Media
Issue Date
1941-06-06
Volume
3
Issue Number
11
Plaintext
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iiBERSjoQ
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ATLANTIC AND GULF DISTRICT,
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA
VOL. Ill NEW YORK, N. Y., FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 1941 446 No. 11
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NEW ORLEANS S.I.V, OFFICIALS FIND:
Deldrgentina Case
Just PubUdty Stunt
Officials of the Seafarers International Union at New Orleans
have been enffayed in traclinf/ down the facts in the case of the.
8.8. Delaryentina, which several weeks ago teas played up by Mer
chant Marine Naval Reserve authorities as a veritable hotbed of
"subversive" activities. .According to a certain Lieutenant Blancq
of the V. 8. Navy, Ncasi swastikas were supposed to have been painted
on board the ship and a Union delegate was alleged to have instructed
the seamen of the crew not to enlist in the Naval Reserve. These
charges were presented to the House Naval Affairs Committee for
Investigation by Capt. John Shafroth, Navy man in charge of the
Naval Reserve Division of the United Stales Bureau of Navigation,
without any attempt being made to verify or substantiate them.
AH was reported in the last issue. Agent A. W. Armstrong of
the SIU Branch at New Orleans flatly denied the charges as soon
aa they appeared in the press. The case has been under further
scrutiny of the Union since and here is what Brother M. D. Biggs,
Gulf District Representative of the SIU, had to report on the
whole affair at the last meeting of the Union:
— • By M. D. Biggs
After thoroughly investi
gating this case and talking
it over with the company of
ficials as well as Daniel Ring
of the Maritime Commission,
we have come to the conclu
sion that this was just a cheap
publicity stunt on behalf of
the Naval Reserve in trying
to get men to join up.
None of the statements made in
the capitalist press could be sub
stantiated and were proven out
right lies, but it has been impos
Bible for us to get in touch with
Lieutenant Blancq, who was sup
posed to have given this informa
tion to Washington, D. C. How
ever, we have the promise that
Lieutenant Blancq will be made
available this week through the
8th Naval District, and he will
have an opportunity to back up
these statements.
Radio Officers
Secure Big Pay
Hike on Tankers
NEW YORK., June 5.~The Ra
dio Ofllcers Union, Murine Divi
sion, Commercial Telegraphers
Union, affiliated with the Amer
ican Fedeiation of Labot, an
nounced yesterday that it had re
newed its agreement with the
Cities Service Oil Company with
a ?20.00 per month increase in
wages for the 14 radio ofllcers em
ployed on tanker vessels operated
by the Cdmpany. This brings the
wages up to the highest thus far
paid .for radio operating duties
by any tanker company in the
world. The new wage scale is
$160.00 per month and takes ef
fect immediately.
Aii S.Llj. Bonus
Demands Won
From Owners
The Seafarers International
Union, as was stated in the
last issue of the LOG, de
manded of the shipowners a
bonus of $75 for the unli
censed men on any vessel
docking at Suez and $45 per
jwrt for every other port in
the Red Sea or the Persian
Gulf, in addition to the flat
$60 per month war bonus al
ready granted. All of these
demands have now been met
by every company under an
SIU contract operating to the
zones mentioned.
Mark down another big advance
.for the seamen under the banner
of the militant SIU!
NEW GAINS WON:
Seatrain Line
; Agreement Is
Renewed
Seatrain Lines, Inc., have
renewed their agreement with
the Seafarers International
Union with many new gains
won for the unlicensed per
sonnel. In addition to bring
ing wages and working condi
tions up on a par with the
best agreements, the Seatrain
contract has a unique feature.
Aside from the two weeks va
cation with pay granted last
year, the Company has con
ceded a demand by the Union
for an additional day off. with
pay, for every two weeks of
service.
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
Another Boom &
The Aftermath
As the war boom continues to
expand shipbuilding and cargoes
pile up on docks for lack of bot
toms, it might be welt to bear in
mind that there was another war
boom once and a similar situa
tion for shipping—and that it had
its aftermath. The New York
Tribune of twenty years ago, on
March 5, 1921, carried the follow
" ing item:
"Fully a third of the world's
oceangoing ships are now tied
' up for lack of cargoes, and the
number is increasing daily.
Shipping men put the figure at
about 17,000,000 gross tons of
merchant vessels out of an es
timated total of about 50,000,
000 tons of deepseagoing
ships. More than half the ocean
tonnage owned by the • Ship
ping Board is Included In the
aggregate of shlpd laid, up for
lack Of cargoes.'
Are we going to read similar'
news items a few years hence,
"when the present war boom sub.
sides? No doubt! ' Union men
In the first place there were
no swastikas painted on the
ship, but a yoiuig kid ahout 30
years of age, while cleaning out
a paint brush, did make a couple
of good luck marks on one of
the doors, in a Joking way, and
the Naval Reserve decided this
was their chance to break in on
the Merchant seamen.
It seems very funny that this
ship was in port twice before I
left for Florida and I was aboard
the ship on both occasions, but
nothing of this nature was ever
mentioned.
Also, that they would make
the statement that a floating
delegate from the Union had
broken up a meeting of the
crew aboard the ship when we
had the sworn statement of the
entire crew and officers of the
ship that no meeting was ever
called.
In addition to this, the Naval
Reserve evidently know that they
have pulled a big plunder, as they
have just recently set up a pub
licity committee here .for the" port
of New Orleans to make all press
releases in the future.
Elections Ordered
On Ore Line Ships
The National Labor Relations Board has ordered an elec
tion to be held among the unlicensed personnel of the ves
sels owned and operated hy the Ore Steamship Corporation.
Balloting, which is to he conducted in the very near future,
is to determine whether the men wish the Seafarers Interna
tional Union to represent them or no union.
This decision of the NLRB is^'
the result of hard organization
work by the SIU.
The muchvaunted snperor
ganlzers of the NMU, with that
highly efficient spieler "Dog
face" Lawrenson in charge,
could not even place on the bal
lot! For all of their boasting
and all the reams of slander
(which goes for "propaganda"
among these birds) in the Pilot,
they could not even collect
enough signatures from the
bona fide seamen of the Ore
Idne to as much as put up a
show of a contest!
This is hardly to be wondered
at. The bona fide seamen judge
by ACTIONS, not' words. The
SIU can show them ACTION—
improvements of conditions all
along the line. All the Commu
nist Party stooges in the leader
ship of the NMU can show—is
a record of disruption, wrecking
and outright finking on fellow
seamen (such as against the
must strengthen their organiza
tions now and build up power
during this "boom" in order to
cope with its "aftermath." Re
member what the ebipowners did
in 1922?
NOTICE
A new Post Office Box
has been secui*ed and it is
Box 25, Station P, New
York City.
However, the old Box,
No. 522, Church Street An
nex, is still open and will
remain so until its rental
runs out on .Tune 30. 1941.
MEBA in the Export strike re
cently). No wonder at all that
flie seamen are beginning to un
derstand the true character of
these parasites of the water
front!
For the SIU, the Ore Line elec
tions will continue the same trend
that has been noticed in the past
year all along the coast—towards
making the SIU the seamen's
union in the East.
QfCqastalShips
Transferred
WASHINGTON, D.O.—THa
Maritime Commission this
week ordered operators oil
vessels in coastwise Atlantic,
and Gulf trade to turn ovei;
immediately 50 per cent o|
their tonnage for diversion tO|
transAtlantic operation aa
part of the program of aiding
British shipping needs.
In addition, the CommiSBlon an
nounced that it had purchased a
total of twentyeight merchant
vessels for conversion into auzill
aries and transports lor the
armed services. Twentyone will
be assigned to the Navy and seven
to the Army.
"The order issued today," saya
the New Yofk Times of June 5,
1941, "raises the question as to
what is left of the merchant mar
line for normal use."
Union seamen Will have to bo
constantly on the alert to see
that their hardwon gains in
wages and conditions do not go
lost in the shuffle amidst all
these transfers.
Printed Matter
Unfair to Labor
Union men are asked by
the Chicago Printing
Trades Council not to pat
ronize Ihe following unfair
pnhli cations:
TIME Magazine
LIFE Magazine
Encyclopedia Britanica
All these publications
are being printed by the
laborhating, open shop R.
R. Donnelly & Sons Co.,
(Lakeside Press) at Chica
go. against which the print
ing trade unions are carry
ing on an active organiz
ing campaign.
C.P. PRESSURE GETS
MEBA Export Line
Strike Caiied Off
It took the combined forces of the Communist Party ma
chine on both coasts to finally suspend the increasingly suc
cessful strike of the Marine Engineers on the Export Line.
Bringing Harry Bridges from«^—
the West Coast by plane and Joe
"No Coffee Time" Curran from
New York, the Stalinite cabal
utilized their connections in the
CIO to force the National Execu
tive Committee of the MEBA,
meeting in Washington, to order
Local 33 of that organization in
New York to call off its picket
lines around the Export docks.
A flukey clause in the consti
tution of that organization, re
quiring twothirds of the engin
eers on any line to favor a strike
before It could be flailed, served
as the flimsey pretext for this
action. That clause, any child
could have understood, can bo
made to apply only to a com
pany already organized into the
Union, which the Export Line
was not.
However, all the flnky C. P.
characters were looking for was
a pretext, and anything could be
made to serve tliat filthy purpose.
Local 33 of the MEBA is, how
ever, taking the whole case to
the NLRB and considers its pros
pects good of wiiming out in thn
cud.
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T H E '»E A F AJFl BR S ' LOG Friday, June 6, 1941
Published by the
ATLANTIC & GULF: piSTRIGT
of the
Seafarers^ International Union
• m
of North America
Affiliated with the American Federation of^abor
HARRY LUNDEBERG, Acting Ipiternational President
4 110 Market Street, Room 402, San Francisco, Calit.
ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS
PUBLICATION TO:
"THE SEAFARERS'LOG"
P. O. Box 522, Church St. Annex, New York, N. Y.
Phone: BOwling Green 93437
Organizers Report On;
ISTHMIANLim
ORGANIZING
DRIVE
Protect the Union's Future:
SoQil Progress Utede^
Asks Cooperation
HOUSTON
Wages have gone up considerably. Bonus paf 'is picking up.
Working an(J living conditions are more tolerable than they have
bden for a long time. The Unions seem pretty well entrenched.
Under the circumetances, many a seaman these days gets the
notion that we are heading straight' for Utopia. Tliat things are
going to Be smooth sailing for the working stiff from now on for
evetmore. With such a state of mind, many a seamen is inclined to
relax in his vigilance, slump into Indifference, draw his pay and
sfiehd it without a thought of tomorrow, without a thought of what
is really facing him and his Union in the days ahead.
Nothing is more dangerous to tire continued welfare of sea
faring labor than just this type of attitirde.
ITiat's the attitude that falls the Union in a pinch when backing
is needed for a fight to get improved conditions.
That's the attitude that brings about thoughtles.s "job actions"
which violate agreements and jeopardize the safety of the Union in
the midst of war hysteria.
That's the attitude that leaves th.e Union treasury empty and
the union itself defenseless in the face of most certain future
ehtergencies.
John Shipowner and the employing class as a whole have an
entirely dlflerent attitude toward this whole problem. The'y have
long ago realized that the fight between labor and capital is nip
and tuck. That in this fight, a concession won today may be lost
tomorrow.
'Accordingly, THEY prepare constantly to meet the I'cquire
ments of this fight. They build up huge ieserve funds to combat
ctiikes, they keep an eflicieiit antilabor lobby going in AVashlng
fon day and night, and they organize their gobnsqnads of coni
pany stoolpigeons and finks, ready to spring Into action when the
favorable opportunity for them aiises.
Right now John Shipowner .is frowning considerably at the
headway made in recent years by the sea slaA'es. So are all his
employer pals and the head guys among them, the bankers. But!
they look into the future and .see a brighter side to things. Recently
the President of the United States declared an "unlimited national
emergency" in connection with the war moves abroad. The reaction
to the President's speech in these circles was characteristic. Here
Is how the Journal of Commerce reports if on Thursday, May 29,
1941, under the heading "Wall Street Trends":
"One aspect of the Pre.sldent's addres.s which found a
favorable response in financial circles was his appeal to labor
Unions to desist froiiii'striking while the emergency contfnned.
Any development which would tend to limit labor's deuiands
at this time would be regarded as highly favorable from the
longer term standpoint, since conce.ssions won under the pres
ent COUditinns Would hot be relinqui.shed when the emergency
Is over, e.\cept after a considerable l>attle."
, These people know that in the last war the seamen's TTnlons
also made progress; that after the war the shipping boom collapsed;
that the concessions won by the Unions were slowly but surely
taken back by the shipowners; that when the Unions then went out
on strike in 1921 to protect their conditions, the Union treasuty
was usually empty. And, after a short battle the seamen, who .phi;'
a year or two before^iad enjoyed higli wage.s and decent living con
ditions, could eaeily be herded back to sea slavery.
They know that another such battle, to take back the concession.s
regained by the seamen moat recently, will undoubtedly come soon
after the "emergency" or war is oyer. They don't want too many
of labor's demands to be met now, so that it will not be too tough
for them to wipe these gains out later. Moreover, thfey are prepar
ing day and night for that battle with labor. They are building up
their reserves.
There is a lesson in this for labor itself to take to heait. The
seamen would do well to learn in tliis resect from the sliipowhers.
• We, too, must prepare for the battle. We must not be caught unpie
pared and .defenseless like in 1921. That would be unforgivably
shojtstghted. That would be cutting one's own throat.
The time to prepare for the defense of conditions gained is NOW.
The time to build up our reserves for the Inevitable clash with
the greedy shipowners is NOW.
The time to build impregnable barriers against a return to sea
slavery is NOW.
The time to shell out for a huge strike fund that will enable
the seamAu to meet any counter attack against their gains is NOW,
when liay la high and bonuses soaring. May 31, 1941
Thkt is 3the best Insurance that seamen can invest in for the , Editor, Seafarers' Log
protectibn Of their own .future.
The'shipownei's are doing just that. The seamen can profitably
learn from their example in this instance.
BUILD THE UNION STRONG AND FIRM! THE SIU IS YOUR
FORTRESS AGAINST THE COMING SHIPOWNERS' ATTACKS
ON YOUR: CONDITIONS!
May 17, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and.Brother:
Things have been slow this
week so far, but I ho'pe to do
some business this following
week. I am expecting a ship by
the name of Nickelliner in this,
week, and J understand that she
Is not organized, but if nothing
happens, she will be before she
leaves for other ports. We have
some SIU men aboard her and
that helps a lot in organizing
ships.
I know that we are very short
in key men, but it see'ms to me
that if we could get some of ouf
full book ihembers to take jobs
on these Isthmian ships, it would
not take us very long to get these
ships under our banner. The rea
son Is that they Oould do quite a
bit of contacting aboard, then we
would know who to ask for when
these ships arrived in port.
It is almost impossible to get
aboard them as they all have
these finky SI a year men as
guards, and fhey would not let
Christ aboard without a pass.
The membeisliip must realize
that every member in our organ
ization is an organizer and he can
do liis part at the presenf by tak
ing those jbb.s if only to the next
port that' will give the Union a
brtok, as we must have at least
51 per cent when we call for a
vote on those ships.
I have been contacting the
boys from some of the Southern
8. S. Co. ships and they are real
anxious to Join up. This is what
happened last Sunday nite. There
were two of those scows in |oort,
and I was very much surprised
when a gang of at least fifteen or
twenty men came up to me arid
asked if I was the organizer. So
I said yes, why?
They began to tell me of their
troubles, such as they were hot
getting paid for any overtime and
had to work on Saturday eve
nings. Chow and quarters were
lousy and numerous other things
that, we don't have on ships un
der bvir banner. Also that the
AB^'s were paid the sum of .$85.00
per month, tihie off for overtime.
Then that was time for me to do
lots of talking which I did. Also
gave them some agreements that
I had in my room, and believe
me, tho.se boys begged me to ac
cept them on the spot. Included
'were one or two engineers wanC
iiig to join up. They said that
they had rather work for a com
pany that was signed up with the
SIU as Fireman than to work for
the Southern as an Engineer.
Brothers, don't that sound as |
if the crews of those scows want
to come i:i our union? If we will
give them the same kind of pro
position as We are giving the
Isthmian Line, I am sure that
that Line will be under our ban
ner within two months.
Fraternally yours,
D, L. Parker, Org.
HONOR ROLL DELAYED
Due to the moving of Headquarters from Washing
ton to New York and the delay caused by this move,
the reports of donations to the SEAFARERS' LOG have
been delayed. These will be furnished complete as soon
as compiled.
Keep Union Standards
On the
The hullaballoo over the Delar^ntina case has died down.
Apparently the Navy's brass hats svcallowed a hot potato,
when they took up the alleged swastika incident there and
tried to play it up. Meanwhile, word has got around that
the Delargeiitina, along with a couple of other Delta Line
.ships, is to be transferred to the armed forces for use as naval
auxiliaries.
Can it be that the cry of "subvfersiveittess" was originally
raised in the Delargentina case wiith this contemplated trans
fer in mind? Can it be that the whole thing was just an at
tempt to terrorize the crew and stampede them into the
Naval Reserve—and then to continue to man the ship after
the transfer at less than half of their present pay?
The Seafarers International Union of North America has
set dowii as its standing policy not to interfere in any way
with Naval Reserve recruitment. The Union has no desire
and does not claim the power to instruct its members as to
the que.stion of joining the Naval Reserve. That is a purely
voluntary action. Each man, consequently, has to decide that
qnestion for himself.
But, it is quite understandable that seamen have been
reluctant in volunteering, on their own hook.
The ,men in charge of the Navy shbuld understand wiy.^^
It is clear that men Accustomed to the present Union wkges '
and working conditions would not voluntarily give up their"
standards for what amounts to Imlfpay and the curtailment
of hardwon. rights, that have made life on shipboard some
what tolerable.
Instead of resorting to cheap jingoistic publicity and ter
rorizing pressure eampaign.s, the Admirals would do well
to get wise and face the facts.
Tran.sfer.s of merchant vessels for naval use are going on
apace. There are less than 1,000 men in the Naval Reserve
that they can call upon to /Uian these ship.s under tlie condi
tion.s they have set down.
In order to man the increasing number of commercial
craft coming under their command, the wisest thing they
could do is maintain the Union wages and standards prevail
ing on the ships being transferred into their charge.
The shipowners are not asked to sacrifice half their capi
tal, let alone half their profits, when their ships come under
Navy command. Why are suchpatriotic" sacrifices asked
only of the Union .seamen and not of their employers?
Given Union wages and working conditions, the Admirals
will Iiave no trouble at all finding competent merchant sea
men to work the naval auxiliaries and transports.
No rmses are needed. Jmst keep the Union standards on
the tuansferred ships!
Dear,Sir and Brother:
For the ihforination of the
membership, they elected me to
organize the Isthmian Line and
we arc doing, our best to fine
them up, but we must have their
All members of the Seafai'crs International Union
of North America, Atlantic & Gulf District, are asked
to cooperate with the Union patrolmen in paying their
dues promptly. For the benefit of those members who
may not be aware of the fact, we are hereby reprinting
a resolution on this subject adopted by the New Orleans
Branch on February 10, 1941, ahd later on concurred
in by all the other Branches:
• "Due to the financial condition of the Union all
members while employed shall have their dues paid
through the current month and shall not be regis
tered on the shipping list if their .dues are not paid
through the current month."
help too.
When that Company calls the
hall for a man, let some ifnll book
member take the job and "theii ho
can do plenty towards helping
lihe the crew up, and at' the safiie
time when we call for a Vote on
tliose ships we haVe hbbli
mdmbers or men that are iuollhed
to line up with the SIU to vote
for GUI' .Union, otherwise all pur
efforts and money are spent in
vain. . —.
Once we'stop we are going
astern, and that must not ever
likpperi as long as we live in a
dkmbcralic country and belong to
a demberat^^^
Fraternaiiy, . "
D, U. Parker, Off.'
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Friday, June 6, 1941 THE SEAFARERS' LOG
/ W. h a t's Doing —
MOBILE
May 19, 1941 .
Editor, Seafarars' Log'
Dear Sir and Brother:
Greetings from thie port in the
sunny South on Mobile Bay. Busi
ness as usual has been very brisk
as far as the sailors are con
cerned here in Mobile.
This coming F^riday sees the
8.8. Alcoa Rambler coming out of
the Orydock to make her Initial
voyage. She will take a crew on
or about Friday and in all prob
ability sail about Monday or
Tuesday for the Bauxite Islands
and back to the Gulf,
Last week we had the S.S.
Francis Salman over in Pensaco
la, and due to the fact that there
• was a small beef there and also
Ave replacements to ship for her,
ipre went over. The beef was easi
ly straightened out to the satisfac
tion of all concerned.
The latest news to come from
the Waterman S. S. Co. is that
the S.S. Hastings, which has been
onthe coastwise run, is now go
ing to be changed to the Puerto
Rican run indefinitely. That will
make a total of four ships on that
run.
^ The S.S. Sacarrappa of the
South Atlantic S. S. Co. has been
> sold to the Alcoa Co. and has been
renamed the S.S. Aicon Cutter.
She will probably be put on the
Bauxite run.
As the 'Situation now stands, the
ships that are on the coastwise'
run for Waterman will stay there
for ^ while yet'. We were under
" the impression that maybe some
of them would' be turned over to
the Maritime pool, but as yet the
Company knows nothing o.f that.
Since the organization went on
record to open the books to bona
fide seamen from all available
sources, this office has been liter
ally swamped with applications
from men who have been wanting.
\ to Join the SIU of NA for a long
time. iNMU members who hesi
tated to take the step because of
j the uncertainty of the Permit sys
I ten are Joining up. We recognize
the fact that even in a Union of
the type of the NMU, there are
: men who would be a credit to any
organization. There are also men
• Who would be liabiiities to any
organization.
The men who fall in the fii'st
category are the men that we
Ahould be vitally interested in
helping because it is a well kliown
fact that they have not been
helped while members of the
NMTI. Now that they know they
can get into an organization
which is run for and by the men
who goto sea in the ships, in
stead of having a Dictator of the
calibre of "No Coffee Time" Joe,
this writer predicts that it will
be just a matter of a few months
and there will be no more NMU.
, The latest bit of strategy pulled
• , off by' the seamen's great bene
factor, "HamHead" Curran, when
he gave the .signal for members
of the National Maritime Union
to sabotage the picket line of an
other CIO aillliate should be
enough to convince even the most
skeptical.
We have seen evidence of the
NMU scabbing on the SIU, and,
believe it or not, NMU members
scabbing on their own NMU mem
bers, ia^ the tanker strike. Now
we flhd them living up to the
policy as laid down by the "Na
tional Council" when they finked
on the engineers who were affili
ated with the same CIO on the
S.S. Siboney.
Is it any wonder that every day
finds more and more NMU mem
bers in the SlU halls applying for
inembership in the SIU?
Well, that's about all for this
week..
Fraternally yours,
Robert A. Mattfiews,
Patrolman No. 1.
SAVAmAH
NOnCE
Men on the beach at
BEAUMONT, TEXAS, are
advised to get in touch
with W. H. Farley, Secre
tary of ILA Local No. 1610,
Brother Farley is getting
quite a number of calls for
'seamen and has agreed to
ship , "Slij , men to "such
>job3. Make sure to register
with him if you are on the
beach at Beaumont.
May 23, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
Shipping here In the last two
weeks has been very good. S.S.
DeSoto came In the other day,
and i replaced three AB's, one
Oiler and one Fireman. The 9.B.
Sea Thrush came In with three
AB's short, and ' after looking
around all day, I finally succeed
ed In getting three men aboard.
The following day the S.S. City
of Chattanooga came in from
New York with three AB'.s short,
and after hunting all oyer town
and the bus station, we finally
succeded in sailing her crewed up;
The S.S. lowan.came in with two
men short and sailed with one
man short.
The S.S. Detroiter came in yes
terday with two AB's sh'ort and
finally sailed O.K. The only ship
that came' in here In the last two
weeks that • WhsM't 6h4)rt'Was the
S.S. City of Atlanta.
As long as there is a shortage
of AB's around here, the mates
and ship's delegates run me half
crazy trying to find some one for
them. Some of these delegates and
mates think that all an Agent has
to do is reach up in a cloud and,
bingo, there is two good looking
AB's on his finger tips.
Looks as if as soon as shipping
gets good, no one wants to work.
At least it looks as if shipping is
going to be good here for the
next few weeks. '
Steady as she goes.
Charles Wald, Agent.
PROVIDEmE
June 3, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
bear Sir and Brother:
Shipping and business going
along good. Had a chdnce to re
pay boston for its help in the
past. The SiS. Iberville was in,
a Waterman ship. Wiiile in Bos
ton, met Brothers Megan and
Napi. who were right on the job.
The crews of the Colonial Line
ships are pleased with the new
agreement which our Brother
John Hawk, Sec.Treas.. got over.
Especially that trip off a month,
which the crews have bhen try
ing to get for several years.
The S.S. Meteor will start to
New Bedford June 25 on her sum
mer run. That will "be a boom to
the men of this port.
Now the iNESSCO officials are
getting worried. They are putting
tWv boats In cori'imisslon tbia
JACKSONVILLE
May 15, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
The DeSoto came in Suhday
with four men short". I shipped
two AB's, one Fireman, and one
Oiler aboard ahd then found they
had come South with another man
short.
« « «
Another Fireman wa? needed,
so I paid the fine of $5 for a man
named Jas. Pollard who was in
the Blue Jay. I took him to the
ship and got ?5 from the captain.
Pollard went; ashore later in the
evening and didn't return, so I
had to refund the |5 to the cap
tain. The ship sailed later with
the Deck Engr. taking one of the
firing watches as far as San
Pedro.
« « «
The Bosun, Chris Rasmussen,
had a run in with the mate about
the. nlate glvlfig the crew orders
and called a special meeting
which resulted in agreement by
• all concerned that the mate would
give his orders strictly to the
bostin and leave the bosun and
the men carry out the work with
out interference.
After much persuasion, the
mate signed it and I took it back
to Rasmussen, who insisted that
the captain sign it also. Rasmus
sen quit' because this "was too fool
ish to even consider, leaving his
money behind.
Something should be done to
check up on this fellow for quit
ting at 11 P,M, when the" ship was
due to sail at 2 A.M. I put an
other AB on her arid one of the
other AB's will take the bosun's
job. Ship sailed on time.
* m *
The Suwied arrived with two
AB's and two OS's short, 'which I
furnished and sirice then I have
had to seiid to Savannah for an
Oiler and to Mobile for three AB's
and an Oiler for the same ship.
The men got here, but two SUP
AB's didn't want her after they
got here, so I am trying to get
them to stay with her because of
the expense liiouey involved, I
put a Second Cook on her, too.
She is chartered to the Alcoa
S, S.'Co.
Fraternally yours,
C. M, Rogers, Agent.
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION
OF NORTH AMERICA , .
Atlantic & Gulf District
SecretaryTreasurePs Office
Room 213 — 2 Stone Street, New York City
P. O, Box 25, Station P Phone: BOwling Green 93437
DIRECTORY OF BRANCHES
BRANCH ADDRESS PHONE
NEW YORK 2 Stone St. BOwling Green 93437
BOSTON 330 Atlantic Aye. ...LIBerty 4057
PROVIDENCE .. 465 South Main St. ..Manning 3572
BALTIMORE ... 14 North Gay St. ... Calvert 4539
PHILADELPHIA ,6 North 6th St. Lombard 7651
NORFOLK 60 Commercial PI. ..Norfolk 41083
NEW ORLEANS 309 Chartres St. MAgnolia 3962
SAVANNAH .... 218 East Bay St Savannah 31728
JACKSONVILLE .136 East Bay St Jacksonville 51791
TAMPA 206 So. Franklin St. .Tampa M1323
MOBILE . 65 So. Conception St. Dexter 1449
TEXAS CITY ... 106 4th St.. N Texas City 722
MIAMI ...1348 N.E. First Ave.. Miami 22950
SAN JUAN 8 Covadonga St. San Juan 1885
BALTiMdHE
News and Views
Coastwise Shipping Curtailed Intercoastal
Drop Due Support Union Paper
BALTIMORE, Md.. May 21, 1941
—Shipping is much as usual
around this port with the supply
of qualified ratings none too good.
The shipbuilding program is be
ginning to pick up speed with six
ships eclieduled as ready between
May 20 and May 29.
Three of the new ships come to
the SIU. The fourth of the new
Robin fieet, the Robin Sherwood,
was launched here Saturday. The
local Bethlehem emergency yard
is a month ahead of schedule on
NOTICE TO ALL
. SIUMEN
Canadian Branches of the
Seafarers' /nterriational
Union
When in Canadian ports,
visit the halls of the following
organisations, affiliated to the
Seafarers' International Union
of North America;
CANADIAN
SEAMEN'S UNION
406 St. Lawrence Boulevard
. Montreal, Canada
BRITISH COLUMBIA
SEAMEN'S UNION
340B Cariibie Street
Vancouver, B.C.
month arid are wohUeirlng where
the crews afc *,0 be had. But
when they'gil wise to themselves
and put out sbme real money,
then they Can get a crew to sail
them;
Fraternally,
J. t. Lapham, Agent.
two keels laid and delivery of the
fii'st of the "Ugly Ducklings"
guaranteed by November.
This .port will be on a twonew
shipsa'week basis by the end of
the year. We don't blame the Dis
patcher for not looking forward
to Christmas. All Santa Claus is
going to bring him is a large
headache.
Coastwise Shipping Curtailed
Establishment of the convoy
shuttle system is playing havoc
'vvith schedules these days. Most
of the .smallef coastwise outfits
such as Amei'icau Range have got
out from under while the getting
'Was good and transferred or char
tered their ships to offshore com
panies. Some. of the larger out
fits. such as Bull, are holding on,
but as the railroads begin to take
up the slack, all coastwise ships
\viH gradually move over into the
long bluewater trades.
Transfer of 25 the 50 tankers
asked for by the Government has
already been made to the shuttle
service, and the prospects are that
more tHrin fifty per cent of the
212 tankers in the coastwise trade
will be running into convoy ports
on, this side before the end of the
year.
Intercoastal Drop Due
The intercoastal fleet is also due
for a kick iu the pauts with 50 of ^
the approximately 108 ships in i
that trade earmarked for this
cohst. Maritime Coinmissibn re:
placements will, in the main, be
shunted to the Coast to pick up i
on the Australian arid Far East !
runs with the .fast 19knotter6 re;
served for the Malay Peninsula i
rubber .run. Great Britain is pull i
ing as many ships as possible out |
of the Pacifte , but can't transfer i
too many over to fhe Atlantic un ;
til American ships are ready to
take over cm vital commodity
rune. ' |
Support Union Paper
IVatGrnian'o RaphaeI Ptiuuieo
JOE GRANDE, No. 1640
Get in touch with HUGH
BROWN, Jr., G. 131, who
would like to recover soma
gear which you are reported to
be keeping fpr him. He may
be reached on the S.S. Alcoa
Mariner—c.o. Geo. Huggins &
Co., Port of Spain, Trinidad,
B.W.t., until June 12; c.o.
Grace, Keneddy & Co., Kings
ton, Jamaica, B.W.I., until
June 18 and c.o. Alcoa S. S.
Co., 254 SQ. Broad St. Mobile,
Ala;, on and after'June 24. '
" • ...
' '''\ "i' V.'
• V .si <•
''A.
stopped by this way last week on
Ijer way from and to the Far
East. The Semmes had some
sweet little beefs requiring
straightening, but they were
stVaightened. The crew chipped in
with $14.75 for the "LOG," and we
appreciate that. So many of the
boys waste their dough on getting
"liveone" ratings from tlie beach
bums in tlie e.\clusive Balto and
Gay Street ginmill clubs, it's a
pleasure to occasionally run up
against a gang of the men whn
the EC2 or "Ll'Derty Fleet" with | remember they have a Union pa
per that needs all tlie support it
can get.
Old Sam Gompers said the
unions' newspapers were the most
important' part of tlie labor
movement, and when we read
through the average uewspuper of
today with its strong antiunion
bia.s, we are incllnerl to think
that Sam said a mouthful.
Marine Hospital Red. Tape
Some of the fellows aren't
speaking any too kindly about our
local Marine Hospital these 'fine
days. It seems That it takes just
about an Act of Congress to get
in the hospital,, unless you show
up minus a leg or an arm. If. you
happen to be just plain, everyday
sick, a C. C. handout is about the
best you can expect. The hospital
gets the reputation of being the
best in the country as far as the
medico.s are nonrevued, and it is
a pity that a rep like tiiat should
go boom because some one has
found a nice, new roll of the old
red tape.
Now, Doc, you know an army
travels on'its stomacii and sail
ors, even sick ones, are not so^
diffe|ent. from a bticC private in
that respect. So how about it'?
I Yours, » '
Wm. McKay, Agent, '
'• 1
.iU
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THE SEAFARERS' LOG Friday, June 6, 1941 '
:'13ii&Is:for YOUR Use, Brother SIU Member
I'Siij t;
«P<"i
mi.If
niq i
wjifir
Wital Draft Information.
For Union Seamen
There have been repeated cases lately in which bona fide
Beamen who are entitled to deferment as essential to the Mer
chant Marinehave been drafted into the Army. Thisis not
biily sensele.ss from the point of view of the seaman involved,
who is taken off a defense job in which he is expert and put
on a job in which be is altogether raw, but it is definitely
contrary to the Selective Service Headquarters regulations
themselves.
Only the failure of Local Draft Board members to keep them
selves properly informed about the regulations and instructions
issued from their own Headquarters is responsible for this time
wasting and efficiencykilling procedure with regard to seamen
So that seamen may know their rights in this situation and he
nble to present their case intelligently when they are called up for
Selective Service, we hring below the full text of Bulletin No. 24,
issued by Selective Service Headquarters for New York City on
April 15, 1941, insofar as that document refers to seamen;
* * * .
SELECTIVE SERVICE
NEW YORK CITY HEADQUARTRS
April 15. 1941
BULLETIN NO. 24
TO: MEMBERS OF LOCAL BOARDS, REGISTRANTS' ADVISORY
BOARDS, APPEAL BOARDS. GOVERNMENT APPEAL AGENTS.
«. CLASSIFTCATION AND DEFERMENT OF SEAMEN
Determination of when a seaman is a necessary man must be
resolved by the Local Board in the light of the particular circum
staaces and in accordance with the three conditions set forth in
Paragraph 351, Selective Service Regulations. To assist in this deter
mination, however, the following information from National Head
quarters is published for the guidance of all concerned:
"It is believed to be a matter of common knowledge that
our Merchant Marine is an essential activity, and that in times
of emergency it bears a direct relation to the national defense.
It is further believed to be a matter of common knowledge
tliat the United States is engaged in an extensive expansion
of the Merchant Marine at this time because of the existence
of emei*gency conditions.
"The United States Maritime Commission anticipates a
growing shortage of certain skilled personnel as a result of
the expanding shipbuilding porgram which may beconie acute
within the next six montlis."
The Naval Occupational Advisor to National Headquarters and
the Director of the Division of Maritime Personnel of the United
States Maritime Commission have made the following statements:
"It is anticipated that national shortages will occur in the en
gine department of merchant vessels, in the grades of firemen and
higher ratings; in the deck department, in the grades involving able
seamen and higher ratings,, which includes boatswains and quarter
masters; in the steward's department', it is anticipated alsq that a
shortage of chief stewards, marine cooks and bakers may result.
The anticipated shortages also Ificlude licensed officers and radio
operators.
."Both labor and management in the industry are in accord that
such classifications as wipers, ordinary seamen, mess men and mess
boys would not normally meet the requirements of Paragraph 351 (b)
and (c) of the Regulations."
NOTE: Men who will soon be ready for certificates for
,hrgher ratings, as indicated by the length of service shown
on the questionnaire, can properly Jbe put in Class IIA as
"men in training" for becoming necessary men.
Careful consideration should be given to men who hold the fol
lowing certificates: . . ;
Able bodied Seamen, Firemen, Water 'Tenders' Machinists, Deck
Engineers, Chief Stewards, Oilers, Pumpman, ElectriciansMarine.
"The Naval Occupational Advisor and the Director of the Di
vision of Maritime Personnel of the United States States Maritime
Commission are of the opinion that even though a. seaman comes
within one of the groups wherein shortages afe contemplated, he
is not a necessary man unless such registrant shall have actually
worked at sea for not less than an average of eight months per
year in the last two years. Local Boards can secure such infor
mation from discharge pa^)ers or, if the registrant is not able to
locate such papers, from an affidavit of the registrant, specifying
the vessels and voyages made, which information can be checked
with the Bureau of Marine Inspection, Department of Commerce,
or with shipping articles or articles of enrollment."
Where sealnen are deferred, they shall be placed in Class IIA.
The period of deferment in Class IIA may not exceed six months,
but such dferment may be renewed from time to t4me if the local
board finds that such continuance is justified under the Regulations.
In applying these broad provisions there must be no deviation
from the clear statutory prohibition against group deferments.
NEW ORLEANS REPORTS
Delta Line Vessels
To Be Taken Over by
Maritime Commission
June 2, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
Shipping around here has
slowed down some in the past
week, but it is just as hard to get
men as when we ship a hundred
or more men a week. The ship
ping lists are pretty big here now,
but men are scarce as hell when
the jobs are put on the board.
Must be too much work ashore
for the gang. Shipped about 55
men last week to regular Jobs.
At least it looks like a regular
shore gang will be hired by the
Mississippi Shipping Co. through
the hall. Last week they hired a
shore gang from the hall witb a
regular bosun to work the men.
All the work over the side on
theee ships is put out by contract
and usually it's a CIO gang that
does the work. The cleaning of
the boilers and tank tops is also
done by this same shore gang.
The lowest bidder gets the job.
and nine times out of ten this
CIO bunch gets the contract. Just
one example of the cheap labor
the Company can get through con
tractors using CIO men down
here. I hope that in the near fu
ture the seamen can gct^ this
work at the regular standby pay
of $6.80 a day.
Things have quie.ted down some
about the swastikas on the S.S.
Delargentina. But something new
has come up to take, its place that
is Just as bad to the organization.'
The Maritime Commission has re
leased an article to the press
Stating that they will take over
the S.S. Delargentina and S.S.
Delorleans on their arrival here
in New Orleans.
What run they will put them
on, or who will operate them is
as yet' not known. According to
what we have heard,' the Com
pany will fight to keep these
ships. This is one case where we
hope the Company will win out,
for by them winning out', they
will help us out. If theee two
ships are taken by the Maritime
Commission, and are operated by
them, it will put about 130 of our
men on the beach.
"Not mauy beefs around here in
the past week. Had a beef on the
S.S. Delbrasll about finding room
for a waiter the Union had the
Company put' on board. They had
an extra large passenger list this
trip going south, so they had to
put amextia waiter aboard. These
shipe have hardly any room at all
when it comes to putting extra
men aboard them. •
Since the new agreement with
the Seatrain Lines, these ships
have been coming and going with
very few beefs on them. And be
lieve it or not, they only take one
or two replacements a trip.
The piide of the Waterman
Fleet, the S.S. El "Valle, formerly
of the Morgan line and the NMU,
will go into drydock this week. It
was agreed by the Company and
the Union that they would put
them , in drydock the first chance
they had, before any crew was
shtE^)e.d on them. They are what
wi call, rustbuckets extraordi
nary. She^is due in here Wednes
day and will go to Mobile as soon
a^s th^ unload:her cargo. TheV
are going to recondition them all
the way around.
'This ship and her sister ship,
the S.S. El Dia, are the only ships
in operation that I know of (un
less the NMU have more like
them) where the crew demanded
new canvas and drain pipes to
put over their bunks to catch the
water that comes through the
decks above. Not only did the
water leak through the decks on
.these ehips, but' even the canvas
the men had over their bunks to
catch the water leaked, when we
took these ships over from the
NMU.
When they get through with
these ships in Mobile, they should
be as good as new, then they will
come up to the SIU standard.
Fraternally yours,
"Buck" Stephens.
"Swastika" Squawk
Fizzles; An Overtime
Beef Is Overlooked
J)rafted Seamen May Be Released
According to reliable information from Washington, the sliort
nge of trained seamen has come to the attention of the military
and naval Instances and has cansed great concein. The Army is
ssid to have declared its readiness to go so far as to even release
men who have been drafted into the Army previously, provided
they can show adequate seatime in the higher ratings .among the
nnliqensed personnel. Members of the Union who are in the Army
meet these requirements should appcAl for releiue to
BndferSecretary of War Robert Patterson. Notify the Union office
a Union Tetter backing up such an appeal will likewise he
to the UnderSecretary of War.
Out of the Mailbag
Cautions Seamen Against Snares
Of Customs Men in British duiana
New York, May 27, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
After seeing the same gag
worked twice and having taken
the trouble to investigate it both
times, I've come to the conclusion
that it's a racket . . . but perhaps
I'm Just a little bit ahead of my
story.
To get to the point, all the
Aluminum Line ships making the
bauxite run (West Indies, South
America and Canada) during the
height of the season (generally
between May and November)
have to lay in the bottleneck, the
Demarara River, off Georgetown,
British Guiana, sometimes from
7 to 9 days, because the bauxite
hplant cannot accommodate more
than two freighters at one tjme.
Accordingly, on arrival day in
Georgetown, on the last ship I
was on, the captain put out a
draw and the gang went ashore
and blew its .top, and the next
day the majority of them ^yks
broke. According to law, the old
man didn't have to pul out an
other draw in that port, and he
didn't. Anyway, some of the gang
went ashore the following day
with the hopes of promoting
something without any nioney.
While ashore, one of our
brother members (we'll call him
X, to save him a lot of embar
rassment) was approached by one
of the stooges planted by the cus
toms officials; "Hey, Yank, if you
have an American radio, I know
where you can get $40 for it and
no questions asked."
Brother X, without stopping to
think, made a date with the cus
toms stooge to meet him ashore
the following day and go with
him to sell the radip.
Next day Brother X and the
stooge went to some store. While
the storekeeper made believe he
was examining the radio, the
"hfelpful stooge" skipped out. A
few minutes later two customs
men "accidentally" stepped in,
confiscated the radio and arrest
ed Brother X. He ended up by
losing his radio and paying a $30
fine. The alternative was six
months in Jail.
The following day I went
ashore and looked up some family
I know and by dint and much
persuasion finally got the story.
Seems that the customs officials
gave 25 per cent of the fine as
sessed to the informer who was
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
Things are still rocking along
here in the Crescent City. The
usual In and out run of beefs.
The main squawk of the week
was the blasts from the press on
the "Swastika" incident aboard
the S.S. Delargentina. It seems
to the members around here that
this is Just a cover or smoke
screen for some one that didn't
deliver the goods to the payoff
men. In this case the payoff men
are you and me and every other
taxpayer. The Government put
out a nice piece of change to re
cruit members into the Naval Re
serve. It didn't take and now
there must be some reason shown
why it fouled up some place. Re
sult; a nice chance to smear the
SIU.
It makes no difference fhat
since the SIU came into being,,
we have consistently fought all
"isms." Now a goat must be had
and the fact that some member
of our organization, while rubbing
out a paint brush, drew three
good luck charms which yrere
confused with swastikas, gave the
golden grummott to a publicity
loving few.
Found a strange thing happen
ing aboard a floating rustbucket
the other day. The sailers painted'
out the messrooms and neglected
to put in for overtime. The black
gang enlightened them op thg
fact that this was overtime, but
still it took the patrolman tp.con
vince the men that they were en
titled to receive overtime for thl«
work. One more case of the boya
not knowing the agreement.
The usual beef is trying to col
lect overtime on some of the
screwiest beefs in the world. Now
we have a cfew showing up, giy /
ing away Instead of taking! 'What
next?
Believe it or not', the Seatrain
New Orleans was in here with
only one small squawk. Here ̂ la
the payoff. It took only, two sec
onds to square it away, the creW
were exactly right and collected.
But the Company had a real beeft
Seems that a couple of trips ago,
the crew squawked for a buffeE
plate in the bathroom to keep the ^
water from running from one side
to the other; this was put in. at
considerable cost.
This trip the wiper cleaning the
toilets thought that too mucB
work was involved in cleaning up,
so he drove holes through the
plate. Result: right back where
they started, except that this will .
make it harder the next time that
something is wanted on one of
these ships.
Why, oh why, does one crevf
den)jand, then the next crew wreck:
what is gained? Still they expect.;
to get all demands. Think it over
Steady as she goes. • >.
New Orleans Offictala.
also the man who prompted
Brother X to bring the radio
ashore.
A similar incident' happened on
a previous Aluminum Line ship
I was on last year,, to another of"
our brothers, but in his case the
line was $70.
In conclusion, the moral of this
story is, don't let yourself be
ta!;en In by "helpful natives" of
British Guiana. ' You can never
tell when you are being baited
Into "smuggling."
S. T. Nevola, SIU peck, 5170.
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iiBERSjoQ
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ATLANTIC AND GULF DISTRICT,
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA
VOL. Ill NEW YORK, N. Y., FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 1941 446 No. 11
,L t
NEW ORLEANS S.I.V, OFFICIALS FIND:
Deldrgentina Case
Just PubUdty Stunt
Officials of the Seafarers International Union at New Orleans
have been enffayed in traclinf/ down the facts in the case of the.
8.8. Delaryentina, which several weeks ago teas played up by Mer
chant Marine Naval Reserve authorities as a veritable hotbed of
"subversive" activities. .According to a certain Lieutenant Blancq
of the V. 8. Navy, Ncasi swastikas were supposed to have been painted
on board the ship and a Union delegate was alleged to have instructed
the seamen of the crew not to enlist in the Naval Reserve. These
charges were presented to the House Naval Affairs Committee for
Investigation by Capt. John Shafroth, Navy man in charge of the
Naval Reserve Division of the United Stales Bureau of Navigation,
without any attempt being made to verify or substantiate them.
AH was reported in the last issue. Agent A. W. Armstrong of
the SIU Branch at New Orleans flatly denied the charges as soon
aa they appeared in the press. The case has been under further
scrutiny of the Union since and here is what Brother M. D. Biggs,
Gulf District Representative of the SIU, had to report on the
whole affair at the last meeting of the Union:
— • By M. D. Biggs
After thoroughly investi
gating this case and talking
it over with the company of
ficials as well as Daniel Ring
of the Maritime Commission,
we have come to the conclu
sion that this was just a cheap
publicity stunt on behalf of
the Naval Reserve in trying
to get men to join up.
None of the statements made in
the capitalist press could be sub
stantiated and were proven out
right lies, but it has been impos
Bible for us to get in touch with
Lieutenant Blancq, who was sup
posed to have given this informa
tion to Washington, D. C. How
ever, we have the promise that
Lieutenant Blancq will be made
available this week through the
8th Naval District, and he will
have an opportunity to back up
these statements.
Radio Officers
Secure Big Pay
Hike on Tankers
NEW YORK., June 5.~The Ra
dio Ofllcers Union, Murine Divi
sion, Commercial Telegraphers
Union, affiliated with the Amer
ican Fedeiation of Labot, an
nounced yesterday that it had re
newed its agreement with the
Cities Service Oil Company with
a ?20.00 per month increase in
wages for the 14 radio ofllcers em
ployed on tanker vessels operated
by the Cdmpany. This brings the
wages up to the highest thus far
paid .for radio operating duties
by any tanker company in the
world. The new wage scale is
$160.00 per month and takes ef
fect immediately.
Aii S.Llj. Bonus
Demands Won
From Owners
The Seafarers International
Union, as was stated in the
last issue of the LOG, de
manded of the shipowners a
bonus of $75 for the unli
censed men on any vessel
docking at Suez and $45 per
jwrt for every other port in
the Red Sea or the Persian
Gulf, in addition to the flat
$60 per month war bonus al
ready granted. All of these
demands have now been met
by every company under an
SIU contract operating to the
zones mentioned.
Mark down another big advance
.for the seamen under the banner
of the militant SIU!
NEW GAINS WON:
Seatrain Line
; Agreement Is
Renewed
Seatrain Lines, Inc., have
renewed their agreement with
the Seafarers International
Union with many new gains
won for the unlicensed per
sonnel. In addition to bring
ing wages and working condi
tions up on a par with the
best agreements, the Seatrain
contract has a unique feature.
Aside from the two weeks va
cation with pay granted last
year, the Company has con
ceded a demand by the Union
for an additional day off. with
pay, for every two weeks of
service.
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
Another Boom &
The Aftermath
As the war boom continues to
expand shipbuilding and cargoes
pile up on docks for lack of bot
toms, it might be welt to bear in
mind that there was another war
boom once and a similar situa
tion for shipping—and that it had
its aftermath. The New York
Tribune of twenty years ago, on
March 5, 1921, carried the follow
" ing item:
"Fully a third of the world's
oceangoing ships are now tied
' up for lack of cargoes, and the
number is increasing daily.
Shipping men put the figure at
about 17,000,000 gross tons of
merchant vessels out of an es
timated total of about 50,000,
000 tons of deepseagoing
ships. More than half the ocean
tonnage owned by the • Ship
ping Board is Included In the
aggregate of shlpd laid, up for
lack Of cargoes.'
Are we going to read similar'
news items a few years hence,
"when the present war boom sub.
sides? No doubt! ' Union men
In the first place there were
no swastikas painted on the
ship, but a yoiuig kid ahout 30
years of age, while cleaning out
a paint brush, did make a couple
of good luck marks on one of
the doors, in a Joking way, and
the Naval Reserve decided this
was their chance to break in on
the Merchant seamen.
It seems very funny that this
ship was in port twice before I
left for Florida and I was aboard
the ship on both occasions, but
nothing of this nature was ever
mentioned.
Also, that they would make
the statement that a floating
delegate from the Union had
broken up a meeting of the
crew aboard the ship when we
had the sworn statement of the
entire crew and officers of the
ship that no meeting was ever
called.
In addition to this, the Naval
Reserve evidently know that they
have pulled a big plunder, as they
have just recently set up a pub
licity committee here .for the" port
of New Orleans to make all press
releases in the future.
Elections Ordered
On Ore Line Ships
The National Labor Relations Board has ordered an elec
tion to be held among the unlicensed personnel of the ves
sels owned and operated hy the Ore Steamship Corporation.
Balloting, which is to he conducted in the very near future,
is to determine whether the men wish the Seafarers Interna
tional Union to represent them or no union.
This decision of the NLRB is^'
the result of hard organization
work by the SIU.
The muchvaunted snperor
ganlzers of the NMU, with that
highly efficient spieler "Dog
face" Lawrenson in charge,
could not even place on the bal
lot! For all of their boasting
and all the reams of slander
(which goes for "propaganda"
among these birds) in the Pilot,
they could not even collect
enough signatures from the
bona fide seamen of the Ore
Idne to as much as put up a
show of a contest!
This is hardly to be wondered
at. The bona fide seamen judge
by ACTIONS, not' words. The
SIU can show them ACTION—
improvements of conditions all
along the line. All the Commu
nist Party stooges in the leader
ship of the NMU can show—is
a record of disruption, wrecking
and outright finking on fellow
seamen (such as against the
must strengthen their organiza
tions now and build up power
during this "boom" in order to
cope with its "aftermath." Re
member what the ebipowners did
in 1922?
NOTICE
A new Post Office Box
has been secui*ed and it is
Box 25, Station P, New
York City.
However, the old Box,
No. 522, Church Street An
nex, is still open and will
remain so until its rental
runs out on .Tune 30. 1941.
MEBA in the Export strike re
cently). No wonder at all that
flie seamen are beginning to un
derstand the true character of
these parasites of the water
front!
For the SIU, the Ore Line elec
tions will continue the same trend
that has been noticed in the past
year all along the coast—towards
making the SIU the seamen's
union in the East.
QfCqastalShips
Transferred
WASHINGTON, D.O.—THa
Maritime Commission this
week ordered operators oil
vessels in coastwise Atlantic,
and Gulf trade to turn ovei;
immediately 50 per cent o|
their tonnage for diversion tO|
transAtlantic operation aa
part of the program of aiding
British shipping needs.
In addition, the CommiSBlon an
nounced that it had purchased a
total of twentyeight merchant
vessels for conversion into auzill
aries and transports lor the
armed services. Twentyone will
be assigned to the Navy and seven
to the Army.
"The order issued today," saya
the New Yofk Times of June 5,
1941, "raises the question as to
what is left of the merchant mar
line for normal use."
Union seamen Will have to bo
constantly on the alert to see
that their hardwon gains in
wages and conditions do not go
lost in the shuffle amidst all
these transfers.
Printed Matter
Unfair to Labor
Union men are asked by
the Chicago Printing
Trades Council not to pat
ronize Ihe following unfair
pnhli cations:
TIME Magazine
LIFE Magazine
Encyclopedia Britanica
All these publications
are being printed by the
laborhating, open shop R.
R. Donnelly & Sons Co.,
(Lakeside Press) at Chica
go. against which the print
ing trade unions are carry
ing on an active organiz
ing campaign.
C.P. PRESSURE GETS
MEBA Export Line
Strike Caiied Off
It took the combined forces of the Communist Party ma
chine on both coasts to finally suspend the increasingly suc
cessful strike of the Marine Engineers on the Export Line.
Bringing Harry Bridges from«^—
the West Coast by plane and Joe
"No Coffee Time" Curran from
New York, the Stalinite cabal
utilized their connections in the
CIO to force the National Execu
tive Committee of the MEBA,
meeting in Washington, to order
Local 33 of that organization in
New York to call off its picket
lines around the Export docks.
A flukey clause in the consti
tution of that organization, re
quiring twothirds of the engin
eers on any line to favor a strike
before It could be flailed, served
as the flimsey pretext for this
action. That clause, any child
could have understood, can bo
made to apply only to a com
pany already organized into the
Union, which the Export Line
was not.
However, all the flnky C. P.
characters were looking for was
a pretext, and anything could be
made to serve tliat filthy purpose.
Local 33 of the MEBA is, how
ever, taking the whole case to
the NLRB and considers its pros
pects good of wiiming out in thn
cud.
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T H E '»E A F AJFl BR S ' LOG Friday, June 6, 1941
Published by the
ATLANTIC & GULF: piSTRIGT
of the
Seafarers^ International Union
• m
of North America
Affiliated with the American Federation of^abor
HARRY LUNDEBERG, Acting Ipiternational President
4 110 Market Street, Room 402, San Francisco, Calit.
ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS
PUBLICATION TO:
"THE SEAFARERS'LOG"
P. O. Box 522, Church St. Annex, New York, N. Y.
Phone: BOwling Green 93437
Organizers Report On;
ISTHMIANLim
ORGANIZING
DRIVE
Protect the Union's Future:
SoQil Progress Utede^
Asks Cooperation
HOUSTON
Wages have gone up considerably. Bonus paf 'is picking up.
Working an(J living conditions are more tolerable than they have
bden for a long time. The Unions seem pretty well entrenched.
Under the circumetances, many a seaman these days gets the
notion that we are heading straight' for Utopia. Tliat things are
going to Be smooth sailing for the working stiff from now on for
evetmore. With such a state of mind, many a seamen is inclined to
relax in his vigilance, slump into Indifference, draw his pay and
sfiehd it without a thought of tomorrow, without a thought of what
is really facing him and his Union in the days ahead.
Nothing is more dangerous to tire continued welfare of sea
faring labor than just this type of attitirde.
ITiat's the attitude that falls the Union in a pinch when backing
is needed for a fight to get improved conditions.
That's the attitude that brings about thoughtles.s "job actions"
which violate agreements and jeopardize the safety of the Union in
the midst of war hysteria.
That's the attitude that leaves th.e Union treasury empty and
the union itself defenseless in the face of most certain future
ehtergencies.
John Shipowner and the employing class as a whole have an
entirely dlflerent attitude toward this whole problem. The'y have
long ago realized that the fight between labor and capital is nip
and tuck. That in this fight, a concession won today may be lost
tomorrow.
'Accordingly, THEY prepare constantly to meet the I'cquire
ments of this fight. They build up huge ieserve funds to combat
ctiikes, they keep an eflicieiit antilabor lobby going in AVashlng
fon day and night, and they organize their gobnsqnads of coni
pany stoolpigeons and finks, ready to spring Into action when the
favorable opportunity for them aiises.
Right now John Shipowner .is frowning considerably at the
headway made in recent years by the sea slaA'es. So are all his
employer pals and the head guys among them, the bankers. But!
they look into the future and .see a brighter side to things. Recently
the President of the United States declared an "unlimited national
emergency" in connection with the war moves abroad. The reaction
to the President's speech in these circles was characteristic. Here
Is how the Journal of Commerce reports if on Thursday, May 29,
1941, under the heading "Wall Street Trends":
"One aspect of the Pre.sldent's addres.s which found a
favorable response in financial circles was his appeal to labor
Unions to desist froiiii'striking while the emergency contfnned.
Any development which would tend to limit labor's deuiands
at this time would be regarded as highly favorable from the
longer term standpoint, since conce.ssions won under the pres
ent COUditinns Would hot be relinqui.shed when the emergency
Is over, e.\cept after a considerable l>attle."
, These people know that in the last war the seamen's TTnlons
also made progress; that after the war the shipping boom collapsed;
that the concessions won by the Unions were slowly but surely
taken back by the shipowners; that when the Unions then went out
on strike in 1921 to protect their conditions, the Union treasuty
was usually empty. And, after a short battle the seamen, who .phi;'
a year or two before^iad enjoyed higli wage.s and decent living con
ditions, could eaeily be herded back to sea slavery.
They know that another such battle, to take back the concession.s
regained by the seamen moat recently, will undoubtedly come soon
after the "emergency" or war is oyer. They don't want too many
of labor's demands to be met now, so that it will not be too tough
for them to wipe these gains out later. Moreover, thfey are prepar
ing day and night for that battle with labor. They are building up
their reserves.
There is a lesson in this for labor itself to take to heait. The
seamen would do well to learn in tliis resect from the sliipowhers.
• We, too, must prepare for the battle. We must not be caught unpie
pared and .defenseless like in 1921. That would be unforgivably
shojtstghted. That would be cutting one's own throat.
The time to prepare for the defense of conditions gained is NOW.
The time to build up our reserves for the Inevitable clash with
the greedy shipowners is NOW.
The time to build impregnable barriers against a return to sea
slavery is NOW.
The time to shell out for a huge strike fund that will enable
the seamAu to meet any counter attack against their gains is NOW,
when liay la high and bonuses soaring. May 31, 1941
Thkt is 3the best Insurance that seamen can invest in for the , Editor, Seafarers' Log
protectibn Of their own .future.
The'shipownei's are doing just that. The seamen can profitably
learn from their example in this instance.
BUILD THE UNION STRONG AND FIRM! THE SIU IS YOUR
FORTRESS AGAINST THE COMING SHIPOWNERS' ATTACKS
ON YOUR: CONDITIONS!
May 17, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and.Brother:
Things have been slow this
week so far, but I ho'pe to do
some business this following
week. I am expecting a ship by
the name of Nickelliner in this,
week, and J understand that she
Is not organized, but if nothing
happens, she will be before she
leaves for other ports. We have
some SIU men aboard her and
that helps a lot in organizing
ships.
I know that we are very short
in key men, but it see'ms to me
that if we could get some of ouf
full book ihembers to take jobs
on these Isthmian ships, it would
not take us very long to get these
ships under our banner. The rea
son Is that they Oould do quite a
bit of contacting aboard, then we
would know who to ask for when
these ships arrived in port.
It is almost impossible to get
aboard them as they all have
these finky SI a year men as
guards, and fhey would not let
Christ aboard without a pass.
The membeisliip must realize
that every member in our organ
ization is an organizer and he can
do liis part at the presenf by tak
ing those jbb.s if only to the next
port that' will give the Union a
brtok, as we must have at least
51 per cent when we call for a
vote on those ships.
I have been contacting the
boys from some of the Southern
8. S. Co. ships and they are real
anxious to Join up. This is what
happened last Sunday nite. There
were two of those scows in |oort,
and I was very much surprised
when a gang of at least fifteen or
twenty men came up to me arid
asked if I was the organizer. So
I said yes, why?
They began to tell me of their
troubles, such as they were hot
getting paid for any overtime and
had to work on Saturday eve
nings. Chow and quarters were
lousy and numerous other things
that, we don't have on ships un
der bvir banner. Also that the
AB^'s were paid the sum of .$85.00
per month, tihie off for overtime.
Then that was time for me to do
lots of talking which I did. Also
gave them some agreements that
I had in my room, and believe
me, tho.se boys begged me to ac
cept them on the spot. Included
'were one or two engineers wanC
iiig to join up. They said that
they had rather work for a com
pany that was signed up with the
SIU as Fireman than to work for
the Southern as an Engineer.
Brothers, don't that sound as |
if the crews of those scows want
to come i:i our union? If we will
give them the same kind of pro
position as We are giving the
Isthmian Line, I am sure that
that Line will be under our ban
ner within two months.
Fraternally yours,
D, L. Parker, Org.
HONOR ROLL DELAYED
Due to the moving of Headquarters from Washing
ton to New York and the delay caused by this move,
the reports of donations to the SEAFARERS' LOG have
been delayed. These will be furnished complete as soon
as compiled.
Keep Union Standards
On the
The hullaballoo over the Delar^ntina case has died down.
Apparently the Navy's brass hats svcallowed a hot potato,
when they took up the alleged swastika incident there and
tried to play it up. Meanwhile, word has got around that
the Delargeiitina, along with a couple of other Delta Line
.ships, is to be transferred to the armed forces for use as naval
auxiliaries.
Can it be that the cry of "subvfersiveittess" was originally
raised in the Delargentina case wiith this contemplated trans
fer in mind? Can it be that the whole thing was just an at
tempt to terrorize the crew and stampede them into the
Naval Reserve—and then to continue to man the ship after
the transfer at less than half of their present pay?
The Seafarers International Union of North America has
set dowii as its standing policy not to interfere in any way
with Naval Reserve recruitment. The Union has no desire
and does not claim the power to instruct its members as to
the que.stion of joining the Naval Reserve. That is a purely
voluntary action. Each man, consequently, has to decide that
qnestion for himself.
But, it is quite understandable that seamen have been
reluctant in volunteering, on their own hook.
The ,men in charge of the Navy shbuld understand wiy.^^
It is clear that men Accustomed to the present Union wkges '
and working conditions would not voluntarily give up their"
standards for what amounts to Imlfpay and the curtailment
of hardwon. rights, that have made life on shipboard some
what tolerable.
Instead of resorting to cheap jingoistic publicity and ter
rorizing pressure eampaign.s, the Admirals would do well
to get wise and face the facts.
Tran.sfer.s of merchant vessels for naval use are going on
apace. There are less than 1,000 men in the Naval Reserve
that they can call upon to /Uian these ship.s under tlie condi
tion.s they have set down.
In order to man the increasing number of commercial
craft coming under their command, the wisest thing they
could do is maintain the Union wages and standards prevail
ing on the ships being transferred into their charge.
The shipowners are not asked to sacrifice half their capi
tal, let alone half their profits, when their ships come under
Navy command. Why are suchpatriotic" sacrifices asked
only of the Union .seamen and not of their employers?
Given Union wages and working conditions, the Admirals
will Iiave no trouble at all finding competent merchant sea
men to work the naval auxiliaries and transports.
No rmses are needed. Jmst keep the Union standards on
the tuansferred ships!
Dear,Sir and Brother:
For the ihforination of the
membership, they elected me to
organize the Isthmian Line and
we arc doing, our best to fine
them up, but we must have their
All members of the Seafai'crs International Union
of North America, Atlantic & Gulf District, are asked
to cooperate with the Union patrolmen in paying their
dues promptly. For the benefit of those members who
may not be aware of the fact, we are hereby reprinting
a resolution on this subject adopted by the New Orleans
Branch on February 10, 1941, ahd later on concurred
in by all the other Branches:
• "Due to the financial condition of the Union all
members while employed shall have their dues paid
through the current month and shall not be regis
tered on the shipping list if their .dues are not paid
through the current month."
help too.
When that Company calls the
hall for a man, let some ifnll book
member take the job and "theii ho
can do plenty towards helping
lihe the crew up, and at' the safiie
time when we call for a Vote on
tliose ships we haVe hbbli
mdmbers or men that are iuollhed
to line up with the SIU to vote
for GUI' .Union, otherwise all pur
efforts and money are spent in
vain. . —.
Once we'stop we are going
astern, and that must not ever
likpperi as long as we live in a
dkmbcralic country and belong to
a demberat^^^
Fraternaiiy, . "
D, U. Parker, Off.'
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Friday, June 6, 1941 THE SEAFARERS' LOG
/ W. h a t's Doing —
MOBILE
May 19, 1941 .
Editor, Seafarars' Log'
Dear Sir and Brother:
Greetings from thie port in the
sunny South on Mobile Bay. Busi
ness as usual has been very brisk
as far as the sailors are con
cerned here in Mobile.
This coming F^riday sees the
8.8. Alcoa Rambler coming out of
the Orydock to make her Initial
voyage. She will take a crew on
or about Friday and in all prob
ability sail about Monday or
Tuesday for the Bauxite Islands
and back to the Gulf,
Last week we had the S.S.
Francis Salman over in Pensaco
la, and due to the fact that there
• was a small beef there and also
Ave replacements to ship for her,
ipre went over. The beef was easi
ly straightened out to the satisfac
tion of all concerned.
The latest news to come from
the Waterman S. S. Co. is that
the S.S. Hastings, which has been
onthe coastwise run, is now go
ing to be changed to the Puerto
Rican run indefinitely. That will
make a total of four ships on that
run.
^ The S.S. Sacarrappa of the
South Atlantic S. S. Co. has been
> sold to the Alcoa Co. and has been
renamed the S.S. Aicon Cutter.
She will probably be put on the
Bauxite run.
As the 'Situation now stands, the
ships that are on the coastwise'
run for Waterman will stay there
for ^ while yet'. We were under
" the impression that maybe some
of them would' be turned over to
the Maritime pool, but as yet the
Company knows nothing o.f that.
Since the organization went on
record to open the books to bona
fide seamen from all available
sources, this office has been liter
ally swamped with applications
from men who have been wanting.
\ to Join the SIU of NA for a long
time. iNMU members who hesi
tated to take the step because of
j the uncertainty of the Permit sys
I ten are Joining up. We recognize
the fact that even in a Union of
the type of the NMU, there are
: men who would be a credit to any
organization. There are also men
• Who would be liabiiities to any
organization.
The men who fall in the fii'st
category are the men that we
Ahould be vitally interested in
helping because it is a well kliown
fact that they have not been
helped while members of the
NMTI. Now that they know they
can get into an organization
which is run for and by the men
who goto sea in the ships, in
stead of having a Dictator of the
calibre of "No Coffee Time" Joe,
this writer predicts that it will
be just a matter of a few months
and there will be no more NMU.
, The latest bit of strategy pulled
• , off by' the seamen's great bene
factor, "HamHead" Curran, when
he gave the .signal for members
of the National Maritime Union
to sabotage the picket line of an
other CIO aillliate should be
enough to convince even the most
skeptical.
We have seen evidence of the
NMU scabbing on the SIU, and,
believe it or not, NMU members
scabbing on their own NMU mem
bers, ia^ the tanker strike. Now
we flhd them living up to the
policy as laid down by the "Na
tional Council" when they finked
on the engineers who were affili
ated with the same CIO on the
S.S. Siboney.
Is it any wonder that every day
finds more and more NMU mem
bers in the SlU halls applying for
inembership in the SIU?
Well, that's about all for this
week..
Fraternally yours,
Robert A. Mattfiews,
Patrolman No. 1.
SAVAmAH
NOnCE
Men on the beach at
BEAUMONT, TEXAS, are
advised to get in touch
with W. H. Farley, Secre
tary of ILA Local No. 1610,
Brother Farley is getting
quite a number of calls for
'seamen and has agreed to
ship , "Slij , men to "such
>job3. Make sure to register
with him if you are on the
beach at Beaumont.
May 23, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
Shipping here In the last two
weeks has been very good. S.S.
DeSoto came In the other day,
and i replaced three AB's, one
Oiler and one Fireman. The 9.B.
Sea Thrush came In with three
AB's short, and ' after looking
around all day, I finally succeed
ed In getting three men aboard.
The following day the S.S. City
of Chattanooga came in from
New York with three AB'.s short,
and after hunting all oyer town
and the bus station, we finally
succeded in sailing her crewed up;
The S.S. lowan.came in with two
men short and sailed with one
man short.
The S.S. Detroiter came in yes
terday with two AB's sh'ort and
finally sailed O.K. The only ship
that came' in here In the last two
weeks that • WhsM't 6h4)rt'Was the
S.S. City of Atlanta.
As long as there is a shortage
of AB's around here, the mates
and ship's delegates run me half
crazy trying to find some one for
them. Some of these delegates and
mates think that all an Agent has
to do is reach up in a cloud and,
bingo, there is two good looking
AB's on his finger tips.
Looks as if as soon as shipping
gets good, no one wants to work.
At least it looks as if shipping is
going to be good here for the
next few weeks. '
Steady as she goes.
Charles Wald, Agent.
PROVIDEmE
June 3, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
bear Sir and Brother:
Shipping and business going
along good. Had a chdnce to re
pay boston for its help in the
past. The SiS. Iberville was in,
a Waterman ship. Wiiile in Bos
ton, met Brothers Megan and
Napi. who were right on the job.
The crews of the Colonial Line
ships are pleased with the new
agreement which our Brother
John Hawk, Sec.Treas.. got over.
Especially that trip off a month,
which the crews have bhen try
ing to get for several years.
The S.S. Meteor will start to
New Bedford June 25 on her sum
mer run. That will "be a boom to
the men of this port.
Now the iNESSCO officials are
getting worried. They are putting
tWv boats In cori'imisslon tbia
JACKSONVILLE
May 15, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
The DeSoto came in Suhday
with four men short". I shipped
two AB's, one Fireman, and one
Oiler aboard ahd then found they
had come South with another man
short.
« « «
Another Fireman wa? needed,
so I paid the fine of $5 for a man
named Jas. Pollard who was in
the Blue Jay. I took him to the
ship and got ?5 from the captain.
Pollard went; ashore later in the
evening and didn't return, so I
had to refund the |5 to the cap
tain. The ship sailed later with
the Deck Engr. taking one of the
firing watches as far as San
Pedro.
« « «
The Bosun, Chris Rasmussen,
had a run in with the mate about
the. nlate glvlfig the crew orders
and called a special meeting
which resulted in agreement by
• all concerned that the mate would
give his orders strictly to the
bostin and leave the bosun and
the men carry out the work with
out interference.
After much persuasion, the
mate signed it and I took it back
to Rasmussen, who insisted that
the captain sign it also. Rasmus
sen quit' because this "was too fool
ish to even consider, leaving his
money behind.
Something should be done to
check up on this fellow for quit
ting at 11 P,M, when the" ship was
due to sail at 2 A.M. I put an
other AB on her arid one of the
other AB's will take the bosun's
job. Ship sailed on time.
* m *
The Suwied arrived with two
AB's and two OS's short, 'which I
furnished and sirice then I have
had to seiid to Savannah for an
Oiler and to Mobile for three AB's
and an Oiler for the same ship.
The men got here, but two SUP
AB's didn't want her after they
got here, so I am trying to get
them to stay with her because of
the expense liiouey involved, I
put a Second Cook on her, too.
She is chartered to the Alcoa
S, S.'Co.
Fraternally yours,
C. M, Rogers, Agent.
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION
OF NORTH AMERICA , .
Atlantic & Gulf District
SecretaryTreasurePs Office
Room 213 — 2 Stone Street, New York City
P. O, Box 25, Station P Phone: BOwling Green 93437
DIRECTORY OF BRANCHES
BRANCH ADDRESS PHONE
NEW YORK 2 Stone St. BOwling Green 93437
BOSTON 330 Atlantic Aye. ...LIBerty 4057
PROVIDENCE .. 465 South Main St. ..Manning 3572
BALTIMORE ... 14 North Gay St. ... Calvert 4539
PHILADELPHIA ,6 North 6th St. Lombard 7651
NORFOLK 60 Commercial PI. ..Norfolk 41083
NEW ORLEANS 309 Chartres St. MAgnolia 3962
SAVANNAH .... 218 East Bay St Savannah 31728
JACKSONVILLE .136 East Bay St Jacksonville 51791
TAMPA 206 So. Franklin St. .Tampa M1323
MOBILE . 65 So. Conception St. Dexter 1449
TEXAS CITY ... 106 4th St.. N Texas City 722
MIAMI ...1348 N.E. First Ave.. Miami 22950
SAN JUAN 8 Covadonga St. San Juan 1885
BALTiMdHE
News and Views
Coastwise Shipping Curtailed Intercoastal
Drop Due Support Union Paper
BALTIMORE, Md.. May 21, 1941
—Shipping is much as usual
around this port with the supply
of qualified ratings none too good.
The shipbuilding program is be
ginning to pick up speed with six
ships eclieduled as ready between
May 20 and May 29.
Three of the new ships come to
the SIU. The fourth of the new
Robin fieet, the Robin Sherwood,
was launched here Saturday. The
local Bethlehem emergency yard
is a month ahead of schedule on
NOTICE TO ALL
. SIUMEN
Canadian Branches of the
Seafarers' /nterriational
Union
When in Canadian ports,
visit the halls of the following
organisations, affiliated to the
Seafarers' International Union
of North America;
CANADIAN
SEAMEN'S UNION
406 St. Lawrence Boulevard
. Montreal, Canada
BRITISH COLUMBIA
SEAMEN'S UNION
340B Cariibie Street
Vancouver, B.C.
month arid are wohUeirlng where
the crews afc *,0 be had. But
when they'gil wise to themselves
and put out sbme real money,
then they Can get a crew to sail
them;
Fraternally,
J. t. Lapham, Agent.
two keels laid and delivery of the
fii'st of the "Ugly Ducklings"
guaranteed by November.
This .port will be on a twonew
shipsa'week basis by the end of
the year. We don't blame the Dis
patcher for not looking forward
to Christmas. All Santa Claus is
going to bring him is a large
headache.
Coastwise Shipping Curtailed
Establishment of the convoy
shuttle system is playing havoc
'vvith schedules these days. Most
of the .smallef coastwise outfits
such as Amei'icau Range have got
out from under while the getting
'Was good and transferred or char
tered their ships to offshore com
panies. Some. of the larger out
fits. such as Bull, are holding on,
but as the railroads begin to take
up the slack, all coastwise ships
\viH gradually move over into the
long bluewater trades.
Transfer of 25 the 50 tankers
asked for by the Government has
already been made to the shuttle
service, and the prospects are that
more tHrin fifty per cent of the
212 tankers in the coastwise trade
will be running into convoy ports
on, this side before the end of the
year.
Intercoastal Drop Due
The intercoastal fleet is also due
for a kick iu the pauts with 50 of ^
the approximately 108 ships in i
that trade earmarked for this
cohst. Maritime Coinmissibn re:
placements will, in the main, be
shunted to the Coast to pick up i
on the Australian arid Far East !
runs with the .fast 19knotter6 re;
served for the Malay Peninsula i
rubber .run. Great Britain is pull i
ing as many ships as possible out |
of the Pacifte , but can't transfer i
too many over to fhe Atlantic un ;
til American ships are ready to
take over cm vital commodity
rune. ' |
Support Union Paper
IVatGrnian'o RaphaeI Ptiuuieo
JOE GRANDE, No. 1640
Get in touch with HUGH
BROWN, Jr., G. 131, who
would like to recover soma
gear which you are reported to
be keeping fpr him. He may
be reached on the S.S. Alcoa
Mariner—c.o. Geo. Huggins &
Co., Port of Spain, Trinidad,
B.W.t., until June 12; c.o.
Grace, Keneddy & Co., Kings
ton, Jamaica, B.W.I., until
June 18 and c.o. Alcoa S. S.
Co., 254 SQ. Broad St. Mobile,
Ala;, on and after'June 24. '
" • ...
' '''\ "i' V.'
• V .si <•
''A.
stopped by this way last week on
Ijer way from and to the Far
East. The Semmes had some
sweet little beefs requiring
straightening, but they were
stVaightened. The crew chipped in
with $14.75 for the "LOG," and we
appreciate that. So many of the
boys waste their dough on getting
"liveone" ratings from tlie beach
bums in tlie e.\clusive Balto and
Gay Street ginmill clubs, it's a
pleasure to occasionally run up
against a gang of the men whn
the EC2 or "Ll'Derty Fleet" with | remember they have a Union pa
per that needs all tlie support it
can get.
Old Sam Gompers said the
unions' newspapers were the most
important' part of tlie labor
movement, and when we read
through the average uewspuper of
today with its strong antiunion
bia.s, we are incllnerl to think
that Sam said a mouthful.
Marine Hospital Red. Tape
Some of the fellows aren't
speaking any too kindly about our
local Marine Hospital these 'fine
days. It seems That it takes just
about an Act of Congress to get
in the hospital,, unless you show
up minus a leg or an arm. If. you
happen to be just plain, everyday
sick, a C. C. handout is about the
best you can expect. The hospital
gets the reputation of being the
best in the country as far as the
medico.s are nonrevued, and it is
a pity that a rep like tiiat should
go boom because some one has
found a nice, new roll of the old
red tape.
Now, Doc, you know an army
travels on'its stomacii and sail
ors, even sick ones, are not so^
diffe|ent. from a bticC private in
that respect. So how about it'?
I Yours, » '
Wm. McKay, Agent, '
'• 1
.iU
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THE SEAFARERS' LOG Friday, June 6, 1941 '
:'13ii&Is:for YOUR Use, Brother SIU Member
I'Siij t;
«P<"i
mi.If
niq i
wjifir
Wital Draft Information.
For Union Seamen
There have been repeated cases lately in which bona fide
Beamen who are entitled to deferment as essential to the Mer
chant Marinehave been drafted into the Army. Thisis not
biily sensele.ss from the point of view of the seaman involved,
who is taken off a defense job in which he is expert and put
on a job in which be is altogether raw, but it is definitely
contrary to the Selective Service Headquarters regulations
themselves.
Only the failure of Local Draft Board members to keep them
selves properly informed about the regulations and instructions
issued from their own Headquarters is responsible for this time
wasting and efficiencykilling procedure with regard to seamen
So that seamen may know their rights in this situation and he
nble to present their case intelligently when they are called up for
Selective Service, we hring below the full text of Bulletin No. 24,
issued by Selective Service Headquarters for New York City on
April 15, 1941, insofar as that document refers to seamen;
* * * .
SELECTIVE SERVICE
NEW YORK CITY HEADQUARTRS
April 15. 1941
BULLETIN NO. 24
TO: MEMBERS OF LOCAL BOARDS, REGISTRANTS' ADVISORY
BOARDS, APPEAL BOARDS. GOVERNMENT APPEAL AGENTS.
«. CLASSIFTCATION AND DEFERMENT OF SEAMEN
Determination of when a seaman is a necessary man must be
resolved by the Local Board in the light of the particular circum
staaces and in accordance with the three conditions set forth in
Paragraph 351, Selective Service Regulations. To assist in this deter
mination, however, the following information from National Head
quarters is published for the guidance of all concerned:
"It is believed to be a matter of common knowledge that
our Merchant Marine is an essential activity, and that in times
of emergency it bears a direct relation to the national defense.
It is further believed to be a matter of common knowledge
tliat the United States is engaged in an extensive expansion
of the Merchant Marine at this time because of the existence
of emei*gency conditions.
"The United States Maritime Commission anticipates a
growing shortage of certain skilled personnel as a result of
the expanding shipbuilding porgram which may beconie acute
within the next six montlis."
The Naval Occupational Advisor to National Headquarters and
the Director of the Division of Maritime Personnel of the United
States Maritime Commission have made the following statements:
"It is anticipated that national shortages will occur in the en
gine department of merchant vessels, in the grades of firemen and
higher ratings; in the deck department, in the grades involving able
seamen and higher ratings,, which includes boatswains and quarter
masters; in the steward's department', it is anticipated alsq that a
shortage of chief stewards, marine cooks and bakers may result.
The anticipated shortages also Ificlude licensed officers and radio
operators.
."Both labor and management in the industry are in accord that
such classifications as wipers, ordinary seamen, mess men and mess
boys would not normally meet the requirements of Paragraph 351 (b)
and (c) of the Regulations."
NOTE: Men who will soon be ready for certificates for
,hrgher ratings, as indicated by the length of service shown
on the questionnaire, can properly Jbe put in Class IIA as
"men in training" for becoming necessary men.
Careful consideration should be given to men who hold the fol
lowing certificates: . . ;
Able bodied Seamen, Firemen, Water 'Tenders' Machinists, Deck
Engineers, Chief Stewards, Oilers, Pumpman, ElectriciansMarine.
"The Naval Occupational Advisor and the Director of the Di
vision of Maritime Personnel of the United States States Maritime
Commission are of the opinion that even though a. seaman comes
within one of the groups wherein shortages afe contemplated, he
is not a necessary man unless such registrant shall have actually
worked at sea for not less than an average of eight months per
year in the last two years. Local Boards can secure such infor
mation from discharge pa^)ers or, if the registrant is not able to
locate such papers, from an affidavit of the registrant, specifying
the vessels and voyages made, which information can be checked
with the Bureau of Marine Inspection, Department of Commerce,
or with shipping articles or articles of enrollment."
Where sealnen are deferred, they shall be placed in Class IIA.
The period of deferment in Class IIA may not exceed six months,
but such dferment may be renewed from time to t4me if the local
board finds that such continuance is justified under the Regulations.
In applying these broad provisions there must be no deviation
from the clear statutory prohibition against group deferments.
NEW ORLEANS REPORTS
Delta Line Vessels
To Be Taken Over by
Maritime Commission
June 2, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
Shipping around here has
slowed down some in the past
week, but it is just as hard to get
men as when we ship a hundred
or more men a week. The ship
ping lists are pretty big here now,
but men are scarce as hell when
the jobs are put on the board.
Must be too much work ashore
for the gang. Shipped about 55
men last week to regular Jobs.
At least it looks like a regular
shore gang will be hired by the
Mississippi Shipping Co. through
the hall. Last week they hired a
shore gang from the hall witb a
regular bosun to work the men.
All the work over the side on
theee ships is put out by contract
and usually it's a CIO gang that
does the work. The cleaning of
the boilers and tank tops is also
done by this same shore gang.
The lowest bidder gets the job.
and nine times out of ten this
CIO bunch gets the contract. Just
one example of the cheap labor
the Company can get through con
tractors using CIO men down
here. I hope that in the near fu
ture the seamen can gct^ this
work at the regular standby pay
of $6.80 a day.
Things have quie.ted down some
about the swastikas on the S.S.
Delargentina. But something new
has come up to take, its place that
is Just as bad to the organization.'
The Maritime Commission has re
leased an article to the press
Stating that they will take over
the S.S. Delargentina and S.S.
Delorleans on their arrival here
in New Orleans.
What run they will put them
on, or who will operate them is
as yet' not known. According to
what we have heard,' the Com
pany will fight to keep these
ships. This is one case where we
hope the Company will win out,
for by them winning out', they
will help us out. If theee two
ships are taken by the Maritime
Commission, and are operated by
them, it will put about 130 of our
men on the beach.
"Not mauy beefs around here in
the past week. Had a beef on the
S.S. Delbrasll about finding room
for a waiter the Union had the
Company put' on board. They had
an extra large passenger list this
trip going south, so they had to
put amextia waiter aboard. These
shipe have hardly any room at all
when it comes to putting extra
men aboard them. •
Since the new agreement with
the Seatrain Lines, these ships
have been coming and going with
very few beefs on them. And be
lieve it or not, they only take one
or two replacements a trip.
The piide of the Waterman
Fleet, the S.S. El "Valle, formerly
of the Morgan line and the NMU,
will go into drydock this week. It
was agreed by the Company and
the Union that they would put
them , in drydock the first chance
they had, before any crew was
shtE^)e.d on them. They are what
wi call, rustbuckets extraordi
nary. She^is due in here Wednes
day and will go to Mobile as soon
a^s th^ unload:her cargo. TheV
are going to recondition them all
the way around.
'This ship and her sister ship,
the S.S. El Dia, are the only ships
in operation that I know of (un
less the NMU have more like
them) where the crew demanded
new canvas and drain pipes to
put over their bunks to catch the
water that comes through the
decks above. Not only did the
water leak through the decks on
.these ehips, but' even the canvas
the men had over their bunks to
catch the water leaked, when we
took these ships over from the
NMU.
When they get through with
these ships in Mobile, they should
be as good as new, then they will
come up to the SIU standard.
Fraternally yours,
"Buck" Stephens.
"Swastika" Squawk
Fizzles; An Overtime
Beef Is Overlooked
J)rafted Seamen May Be Released
According to reliable information from Washington, the sliort
nge of trained seamen has come to the attention of the military
and naval Instances and has cansed great concein. The Army is
ssid to have declared its readiness to go so far as to even release
men who have been drafted into the Army previously, provided
they can show adequate seatime in the higher ratings .among the
nnliqensed personnel. Members of the Union who are in the Army
meet these requirements should appcAl for releiue to
BndferSecretary of War Robert Patterson. Notify the Union office
a Union Tetter backing up such an appeal will likewise he
to the UnderSecretary of War.
Out of the Mailbag
Cautions Seamen Against Snares
Of Customs Men in British duiana
New York, May 27, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
After seeing the same gag
worked twice and having taken
the trouble to investigate it both
times, I've come to the conclusion
that it's a racket . . . but perhaps
I'm Just a little bit ahead of my
story.
To get to the point, all the
Aluminum Line ships making the
bauxite run (West Indies, South
America and Canada) during the
height of the season (generally
between May and November)
have to lay in the bottleneck, the
Demarara River, off Georgetown,
British Guiana, sometimes from
7 to 9 days, because the bauxite
hplant cannot accommodate more
than two freighters at one tjme.
Accordingly, on arrival day in
Georgetown, on the last ship I
was on, the captain put out a
draw and the gang went ashore
and blew its .top, and the next
day the majority of them ^yks
broke. According to law, the old
man didn't have to pul out an
other draw in that port, and he
didn't. Anyway, some of the gang
went ashore the following day
with the hopes of promoting
something without any nioney.
While ashore, one of our
brother members (we'll call him
X, to save him a lot of embar
rassment) was approached by one
of the stooges planted by the cus
toms officials; "Hey, Yank, if you
have an American radio, I know
where you can get $40 for it and
no questions asked."
Brother X, without stopping to
think, made a date with the cus
toms stooge to meet him ashore
the following day and go with
him to sell the radip.
Next day Brother X and the
stooge went to some store. While
the storekeeper made believe he
was examining the radio, the
"hfelpful stooge" skipped out. A
few minutes later two customs
men "accidentally" stepped in,
confiscated the radio and arrest
ed Brother X. He ended up by
losing his radio and paying a $30
fine. The alternative was six
months in Jail.
The following day I went
ashore and looked up some family
I know and by dint and much
persuasion finally got the story.
Seems that the customs officials
gave 25 per cent of the fine as
sessed to the informer who was
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
Things are still rocking along
here in the Crescent City. The
usual In and out run of beefs.
The main squawk of the week
was the blasts from the press on
the "Swastika" incident aboard
the S.S. Delargentina. It seems
to the members around here that
this is Just a cover or smoke
screen for some one that didn't
deliver the goods to the payoff
men. In this case the payoff men
are you and me and every other
taxpayer. The Government put
out a nice piece of change to re
cruit members into the Naval Re
serve. It didn't take and now
there must be some reason shown
why it fouled up some place. Re
sult; a nice chance to smear the
SIU.
It makes no difference fhat
since the SIU came into being,,
we have consistently fought all
"isms." Now a goat must be had
and the fact that some member
of our organization, while rubbing
out a paint brush, drew three
good luck charms which yrere
confused with swastikas, gave the
golden grummott to a publicity
loving few.
Found a strange thing happen
ing aboard a floating rustbucket
the other day. The sailers painted'
out the messrooms and neglected
to put in for overtime. The black
gang enlightened them op thg
fact that this was overtime, but
still it took the patrolman tp.con
vince the men that they were en
titled to receive overtime for thl«
work. One more case of the boya
not knowing the agreement.
The usual beef is trying to col
lect overtime on some of the
screwiest beefs in the world. Now
we have a cfew showing up, giy /
ing away Instead of taking! 'What
next?
Believe it or not', the Seatrain
New Orleans was in here with
only one small squawk. Here ̂ la
the payoff. It took only, two sec
onds to square it away, the creW
were exactly right and collected.
But the Company had a real beeft
Seems that a couple of trips ago,
the crew squawked for a buffeE
plate in the bathroom to keep the ^
water from running from one side
to the other; this was put in. at
considerable cost.
This trip the wiper cleaning the
toilets thought that too mucB
work was involved in cleaning up,
so he drove holes through the
plate. Result: right back where
they started, except that this will .
make it harder the next time that
something is wanted on one of
these ships.
Why, oh why, does one crevf
den)jand, then the next crew wreck:
what is gained? Still they expect.;
to get all demands. Think it over
Steady as she goes. • >.
New Orleans Offictala.
also the man who prompted
Brother X to bring the radio
ashore.
A similar incident' happened on
a previous Aluminum Line ship
I was on last year,, to another of"
our brothers, but in his case the
line was $70.
In conclusion, the moral of this
story is, don't let yourself be
ta!;en In by "helpful natives" of
British Guiana. ' You can never
tell when you are being baited
Into "smuggling."
S. T. Nevola, SIU peck, 5170.
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