r5- Vol. XXII No. 20 Decejnber SEAFARERS^LOG 1960 • i OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE SEAFARERS INTERNATIONAL UNION • ATLANTIC, GULF, LAKES AND INLAND WATERS DISTRICT . AFL-CIO W-^ I®- i-' m '»r MTD CONFERENCE If l(': 4 - SET UP ON LAKES .«r. 1^4— • Story On Page 3 - i • m I - .5^V.-0 I -jr-ft f • w - — - adian maritime unions are shown in Montreal headquarters of Canadian SIU during formation of Great Lakes Conference of MTD, Conference was set up to fight both US and Canadian runaway-flag opera­ tions. Meeting hit use of British fiag as refuge. (Story on Page 3.) nonaayHolfffflV Chg^g^rwneer. bad if,^ likebroken seafarer arm isn't Man­ so uel Rodriguez, you have USPHS nurse Ellen Yannon to give you a hand with Thanksgiving dinner. Rodriguez, who suffered injury aboard Beatrice, was further cheered, like all hospital patients by SIU gift of fruit. (Other photos on page 5.) C/I/A CAfn Examining SIU Safety •• iJflfjP# Award aboard Warrior 1% are^ (1 to r) Waterman Safety Director Earl Smith, Capt. E. Patronas, Ship's delegate Ami Bjornsson, Mobile Patrolman Robert Jordan. a-.6.^-• •i®'' . .-II'." ''I '•'S • ^ T'.' •- ^1^'' Vate Two SEAFARERS LOG Deeemlier, 19f<t '75-25' Proposed NY Port Council Meeting 41 US Ships M^y Get 4 Bigger Cargo Slice WASHINGTON—There are strong indications that th§ Government is going to give the American-flag shipping industry i belated boost through a brand new "Ship America" policy, including a 75-25 break on government cargo. The new program, if put into effect, would result in vastly-in-^ ~~ ' creased cargoes for American many vessels now under the run-.^ represent a reversal of the Admin­ ships and possibly the trans- away flags. istration's practice of encouraging fer back to the American flag of I The "Ship America" policy would the use of runaway-flag ships. It is being considered because of the unfavorable balance of payments 'Take As Directed' Situation which is causing US gold and dollars to leave the country in large quantities. Use of runaway- flag and foreign-flag shipping is one of the major factors in the loss of currency. (See feature on page 16). Regulations Under Scrutiny Anthony Scotto, ILA, chairs first formal meeting of MTD % New York council. Seated at dias (1. to f.) are: Field Rep­ Under-Secretary of Commerce John Allen, a former Congressman resentative Raymond "Chuck" Connors, ILA; Executive from California with a strong mari­ Secretary Joe Powell, OEIU, and Vice-President Jerry time background has already de­ Wurf, State, County and Municipal Employees. clared that officials are consider­ if' ing regulations which would give "an even break" to US-flag ships# It is believed that two procedures NY MTD Plans Action , are under consideration. The President by presidential difective, would order US Govern­ ment agencies to revise the "50-50" On Waterfront Beefs ? law upward so as to give US-flag ships as much as 75 percent of all The first formal meeting of the Maritime Port Council of Government-financed cargoes, The Greater NY Harbor adopted a constitution and set in motion law simply sets a floor of at least a program to assist member unions in their problems in, the 50 percent, but most of the agen­ cies involved, particularly the Portof New, York. Agriculture Department, have re­ In addition to adopting a President, Jerry Wurf, executive director. District 37, State, County garded the 50 percent figure as a constitution, the December 6 ceiling. The Department has been and Municipal Employees Union; meeting at the Hotel New Yorker openly hostile to the use of Amer­ Executive Secretary—Joe Powell, ican-flag shipping. agreed ^o extend the terms of the international organizer, Officie present interim officers for six Employees International tlriipn; To Woo Private Shippers months. This will enable organi­ Field Representative—Raymond ^ J, Other executive action would "Chuck" Connors, ILA Local 79i, be taken to make it more attractive zations who affiliate with the coun­ cil subsequently or who were up- Prize-winning LOG cartoon which appeared for private shippers to serid their cargo abroad on US ve^els. able to attend the first formal December 19, 1959, issue is shown above. meeting to participate in the elec­ ii Rep. Thor Tollefson, the ranking Republican member of the- House tion of officers. Merchant Marine Committee, has Hits Waterfront Communism i: LOG Cartoon Wins already called on President Eisen­ An immediate situation which hower to give as much as 80 to 90 the port council will deal with is percent of Government-financed the plan for a protest against the Labor Press Prize cargoes to US ships. He also sug­ Bi-State Waterfront Commission's gests that the next Congress set a iron-clad control over the laveU- DETROIT—The SIU has won its 26th labor press award fixed percentage quota for private hood of members of the Inter­ in the last 14 ygears and its 12th in the last four years since cargoes to be carried on American national Longshoremen's Associa­ the'merger of the AFL-CIO. The 1960 International Labor ships. tion. The delegates agreed that a Press contest chose a SEA--* Foreign nations have earned ap­ mass meeting be held under the FARERS LOG cartoon out of and other standard drugstore proximately $1 billion for carrying auspices of the port council to 21 entries as the best in the items. US cargo and passengers in 1959, protest the commission's power to Labor Press field. Each of the 21 In all, there were .five categories a good deal of which could «'be license longshoremen for work on entries was permitted to submit in which the LOG' enterfed iaiong saved by the "Ship America" the piers. policy. up to five samples. with publications of international The meeting will be set up at The award-winning cartoon was unions. While it is the publication Fojr background story on dollar the convenience of the longshore drawn by LOG staff Art Editor (Continued pn^ page 7) drain see feature on page 17. union, probably in Madison Square Bernard Seaman. Entitled "Take Garden. As Directed," it dealt with the The port .council meeting drew problem of excessive prescription wide representation from unions in ILA President William drug prices and pointed out that the New York area. Attending sick patients had no alternative but INDEX Bradley discusses the Wa­ to pay the exorbitant tariffs were some 120 delegates represent­ terfront Commission at charged by the self-styled "ethical" To Departments ing 25 international unions whose NY MTD meeting. Group drug manufacturing concerns. members are employed in various The SIU Inland Boatmait The SIU industrial Worker phases of maritime activity. Among agreed to organize a pro­ In choosing the LOG caption, —Pages 8, 9 —Page 25 test meeting. the judges from the faculty of the those present was John Strong, University of Michigan Department president of Teamsters Local 807, of Journalism made the following SIU Social Security Dep't SIU Siofefy Department New York, the largest general SEAFARERS LOG comment; "Professional craftsman­ —Page 13 • —Page 7 trucking union in the metropolitan ship in drawing; an effective cap­ area and one which handles the Dec., 1960 VoL XXII, No. 20 tion; a subject of wide interest arid SIU Medical Deportment bulk of waterfront trucking. Strong concern." The Pacific Coast Seafarer —Page 19 participated as an observer since f Seaman's- LOG cartoons have —Pages 22, 23 the Teamsters are not affiliated won seven citations, including two with the AFL-CIO. ' SIU Food. Ship Sanitation PAUI, HALL, President first prizes, in the last 14 years. Group Receives Union Support The cartoon had originally been The Great Lakes Seafarer Dep't • —Page 20 HERBERT BRAND, Editor. BERNARD SEA­ proiripted by the outcome of Ke- —Pages 10, 11 • Messages of support were also MAN, Art Editor. HERMAN ARTHUR, read at the meeting from the struc­ AL MASKIN, QIIAHLES BEAUMET, ALBERT r fauver committee hearings irito • AMATEAU, JOHN BRAzy,, Staff Writers, excessive pricing by the drug in­ Editorial Cartoon —Page 15 tural ironworkers union, as well as • from the'Metal Trades Department, dustry. Subsequently the SIU and The Fisherman and Putillsheo RioniTily ar ma htadquarlars 12 other New York unions com­ Cannery Worker A&G Deep Seo Shipping which is directing its affiliates to of fha Seafarers International Union. At­ participate in the council. lantic Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters bined to set up the Medstore plam; —Page 18 Report -r-Pw6 District) AFL-CIO, 47S Fourth Avenue, The interim Officers, who will Brooklyn 32, NY. Tel. HYscinth The Medstore \vill consfcst of a Second class postage paid at thd Post chain of non-profit retail drug­ ,• Ooirtinue to serve on the port body, Office in Brooklyn, NY, under thg Act stores (Which will supply Union The Canadian Seafarer . Shipboard News for another six iripnths are: Presi­ of Aug. 24, 1912. members and their farniUes- ivith . —Page 21 ; —Pages 27, 28,89, 30 dent—Anthony Scotto, organizing low-cp^t prfe^pciptiott medjcinea djrect(^:;L9ML -Vice- • -i. - is December, IflM SEAFARERS LOG Pace Three » ii r- • Set Up Regional MTD On Lakes (': I'' Conference Will Combat US, Canadian Runaways V c* MONTREAL—A coordinated attack on runaway shipping on both sides of the US-Canadian border is in the making as the result of the establishment of a Great II'" Lakes Conference of the Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO. The establish­ I .• ment of the conference, of which SIUNA Vice- Canadian coastal waters. The con­ The conference agreed to press ference made it clear that it in­ for legislation to promote both President Hal Banks was cluded in its definition of runaway- Canadian-flag and American - flag named chairman, first of its flag shipping not only the conven­ shipping, while going on record kind within the MTD, took tional runaway flags of Panama, "as condemning the use of the place at a meeting of Ameri Liberia and Honduras, but also the flags of Great Britain and the Ba­ can and Canadian maritime practice of Canadian ship operators hamas as a cover for runaway ves­ unions at the headquarters of in registering Canadian-owned ves­ sels and to further document in­ sels under the flags of Great Brit­ the SIU Canadian District stances of this and call them to the here on November 22.