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Mr. WEICHEL. The law gives him treatment as long as he needs it. There is nothing in the law saying what you are saying.

Mr. MCCANDLESS. I think you will find what I am saying will probably be supported, Mr. Weichel. At least I am assuming it will be, and I believe it will.

Mr. WEICHEL. What I am trying to find out is that if a man is injured as a merchant seaman in service, certainly there is no law to cut him off from treatment. If that is so the law should be changed. He should have treatment. If the United States Public Health Service is not giving it to him we ought to find out about it.

Mr. MCCANDLESS. I think we are in accord on that, Mr. Weichel. I think that is one of the purposes of this bill, to shorten up any gap there may be between the situation I suggested and this situation you have in mind.

Mr. BRADLEY of California. Are there further questions?

Mr. ALLEN. Who prepared the redraft which puts this H. R. 476 in its present form?

Mr. MCCANDLESS. That was prepared by the subcommittee, by Congressman Peterson.

Mr. BRADLEY of California. Gentlemen, unless there are some further questions pertaining to the immediate issue we will discontinue this testimony.

You will have the statement of the Maritime Commission ready as soon as practicable?

Mr. MCCANDLESS. Yes, sir; Mr. Chairman.

Mr. BRADLEY of California. All right.

May I ask a question of the other governmental agencies present? I want to know if your statements are ready.

Mr. William McCauley, Director, Bureau of Compensation?

Mr. MCCAULEY. We have no formal statement prepared as yet. Mr. BRADLEY of California. Will you have one prepared in a short time?

Mr. MCCAULEY. Yes.

Mr. BRADLEY of California. Roughly how long will it take?

Mr. MCCAULEY. About 2 weeks, sir.

Mr. BRADLEY of California. The Social Security Administration, Mr. Wilbur Cohen. Have you a statement prepared yet?

Mr. COHEN. Yes, sir.

Mr. BRADLEY of California. They are ready?

Mr. COHEN. Yes, sir.

Mr. BRADLEY of California. Then you will be ready at any time? Mr. COHEN. Yes, sir.

Mr. BRADLEY of California. Capt. Edward R. Durgin, of the Navy Department. Have you a prepared statement?

Captain DURGIN. No prepared statement. I have a statement I can make to you. That is the Bureau of Personnel and not the Navy Department. There is somebody else representing the Navy Department. Mr. BRADLEY of California. Coast and Geodetic Survey, Commander Bond.

Commander BOND. I shall be ready in a matter of days, Mr. Chair

man.

Mr. BRADLEY of California. In order that the committee may have the benefit of these letters which have just come in so they can read

them in the transcript of testimony, I will read two letters which have just been received.

The first is from the Merchant Marine Veterans' Association of the United States, February 17, 1947:

DEAR MR. BRADLEY: As you know, a bill extending certain benefits to men who served in the merchant marine during World War II, will be heard by your committee on February 18.

One of the most confused issues in this bill is the question of pay rates of merchant seamen. Many persons quote fantastic rates of a thousand a month paid cooks and messroom attendants. They usually have heard someone else mention such rates but they have no factual data. Therefore, we feel certain that you will be interested in the attached tables which contain data this association stands ready to prove to your satisfaction.

Sincerely yours,

LEWIS DOYLE, National Commander.

I have here another letter just received from the War Department, dated February 18, 1947:

DEAR MR. BRADLEY: The War Department has carefully considered H. R. 476, Eightieth Congress, a bill to provide aid for the readjustment in civilian life of those persons who rendered wartime service in the United States merchant marine, and to provide aid for their families.

The purpose of the bill is to provide comprehensive gratuitous benefits for persons who served in the United States merchant marine, including the United States Army Transport Service, during the time December 7, 1941 and prior to March 2, 1946, and for service prior to December 1941, if, in the discretion of the Chairman of the Maritime Commission, such service was in an area which was subjected to hazards commensurate to those determined as adequate to constitute a war zone or danger zone subesquent to December 7, 1941. The principal benefits proposed are as follows:

1. Education and training for wartime-service seamen on practically the same basis and to the same extent as provided for veterans by Public Law 346, Seventy-eighth Congress, the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (commonly known as the GI bill of rights).

2. Certain employment and reemployment rights for wartime-service seamen. 3. Medical, surgical, and dental treatment and hospitalization for wartimeservice seamen at hospitals and other stations of the Public Health Service for disabilities.

4. Disability benefits for wartime-service seamen and death benefits for their dependents under the act of September 7, 1916, as amended (39 Stat. 742; 5 U. S. C., ch. 15, sec. 751, and the following), under the conditions therein described and herein modified.

5. Vocational training and rehabilitation for wartime-service seamen.

The proposed legislation is similar to H. R. 2346, Seventy-ninth Congress, upon which the War Department rendered a report to the Chairman, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, under date of October 17, 1945, recommending that the proposed legislation be not favorably considered.

The benefits proposed by this and similar legislation are generally the same as those provided for veterans of the armed forces.

The War Department is, of course, aware that the contribution of the merchant marine in the present war was immeasurable, as is that of millions of other civilian men and women, including civilans employed in the United States Army Transport Service (Transportation Corps, Army Service Forces).

The civilian status of the merchant marine has been preserved during the present war. Merger with the military or naval estabilshment was carefully avoided. The War Department is not aware of any effort, during the present war, by members of the merchant marine, or their representatives, to have military or naval status conferred upon them with the liabilities, privileges, and emoluments flowing from such status. Rather, they have apparently chosen to enjoy the usual rights of civilians, to introduce contracts of employment, and to have rights and privileges under numerous statutes and general maritime law specifically designed to meet the needs of seamen in private employment, plus the higher pay, liberal bonuses, and free insurance provided for them during the emergency.

Under the circumstances, the War Department can find no justification for granting members of the merchant marine and their dependents benefits equal to or greater than those provided for veterans of the present war and their dependents.

The Congress has adhered to the principle of not granting the same relief or benefits to civilians as are provided for persons who have performed active military or naval service. This Department cannot suggest any other sound principle.

In considering the broad question of policy involved, the Department believes that the proposed legislation would establish a precedent for granting veterans' benefits to other groups of civilians. In the present war, such groups include, among others, certain contractors' crews, civilian pilots of the Air Transport Command, civilian instructors of the Air Forces, war correspondents, personnel of the Air Specialist Corps, the Civilian Air Patrol, and the Women's Auxiliary Service Pilots, and certain personnel of the Red Cross.

In the event that the Congress should determine as a matter of national policy that additional benefits should be provided for members of the merchant marine, the War Department would offer no objection to an equitable extension of benefits through amendment to general maritime laws especially designed to protect merchant seamen.

The War Department does not have the data upon which to base an estimate of the cost of the proposed legislation, but it is believed that the cost would be great.

For the foregoing reasons, the War Department recommends that the proposed legislation be not favorably considered.

Due to the limitation of time the Bureau of the Budget has not been consulted as to the relationship of this report to the program of the President.

Sincerely yours,

Gentlemen, it is now 11:30.

ROBERT P. PATTERSON,
Secretary of War.

Mr. BROPHY. I move now that the meeting be recessed subject to call of the chairman.

Mr. WEICHEL. I second the motion.

Mr. BRADLEY of California. You have heard the motion that this meeting be recessed subject to the call of the Chair.

Is there any discussion?

(No response.)

Mr. BRADLEY of California. All in favor indicate by saying aye; contrary no.

(The motion was unanimously agreed to.)

Mr. BRADLEY of California. The meeting will be recessed. The call will go out as soon as we have information from the various Bureaus and Departments as they are ready with their data.

Thank you.

(Thereupon, at 11:30 a. m., the subcommittee recessed subject to the call of the chairman.)

SEAMEN'S BILL OF RIGHTS

MONDAY, MAY 12, 1947

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE No. 1 OF THE COMMITTEE

ON MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES,

Washington, D. C.

The subcommittee convened at 10: 55 a. m., Hon. Willis W. Bradley of California, chairman.

Present: Messrs. Tollefson, Allen, Brophy, Havenner, Bradley of California, chairman.

Mr. BRADLEY of California. Gentlemen, we will come to order.
This is a hearing on H. R. 476, which reads as follows:

[H. R. 476, 80th Cong., 1st sess.]

A BILL To provide aid for the readjustment in civilian life of those persons who rendered wartime service in the United States merchant marine, and to provide aid for their families

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That this Act may be cited as the "Merchant Seamen's Wartime Service Act."

TITLE I-DEFINITIONS AND CERTIFICATE OF MARITIME WARTIME SERVICE

DEFINITIONS

SEC. 101. As used in this Act the term

(a) "Chairman" means the Chairman of the United States Maritime Commission.

(b) "War zone" means an area which the Maritime War Emergency Board has determined as hazardous and subject to enemy activity and in which a bonus was payable to crew members of vessels.

(c) "Danger zone" means an area which the Maritime War Emergency Board has determined as extremely hazardous and subjected to intensified risks of war, and in which an area bonus was payable to crew members of vessels. (d) "Maritime wartime service" means

(1) civilian service by an individual after December 7, 1941, and prior to March 2, 1946, as

(A) a master, officer, or member of the crew, on or in connection with the operation of (i) any vessel documented under the laws of the United States, or (ii) any vessel in the United States Army Transport Service, or (iii) any vessel in the Coast and Geodetic Survey, or (iv) any vessel owned by, chartered to, or operated by or for the account of, or at the direction or under the control of, the United States Maritime Commission or the War Shipping Administration; or

(B) an enrollee in the United States Maritime Service on active duty; or

(C) an enrollee or student in any maritime school or institution, including basic-training schools and academies of the United States Merchant Marine Cadet Corps, and any State maritime academy under the the jurisdiction or supervision of the War Shipping Administration, but

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