet over­ these ships, be employed through "hiring halls" all, 54.2-foot beam, 27.8-foot depth; S.S. Coldbrook, maintained by West Coast labor organizations. 8,015 deadweight tons, 390 feet overall, 54.2-foot The Commission found it impossible to accede beam, 27.8-foot depth; S.S. Collingsworth, 8,015 to this request because it is of the opinion that nO deadweight tons, 390 feet overall, 54.2-foot beam, legal authority exists under which it could bind 27.8-foot depth; S.S. Satartia, 8,000 deadweight tons, 390 feet overall, 54.2-foot beam, 27.6-foot depth. The Work of NOMMP These vessels are oil burners constructed at Hog Island, Pa., in 1919 and 1920. Each will have a com­ By CAPT. A. E. OLIVER plement of 41 men and in addition each will have one deck and one engineer cadet, making a total of 43 President, Local No. 88 per ship. A labor union is regarded by many, as There are now under construction 10 C-S combi­ weapon with which to force employers nation cargo-passenger vessels which will be among the finest of their class afloat. Four of these ships accede to the demands of the employes. I upon completion will enter the Seattle-Orient trade reality it is a bringing together of those w in place of existing equipment. They are of approxi­ are employed in any particular industry mately 11,926 deadweight tons, 492 feet overall, determine proper and just rules to gove with a beam of 69.6 feet, depth of 42.6 feet and a hours of labor and the wages to be paid for speed of 16% knots per hour, which makes them that labor. .' substantially faster than the majority of our pres­ The result of that determination is gener~ ent merchant tonnage. They will have accommoda­ ally a cross section of the minds of all wha tions for from 68 to 100 passengers. have been thus brought together. In orde "Addition of these exceIIent ships to the West .that this result may be intelligently present Coast merchant fleet," Chairman Emory S. Land has said, "will greatly strengthen American ship­ to the employer, certain members are dele ping services on the Pacific." gated, by election, to confer with the employe The contract under which the four cargo ships and by bargain, arrive at an agreement. will serve on this route until completion of the new The ideal conference of course, is one he vessels, runs until March 31, 1941, with a 30-day tween the representatives of the employes wha cancellation clause. Should traffic warrant such ac­ have expert knowledge of the problems 0 tion, additional ships can he assigned to the route. their particular industry, and the actual em: In executing the contract the managing agent ployer. Where the employer is an individual, agreed that there would be strict compliance with this' is accomplished with little delay, bu the manning and wage scales promulgated by the where the employer is a corporation, the ac Commission and as on government lines operated tual work of negotiating is done by well under managing agent contracts, Commission rules and regulations are to be applicable to employment trained legal and technical experts. Thes on these vessels. legal gentlemen are not concerned with th No director, officer or employe of Pacific North­ needs of the employes because the reward fo west Orient Line, Inc., may receive total compen­ their efforts comes from the employer. sation for personal services in excess of $12,000 Our standard agreements are written in per year. plain language and are readily understood by Under the contract, the managing agent will every member of the craft because they are secure all trade and all traffic, victual and supply the honest expressions of our needs. the vessels for the account of the owner, the Mari­ time Commission. It will collect all monies and The representatives of the National Or­ account to the owner for such collections and dis­ ganization Masters, Mates and Pilots of bursements by it with the approval of the Maritime America who are delegated to negotiate agree· Commission. The managing agent will also arrange ments, try to have our standard agreement for repair and upkeep ,of the vessels and will main­ accepted by the different companies, but be­ tain accounts and make reports to the Commission cause of the different practices established in under regulations prescribed by the Commission. different trade zones, many amendments to In return for this, the Commission will pay to our standard agreements are necessary. the agent $10,000 or less monthly, as ,may be de­ In any struggle, physical or mental, blows termined by the Commission at the end of each of whatever character are exchanged, and in month during which voyages have been commenced the final analysis the number of points gained under the contract. determine victory, stalemate or defeat. Your representatives must go into these West Coast Gets Construction Contract conferences with the feeling that you, the Construction of two of its C"3 type cargo vessels, membership, are behind them, and whatever , at a bid price of $2,857,760 each (total $5,715,520) the result, you believe that every honest effort has been allocated to the Moore Dry Dock Company has been exerted for the common good. of Oakland, Calif., by the United States Maritime Commission. This is the first construction to go to the West Coast under the Maritime Commission's You m.ay have more than one news source, but program for rehabilitation of the American mer­ you ha.ve only ONE national organization to rep're­ chant marine. sent you,' interests. [ 2 J THE MASTER. MATE AND PILOT ~Evolution of Schooner and Barkentine, ~American Products, Traced From I 713 By JOHN LYMAN ~I'" TIS not generally realized that, like the schooner, was a favorite there for the larger vessels in the • the barkentine is an American invention.