Mr. HADDOCK. If he says his service is bad, then the man has to go through quite a bit to get his service changed if it is not correct.

The CHAIRMAN. Is not the master required to sign every discharge certificate that is issued when a sailor is discharged?

Mr. HADDOCK. Theoretically, I have signed several thousand of them myself.

The CHAIRMAN. But the master is required to sign them?

Mr. HADDOCK. He is required to sign them. This particular case that I referred to here of licenses-I do not intend to try to argue as to the merits of whether the men acted in a manner becoming an officer on board these vessels where these two cases were involved, but the fact remains they could not get their licenses signed. In the meantime, they must remain unemployed until I come down to Washington and present facts to the Federal Communications Commission whereby they may be reinstated or their licenses revoked. Mr. SIROVICH. This bill says so far as seamen are concerned he must sign them.

Mr. HADDOCK. That would be the same question.

Mr. SIROVICH. I think we should amend that, Mr. Chairman, to compel them to sign the papers of the radio officer the same way, and if there is anything bad they can take it up later.

Mr. HADDOCK. If this book is going to be passed upon radio operators, it will not be necessary to have a license any more, in my opinion. If such a book is adopted, I think that all licenses should be abolished and a page specifically placed in the book stating whether or not a man is a master or chief engineer or radio officer or what not.

Mr. SIROVICH. Who is to give him the license that will qualify him as a radio operator?

Mr. HADDOCK. The departments that do that at the present time. Mr. SIROVICH. It is your theory that once he gets that license he shall have his continuous discharge book which works automatically just the same as has the seaman?

Mr. HADDOCK. Certainly. I am not familiar with the type of licenses by all other governments, but I am familiar with that in Mexico, as an example. The Mexican Government in licensing radio officers gives them a book somewhat similar to the radio-marine red book, which contains the man's service record and his license right in the book. He can carry that book with him wherever he goes, and he will always have his service record and his license in one. The CHAIRMAN. This, however, would be very valuable to the sailor whose record was uniformly shown to be good, would it not?

Mr. HADDOCK. I am not so sure of that; no. We have radio officers in our organization who have been given medals for commemorable acts, yet those same radio officers are on the blacklist today.

The CHAIRMAN. I said uniformly through a period of years his service is shown to be good.

Mr. HADDOCK. No; I do not agree with that.

The CHAIRMAN. Does not this continuous discharge book put him in a very advantageous position in the matter of employment? Mr. HADDOCK. I do not think so, not insofar as the shipping companies are concerned, because experience has shown me that they pretty generally have employed their seamen without regard to their service. They were not interested in the service. In a great number

of cases it seems as though they were interested in perpetuating what are known as the "finkhalls ".

Mr. SIROVICH, What does that mean?

Mr. HADDOOK. Where seamen have to ship, at the different halls, different rooming houses.

The CHAIRMAN. You mean sort of a crimp proposition?

Mr. HADDOCK. That is what it is, a crimp hall.

Mr. LEHLBACH. If the shipping operators are not interested in a man's service record, why is the service record a blacklist?

Mr. HADDOCK. I did not understand that, sir.

Mr. LEHLBACH. If the ship owners in picking crews are not interented in a man's service record as shown by his discharges, then how to those discharges or how does a book containing all of the disetarges become a blacklist?

Mr. HADDOCK. Because it gives them information concerning a man that they will use to his detriment, regardless of his service. I just stated that we have members in our organization who are Haklisted, yet who have the very best of records, and who have memorable records with years of experience.

Mr. LEHLBACH. Then the blacklist is not based on the service ཀྱeask°』རྩེ

Mr HADDOCK. No; it is not based upon whether or not a man is a

dman or not. It is based upon the information which you have. We radio operators have been operating ever since the old MarconiMorgan Co, started over here, under what is known as the “service record book.” We still have one. I am sorry I do not have mine here •, *ow you.

Mr. LEHLBACH. You say a good record in the service record book Is not cut any ice with respect to improving a man's chance for

***loyment !

Mr. HADDOCK. It does not mean that that man will be given preftere over a man who has a very poor record.

Mr. LEHLBACH. But that he may be ostracized, he may be black*ed for reasons that do not appear in the service book at all! Mr. HADDO K. Absolutely.

Mr. LEHUBACH. Therefore, the service book is not a blacklist. Mr. Hapbook. It acts very much as a blacklist, because if a man ai to present his book before the employer-to give an example f that, when I was assigning radio operators in one of the cities down Iexas, a man came in for assignment and gave me his book. I had name, and so forth, on the blacklist that was submitted by the pany. He gave me his book. I had to take that book and compare with the record.

If I were employing those men as to their service and only as to t^-.r service, I would take their license, see that they have had so -ary years of experience, that their license says that they are quali- to do such and such work, and that is as far as I would go. Iat is as far as I am interested. If you are qualified to do the you should get it without regard to any blacklists that are it up.

Mr. LEHLBACH. Yes; but what I am trying to get at is, you have *d your opposition to the service books on the ground that they stituted a blacklist. Then you testified that the man's service as

evidenced by his book or by his discharges has nothing to do with whether he is to be hired or not, that that is dependent upon extraneous records. Then why the objection to the service book if it is not used for that purpose?

Mr. HADDOCK. I do not believe I said it had nothing to do with it. I said it did not always hold that those who have commendable records will be given preference. I did not say that those who have a mark against them would not be further discriminated against.

Mr. SIROVICH. Take a great organization like the International Mercantile Marine, who have radio operators upon their ships. What is the usual length of service of the average radio operator? Does he work for 6 months, a year, 2 years, or 3 years, or do they change them every month?

Mr. HADDOCK. He works by the trip, but they change them only when they find some cause to do so.

Mr. SIROVICH. Let us take that big organization, since you stated pretty nearly every one of the steamship companies have a blacklist. What percentage of the men did they discharge within a period of a year or two?

Mr. HADDOCK. I would say the International Mercantile Marine probably discharge two or three persons a year-that is, radio officers.

Mr. SIROVICH. Out of how many working there?

Mr. HADDOCK. They probably have something like 50, I guess.

Mr. SIROVICH. Is not that a very small proportion, less than in any other business or industry?

Mr. HADDOCK. Aside from what they discharge, the Radio Marine Corporation will probably remove 10 or 12, and there will probably be a turn-over of some 25 or 30 more because of the poor conditions in that particular company.

Mr. RABAUT. According to that only 20 would keep their jobs for the period, or less than 20.

Mr. HADDOCK. Approximately that.

The CHAIRMAN. Have you finished, Mr. Haddock?

Mr. HADDOCK. Add a subsection to section 1006 under "Conferences "to read as follows:

The Authority shall endeavor to promote treaties with foreign governments wherein the subsidies shall be equalized, minimized, and eliminated, and shall, when a deduction is made in subsidies by a foreign government, reduce the subsidy to any American company in competition with such foreign lines in a proportionate amount.

It is obvious that subsidies which are granted by our Government will tend to increase subsidies granted by foreign governments, just as have their subsidies caused us to grant subsidies. If each nation is to enter into a subsidy war, there is to be nothing gained except perhaps the granting of lower rates to the exporters, which would permit them to sell their goods at a rate which is lower in foreign countries, thus making the American taxpayer suffer for the benefit of the foreign public.

We have already seen the disastrous results to the taxpayer of the armament war and should utilize this lesson and do everything pos sible not only to prevent a subsidy war but to entirely eliminate the subsidy through international negotiations.

Jet in connection with that I would like to cite a peculiar circumta. w which I noticed in 1927 or 1925 concerning "Sun-Maid " rasts, with which all of you no doubt are familiar from the old jae, "Have you had your raisins!" At that time those raisins

re selling in the United States for 15 cents per box. In Germany he same raisins were selling for 7 cents a box, which was due entirely to the fact that they could be shipped to Germany in American bottomas va, der a subsidy at this lower rate, having the American taxpayer the difference to the company.

It is all I have.

1. CHAIRMAN. Are there any questions? 1:ank you very much, Mr. Haddock.

STATEMENT OF C. A. ABELE, CAPTAIN, UNITED STATES NAVY, RETIRED. SUPERINTENDENT OF THE MASSACHUSETTS NAUTICAL SCHOOL

(an AB1. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, I wanted to say was pretty well covered by Congressman Water, but he recommen ied the "removal of the last sentence of 2, page 36, beginning on line 19. I would suggest that be changed somewhat as follows: All the words: " Provided nothing in this section shall interfere present activities of the existing State nautical schools.” I a fairly short statement which I would like to present to

I U. S. S. Nantucket, ex-Ranger, is the school ship of the I' Mass Fusetts Nautical School. She is an auxiliary bark of 1,261 -placement, a coal-burning steamer,

The complement of cadets is 118. Classes are entered in April Oktober. The course is 2 years. Both deck and engineering are provided. Cadets choose the courses they desire to

I

school was started in 1893. Since that time there have been 1,674 cadets, 53 de k_and_71 engineer. From 1919 Donate $24 endets have been graduated. During the World War * graduates were in the Government service, more than 300 offers in the United States Naval Reserve, and some 150 g Board ships.

I. the $25,000 granted the s hool annually by the Federal wernment, the ship Fas been maintained at the following cost the years noted for which data is available:

During the above years cadets were graduated as follows:

With the States interested conducting the schools, the cost to the Federal Government must be less than if the Government were to take over the entire work of educating young men for the merchant. marine. Education has been traditionally a function of the States. The Federal Government has educated for the national defense, and its wards. If the Federal Government undertakes to educate for the shipping industry, it will probably not be long before other industries demand Federal schools. There are many land-grant colleges throughout the country. Support of State nautical schools is in a way complementary to Federal support of such colleges.

If a National Merchant Marine Academy were to be established students would be admitted from all parts of the country. It is doubtful that those from inland States would continue to follow the sea after graduation. Graduates can hardly be assured of jobs upon graduation as are graduates of Annapolis and the Coast Guard Academy. It is believed that they would soon drift back home. Men whose homes are near the ports that their ships touch are the ones more likely to continue to follow the sea.

The Massachusetts Nautical School is well regarded in the State. The State legislature provides generously for its operation. Applicants for training exceed vacancies three to five times. All sections of the Commonwealth are represented in the school's enrollment. During the past year 78 towns and cities were represented by students in attendance. Cadets enter the school by competitive examination. With such excess of candidates over vacancies to be filled there is good selection. The merchant marine cannot afford to lose such material.

Cadets live on board the Nantucket throughout the course under ship routine and discipline. An intensive school schedule, both theoretical and practical, is conducted during the winter months, from November 1 to April 1. The ship cruises from early in May till late in September. School is conducted during the cruise as weather and ship's work permits. About one-third of the voyage is made under sail alone, and even when steaming, sail is used much of the time. Pulling boats are used almost entirely. The aim of the school is to prepare young men to be seamen, firemen, and oilers, as well as officers. The success of the school is attested by the fact that thoughout the depression graduates have consistently gotten jobs. Practically all have been placed within 2 months of graduation.

Whatever the committee may recommend with regard to the 'proposed National Merchant Marine Academy, it is hoped that it will in no way jeopardize the Massachusetts Nautical School, which has been