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The CHAIRMAN. I agree to that. At the same time, I do not quite agree with Mr. Mann. If we are making this a matter of record, I think the material should be included in the record, and then the deletions may be made accordingly.

Mr. MANN. Here is one from a passenger dated October 13, [reading]:

1937

My experience on board U. S. vessels has been very similar to his, there being an absolute disregard of courtesy on the part of the crews, who show a definite lack of loyalty to the officers and the company itself. I can best describe what I mean through one instance recently on the Line coming from to

My waiter had handed me the ship's newspaper to read at breakfast table when, within a few moments, another waiter came over and snatched the paper from my hands with a remark that it was his paper, "Go and get your own." I immediately reported the matter to the Captain who stated it was unfortunate but that there was little he could do except to move the waiter to another job on the ship. He was forced to take the crew which was sent to him.

It seems to me, one of the first tasks of the Maritime Board should be to see that discipline is enforced on board ship and eliminate such men who will not serve the public in a courteous manner, or who endanger passengers' lives by refusing to carry out safety regulations. The American public will refuse to sail on American ships unless effective discipline can be enforced by officers on board ship.

(The letter referred to was marked "Exhibit 1.")

Senator WHITE. The letter is identified by a number, and it will be available to the committee, and if it becomes desirable for us to know just what this particular ship was and just who the captain was who made this statement, the information will be available to us. Of course the moment you put that captain's name into the record, you hold him up as a target.

Mr. MANN. I have here a letter from another passenger, dated November 1, 1937.

The CHAIRMAN. From the same ship?

Mr. MANN. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. The names will be deleted.

Mr. MANN (reading):

Regarding the service, there was a lot to be desired in discipline and proper courtesy toward the passengers. For example, when a deck steward addressed Mrs. in this manner, she didn't much appreciate it-"Say, Toots, wouldn't you like to sit over here now?" Then when the waiter at the table addressed the four women who were in the party, saying "All the girls at this table are nice," it wasn't exactly discourteous, but it was just out of order, showing a woeful lack of good discipline and training.

I take the liberty of dropping you this note because I thought you might like to have a check-up on your organization once in a while. I hate to see good American business lost to foreign lines, but this is one sure way to push it into the hands of the competition and, as I understand it, there is plenty of competition in the shipping business.

(The letter referred to was marked "Exhibit 2".)

Mr. MANN. Here is a letter from another passenger on another ocean dated October 14, 1937. [reading]:

Recently the writer left for a business trip to this part of the country and, being intensely American, naturally took an American vessel, namely a boat. It is with the keenest regret that I must say that as far as returning to via an American boat I am certainly not going to do so, prefering to travel all the way to Vancouver and travel via Canadian Pacific Line. Why? So unionized have the American lines become that the waiters are uncouth, rude, and frankly tell passengers that they must act the way the waiters want them to act during eating hours or they will get no service. Bell boys, bath boys, deck stewards, in fact every white man other than officers aboard the ship, made it decidedly unpleasant for passengers. The only civility seen came

from the Chinese boys. Waiters demanded tips, deck stewards refused to give service without extra individual remuneration, bell hops actually wait with extended hands for tips. Were the service rendered worthy of tips we would be happy to give, but when members of the crew actually crowd passengers off the rail so that they can wave to their friends on the dock, when waiters are surly, snatch plates from under the noses of passengers and throw knives and forks, etc., on the tables if asked for extra helpings, it is our belief that such service calls for a severe reprimand rather than a tip.

Every passenger on the with friends in the Orient ready to leave for the United States cabled said friends to travel on British, Japanese, or foreign vessels, of some type. If these conditions as described continue, the writer, as an American businessman, feels that nothing but shame and bankruptcy can reward the American merchant marine.

(The letter referred to was marked "Exhibit 3.") Senator VANDENBERG.

ter, relating to discourtesy?

Are all of these letters of the same charac

Mr. MANN. No, Senator. I have some here that are different, but I have not arranged them in any particular order. I have just taken them as they came.

Here is one from the State Department forwarding a report from the American Consul General, Naples, Italy, dated August 24, 1937 [reading]:

The crew threw potatoes at the Carabinieri, one of whom fired in the air. It is also alleged that members of the crew shouted various epithets against the Fascist Government. * * *

The lack of discipline at present prevailing among American seamen on vessels employing members of the west coast unions and, to a lesser degree, on ships employing seamen from the east coast, has been consistently creating difficult situations at this post, and this disturbance on the S. S. President Adams, unfortunately, is only an indication of what is going on and not a case of an unusual occurrence on a particular ship.

(The report referred to was marked "Exhibit 4.")

Here is another consular report forwarded through the State Department, American Consulate General, Shanghai, dated July 2,

1937.

Mr. MANN [reading]:

I have the honor to bring to the attention of the Department the serious, not to say deplorable, lack of discipline prevalent on American vessels touching at Shanghai. The almost complete lack of a sense of responsibility and discipline among American seamen has made American shipping almost a laughing stock in this country. It is well to mention, however, that these conditions are as yet largely confined to vessels whose crews are shipped in Pacific coast ports as comparatively little difficulty is experienced with crews shipped in Atlantic and Gulf ports though there is evidence that the latter are beginning to emulate the Pacific coast seamen.

* * * It has become rare for an American vessel to leave port without leaving behind some one to six or seven seamen. It is true that the men are not as a rule outright deserters, but they are so totally irresponsible and undisciplined that they are unable to take their duties seriously. They realize also, that the companies must maintain them and arrange for their repatriation or employment on other vessels or that in certain cases the Consulate General must grant them relief. As a result of the number of men left behind here and in other ports of the Orient, this office at times resembles a labor exchange with ships needing men to replace those left in a previous port and in turn leaving a few more when they sail. * * *

It is not only that deserters and stragglers are so numerous that is injuring the reputation of American ships and seamen but that the seamen are constantly making absurd demands which are usually conceded by the companies, as they realize that the men are prepared to strike or to refuse to work until their demands are granted. * * *

Early in June the union delegates representing the deck, engine, and steward's departments of the S. S. Admiral Wood called at this office and stated that the

entire crew except for four or five men had come ashore and they were prepared to strike, as they had no food on the vessel that day and the master had refused to give them the allowance per meal specified in the contract with the unions. Investigation revealed that the lack of food was due to the refusal of the cooks to use the coal provided by the company for use in the galley. This coal was that which almost every company provides as kitchen coal, but the cooks stated that they were not used to this coal and could not possibly cook with it.

* * *

On June 25th the S. S. Admiral Cole was in port discharging a cargo of lumber from Tacoma and was to sail on June 27th for Dairen. On the 25th about onehalf of the ship's complement was ashore and sent word to the agents that they would be unable to return to the ship until just before sailing time on the 27th. The vessel was due to shift her berth on the 26th to take on bunker oil and the agents were compelled to hire Chinese to assist in shifting the vessel. On the 27th when the vessel was ready to sail the absent seamen had not appeared and it was necessary for a representative of the Dollar Company to round them up from various saloons and other places frequented by seamen.

On this same vessel there occurred a fight between the white crew and the negro cooks and stewards. It is understood that the crew had been drinking aboard the vessel and that the white members threatened to beat up or kill the negroes. The latter appealed to the United States marshal who promised to make arrests if necessary but the trouble was in the end settled peacefully.

On one Dollar Line vessel the crew complained that only one kind of ice cream was served to them, whereas passengers had a choice of two or more kinds.

They insisted on equal treatment and received it. On another vessel the crew demanded a large electric toaster of the type used by hotels, large ships, restaurants, et cetera. As these toasters are almost unobtainable outside the United States the demand had to be refused but it is believed that the crew won their request when the ship returned to an American port. Demands of this nature are said to be common and do not represent any real grievance on the part of the men but only a desire to show their power.

Another unfortunate result of the successive maritime strikes has been that the seamen's unions have been able to make it virtually impossible for a man not a member of the union to obtain employment on an American vessel. In actual practice it occasionally happens that a vessel needs men in a foreign port and of course there are no union men available except for deserters and stragglers. Union delegates sometimes in these circumstances permit a nonunion man to be signed on but he usually finds life made very difficult for him. In one instance in Shanghai a young man who had signed on in Manila was "taken for a ride" while his vessel was here and severely beaten by members of the crew. The unions apparently forbid their men to sign on vessels as workaways with the result that unless deserters and stragglers can find regular employment on other vessels they must be returned to the United States as consular passengers. The bad effect of this practice on a large scale is obvious. Formerly it was often possible to return destitute American citizens to the United States as workaways on American vessels but this is virtually impossible today as the union delegates would not permit a master to sign on such a person, and no ship's master dares defy the unions on a ground such as this.

Complaints of passengers on the conduct and attitude of stewards and others of ships' complements are so frequent that they have become commonplace. When passengers threaten to report a man to the captain or other officer a common retort is: "Go ahead; he has nothing to say about it." It is not true that every seaman is of this type but it is true that this element seems to preponderate and to be in control of the seamen's unions. The difficulties arising out of the prevalent situation are obvious not only from the point of operation of vessels, but the blow to the prestige of the American merchant marine is such that recovery seems impossible without a changed attitude on the part of maritime labor.

* * *

There are a great many shippers in Shanghai who say that they would never ship cargo on American vessels as they can never be quite sure that it will arrive on time, due to strikes and other disturbances. * * *

These shippers say that they would not use American vessels now if there was sufficient available space on foreign ships. The same complaint is heard from passengers, who say that they would not travel on American ships if foreign vessels had accommodations. The complete lack of discipline on American ships on the Pacific and the fact that passengers cannot obtain the type of service to which they are entitled does not augur well for the future of American shipping. Passengers of any nationality expect to receive civil treatment and not to be subjected to the insults and whims of members of the ship's complement.

It is a complaint of shipping companies that crews do not live up to the contracts signed between the operators and the unions on the termination of the last strike. The agreement provides that there shall be no unauthorized strikes and that differences shall be adjusted by port committees. Crews, however, appear to have no hesitancy in threatening what are known as "quickies," or no-notice strikes, whenever they have any real or imaginary grievance. Many seamen with whom a consular officer comes in contact realize that the present conditions are unfair not only to the companies but to themselves, but they are unable to do anything to remedy conditions as the extremists seem to have the machinery of the seamen's organizations in their hands.

It is to be hoped that some adjustment of relations between the men and the companies can be effected before American shipping suffers further damage to the little that remains of its prestige in the Far East. Unless this is done it is

certain that American shipping will be in danger of extinction when the present boom conditions no longer prevail or if another slump should overtake the shipping industry.

(The report referred to was marked "Exhibit 5.")

There are quite a number of consular reports here, but they are

rather lengthy.

Senator GIBSON. Was that last one a consular report?

Mr. MANN. Yes, sir; from our consul general at Shanghai. There are 11 consular reports on this subject.

The CHAIRMAN. Are they all in the same spirit and the same tenor? Mr. MANN. Yes; although some are more specific.

The CHAIRMAN. Let us have one that is more specific.

Senator GRAVES. Is that a recent letter as to a very recent condition? The reason I ask that is that I think it was testified the other day that they never struck at sea; that they always completed the trip before they struck, and it was stated that particularly in the last 6 months, since they signed these contracts, they did not have trouble at sea, but waited until they got into port again.

The CHAIRMAN. I think a witness made that statement at the hearing, Senator, but I think that we have abundant evidence to show that he might have been mistaken.

Senator GRAVES. I believe he emphasized the words "within the last 6 months." I remember he kept saying "within the last 6 months"; and I was wondering if these letters included that time.

The CHAIRMAN. You remember the Algic case happened within the last 6 months. The California case happened some months before. that. Papers were made out to arrest the men, but some of the papers were not served in New York. The conditions here spoken of are quite recent; that is, they are within the current year. The testimony of the witnesses was that since they started to make these agreements, everything was "apple pie."

Senator VANDENBERG. The occurrence last week that is reported in the Herald Tribune is far more pertinent than any of this material. The conditions are very definite, very specific, and very insufferable. The CHAIRMAN. Suppose, for the benefit of the committee, you read that. It is short.

Senator VANDENBERG (reading:)

MANILA, Dec. 15.-One hundred and thirty-four cabin passengers and 309 third-class passengers from the grounded Dollar liner President Hoover arrived here today aboard the Dollar liner President McKinley, the majority of them bringing high praise for the conduct of the Hoover's captain, George W. Yardley, and his officers, but condemning the behavior of some of her crew after the ship struck a small island near Taiwan (Formosa) last Friday midnight.

An American passenger representing a large United States publishing firm, who declined to permit use of his name, said: "With the exception of a few older

hands, the majority of the crew, most of whom were recruited from hiring halls, were a disgrace to American shipping."

This passenger charged that fully 50 per cent of the crew never had been seamen before and did not know how to man the lifeboats, as a result of which the first two boats transferring passengers from the stranded liner to the nearby island of Hoishoto were capsized. He said the passengers were landed safely only when the boats were pulled to shore by cables.

As soon as the passengers were safely ashore, he continued, many of the crew members, most of whom were drunk, mingled freely with the passengers and did not recognize the authority of the officers.

During the first night on shore, this passenger asserted, drunken members of the crew broke into the makeshift quarters of the women passengers, terrorizing women and children, some of whom ran out asking for protection of the men passengers. Finally some officers and older members of the crew succeeded in quieting the intoxicated men, he said.

Mrs. Charles Salmon, wife of an insurance executive, who was returning after an extended visit to her two daughters in New Jersey and New York, corroborated the story of this passenger, saying that as soon as the ship grounded, crew members broke into the Hoover's bar, taking possession of all liquor. She said that later, on the shore, drunken crew members walked among the passengers "eating sandwiches and drinking champagne," and saying, "Pretty soon we will control the ship."

Mrs. Salmon added that in two or three instances members of the crew tried to break into the women's quarters, and later marched to the village, where they created disturbances. She said she watched the work of the crew after the stranding of the Hoover, and was convinced that many "never saw the sea before." The Hoover passengers, after boarding the McKinley, held a meeting and approved a resolution thanking Captain Yardley and his officers "for the safe and efficient landing of the passengers under hazardous conditions."

Mr. MANN. Here is a letter from the chief steward on a ship of the in which it is stated [reading:

The crew are constantly making complaints about various things and call a court quite often and try different members of the ship's personnel and call for their dismissal from the ship. The officers have all been intimidated to such an extent that they dare not make any attempt at enforcing discipline. Officers have been attacked by members of the crew, and the guilty persons could not be removed from the vessel.

We are all union men on this vessel and all the officers answered the strike call of last November, but it seems that those of us who are not inclined towards communism are treated about on a level with a strike-breaker.

There are members of the crew of this vessel who boast of being Communists and stand on deck and give the Communist sign when passing Russian ships in the ports of and I am interested in the success of the American merchant marine and hope that something will be done to bring back law and order to American ships before the better class of sea farers have all been ran off the American ships by the Communist element now in control.

He encloses copies of the menus which the men refused to accept. (The letter referred to was marked "Exhibit 6.")

Mr. MANN. Here is a letter from a deck delegate who writes in a complaint to Mr. Kennedy; but it seems more harmful than helpful to him [reading]:

The vessel was due to leave at 1:00 a. m. September 16th, and a half hour before that time the captain told the mates that if the gang was not aboard at 1:00 a. m. to chop the lines. The chief officer was informed at sailing time that the carpenter, six A. B.'s, and an ordinary seaman was still ashore and the gear and hatches were still not secured. The captain said that he was not interested and to let go the ship.

The men on board naturally refused to do this, as they had already experienced going to sea improperly secured. When the ship left the booms were not lashed and the strongbacks just laying on the hatches. Also the lines were left on deck. The ship hit a blow in the Gulf of Lower California, and all hands had to be broke out to secure the ship.

And here the master wants to head out into the Caribbean Sea without the booms down or the hatches even battened and eight men from the deck department still ashore.

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