Wages paid Chinese seamen and firemen per month on ships of the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. in 1915

To-day the China Mail Steamship Co., the corporation mentioned above, is paying its Chinese seamen and firemen a comparatively much higher rate. Chinese crews in the Pacific trade are usually paid off in Mexican silver dollars, the exchange value of which is very high at this time (May, 1919). The present scale follows:

Wages paid Chinese seamen and firemen per month on ships of the China Mail Steamship Co. in 1919

Its

The China Mail Steamship Co. is engaged in the trans-Pacific trade. rates, however, do not indicate any standard wage paid chinse seamen in the Pacific, except as far as its own crews are concerned. British ships, for instance, pay their Chinese on a different scale, usually considerably higher, but by no means uniform. The articles of three British ships clearing from New York showed one ship paying Chinese seamen $29.20, another $29 to its seamen and $31 to its firemen, while the third paid its seamen and firemen, $39.13.

1

The articles of other British vessels with mixed crews seem to indicate that 29 Shanghai dollars is the rate usually paid to Chinese seamen and 31 (Shanghai) dollars to firemen. Thus it may be presumed that the following scale is reasonably representative for British ships:

Wages paid Chinese seamen and firemen per month on British ships in 1919

Seamen.
Firemen

Rank

Shanghai American dollars equivalent

29.00 31.00

$31.41 33.58

Instead of $29 (Shanghai) ($31.41) the flat rate of £6 ($29.20) is sometimes paid on British articles. This represents almost the same value. It is approximately one-half of what the British seamen and firemen were getting before the £3 ($14.60) bonus was added to their wage in October, 1918. The latter have been working persistently for the elimination of the Chinaman from British ships. Their efforts in this direction have been checked by war-time necessities, but may be resumed with the signing of peace.

1 Shanghai dollar equals $1.0832.

LASCAR AND MALAY WAGES

Besides Chinamen crews on British vessels often contain large numbers of Lascars and Malays. Their wages are extremely low. The following figures were obtained by examining the articles of seven British ships with Lascar crews clearing from New York:

Wages paid Lascar seamen and firemen per month on British ships in 1919

Rank:

Seamen
Firemen

$5.93 6. 16

Lascars are paid in Indian rupees. While the seamen are graduated in many subdivisions like the Japanese, their average wage being $5.93, the firemen get a flat rate of $6.16. This represents the actual pay received in Asiatic waters. While in the Atlantic these same crews receive just double this amount.

Malay crews were found on three British ships. Two were paid the same rate in Shanghai dollars, the other was paid in Singapore dollars.

Wages paid Malay crews per month on two British ships, 1919

The third ship paid its Malay seamen 22 and its firemen 19 Singapore dollars or $12.50 and $10.79 American currency, respectively.

The CHAIRMAN. Let us hear the first witness of the morning.

STATEMENT OF MR. WILLIAM E. GRIFFITH, MANAGER OPERATING DEPARTMENT, EMERGENCY FLEET CORPORATION

The CHAIRMAN. The purpose of the meeting to-day is to hear suggestions and objections, if any, from members and counsel of the Shipping Board. Have you concluded, Mr. Raker?

Mr. RAKER. Practically so. The question was, I suppose, Mr. Chairman, whether the Shipping Board sees any objections to the proposed legislation in (f) and (g) of committee print No. 3.

The CHAIRMAN. The suggestion was made a day or two ago to Mr. Nicholson, of the Shipping Board, that he examine the deportation act as ordered reported by the committee. That bill does not, you know, carry provisions (f) and (g) of committee print No. 3. The suggestion was that the Shipping Board and its attorneys look at the deportation act as reported, which has remaining in it some provisions affecting alien seamen and shipping conditions.

Perhaps it should be restated that these meetings were continued after the reporting of the deportation bill for the consideration of two clauses that were dropped from the bill when the bill was reported. Those two clauses are (f) and (g) of committee print No. 3, and they are now before the committee.

Mr. GRIFFITH. Shall I comment on the two clauses to which you

refer?

The CHAIRMAN. Have you examined the deportation bill as reported?

Mr. GRIFFITH. I have examined (f) and (g) only. In one copy of an amendment I saw a clause marked (i).

The CHAIRMAN. Has anybody of the Shipping Board, in authority in the legal department, examined the bill 11796 as reported?

Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Nicholson has, I presume. He called it to my attention this morning. There was a printed amendment which we discussed or read once or twice and discussed briefly just before I came up. It was apparently subdivision (f) in committee print No. 3. There was also a clause (i) in the same printed amendment.

The CHAIRMAN. Those matters that appear in the slip marked "Amendments proposed by Mr. Raker" have been partly accepted; (i) becomes (g) in the print.

Mr. GRIFFITH. They are apparently (f) and (g) in committee print No. 3.

The CHAIRMAN. Yes; they are not in the bill as reported and are now in dispute here.

I might ask at this time whether the Shipping Board as a board desires to be heard with regard to any provisions in the printed bill that has ben reported to the House?

Mr. GRIFFITH. Yes, sir; it does.

Mr. HOLADAY. (f) and (g) are not in the reported bill.

Mr. GRIFFITH. I mean (f) and (g). Those are the only two provisions with which I am partially familiar.

The CHAIRMAN. So far as you know, the Shipping Board is not opposed to the deportation bill as reported to the House? It does not contain subdivisions (f) and (g) of committee print 3, you understand.

Mr. GRIFFITH. I do not know their attitude as regards the bill without (f) and (g). The only provisions I discussed briefly with Mr. Nicholson this morning are (f) and (g) of committee print No. 3.

Mr. O'CONNOR. Matters arise under the bill that are, I think, far afield and would affect the Shipping Board. It says something about giving certain excluded classes the right to appeal to the Secretary of Labor. We are not opposed to that.

The CHAIRMAN. That is not in the bill. H. R. 11796 has been reported by the committee and is now on the calendar of the House. The report on it is available. It would be highly desirable if the Shipping Board could give intense study to that. But in addition to that there are still before the committee remnants from the draft of the bill. They are known as (f) and (g) of committee print No. 3. They appear originally in the slip marked "Amendments proposed by Mr. Raker." We can now proceed to discuss (f) and (g). Time is getting shorter and shorter for the passage of the remainder of the bill. It would be highly desirable for the Shipping Board to pay close attention to the sections in the bill reported out. I would be glad for you to take copies of the report, which are explanatory.

Mr. RAKER. The matter referred to is (h) one place and is (g) in committee print No. 3.

Mr. O'CONNOR. That is what I want to know.

The CHAIRMAN. Before you start, let me reread (g) into the record. It says:

No vessel shall, unless such vessel is in distress, bring into a port of the United States as a member of her crew any alien who if he were applying for admission to the United States as an immigrant would be subject to exclusion under subdivision (c) of section 13 of the immigration act of 1924, except that any ship of the merchant marine of any one of the countries, islands, dependencies, or colonies, immigrants coming from which are excluded by the said provisions of law shall be permitted to enter port of the United States having on board in their crews aliens of said description who are natives of the particular country, island, dependency, or colony to the merchant marine of which such vessel belongs. Any alien seaman brought into a port of the United States in violation of this provision shall be excluded from admission or temporary landing and shall be deported either to the place of shipment or to the country of his nativity, as a passenger, on a vessel other than that on which brought, at the expense of the vessel by which brought, and the vessel by which brought shall not be granted clearance until such expenses are paid or their payment guaranteed.

Mr. O'CONNOR. We have no objection to that.
The CHAIRMAN. You have no objection to that?
Mr. O'CONNOR. No, sir; we would favor it.

The CHAIRMAN. What arguments have you in favor of it, Mr. O'Connor?

Mr. O'CONNOR. We are in favor of a merchant marine for the United States and we can not have it without Americans aboard the boats. The crews on American ships must be American. It is rumored that we have aliens on board our ships. The Shipping Board has sent word to all operators to carry Americans exclusively on our boats, if possible. That is what the order amounts to. I would like to submit from our Sea Service Bureau showing that where we employ Americans it is a 100 per cent proposition. I will send that up.

Mr. SABATH. I have repeatedly heard charges against the Shipping Board's method of employing men, and I would be glad to read the report to which you refer.

Mr. O'CONNOR. Our orders to the operators are plain. They put up quite an argument to the effect that they could not get Americans for the commissary department. Sometimes that is true. One can not always get an American boy to act as a servant. They have to have somebody to fill those places, of course. I believe that by a good, honest, thorough effort it would be found by the operators of the Shipping Board vessels as well as others that they could get Americans.

Mr. RAKER. You have some vessels operating out of San Francisco that have practically all Asiatics for crews, have you not?

Mr. O'CONNOR. Two, I think. They get them on the other side; they have some man there that they call a fake.

Mr. RAKER. Is that employment contrary to your instructions?
Mr. O'CONNOR. It is if they can get Americans.

Mr. RAKER. Has it not been demonstrated that, when one employs part of an Asiatic crew, it is a sure thing that one can not put Americans also on the same ship?

Mr. O'CONNOR. That is true; the Americans will not sleep or eat with the Asiatics.

Mr. RAKER. Has anybody in your organization gone into that situation to show that the vessels may fill those places occupied by orientals with American citizens, or those who are entitled to become American citizens, if they want to do it?

Mr. O'CONNOR. We have made a study of that in the sea service bureau and will be glad to submit a report on it in due time.

Mr. RAKER. Are you of the opinion that it can be done?

Mr. O'CONNOR. I do not think it can be done at the present time. I do not believe that Mr. Furuseth will say that we can get waiters on those boats who will wait on Chinamen who come over ever as first-class passengers. It is a hard matter to induce American boys to take those positions. The Shipping Board would employ American citizens exclusively.

Mr. RAKER. Mr. Furuseth and Mr. Flynn are of the opinion that those vessels could replace those orientals with Americans.

Mr. O'CONNOR. The Shipping Board will take the position that the positions must be filled by citizens of the United States if they will furnish the American citizens.

Mr. RAKER. I have felt that such was your position at all times. Mr. GRIFFITH. It can not be otherwise. Obviously, we have to have Americans if we would have a merchant marine in the United States. We can not build up a merchant marine with aliens manning our vessels.

The difference between a 535-type passenger ship operated in the Atlantic with an all-white crew and the same ship operated transPacific with a steward's crew of orientals, the exceptions being the chief stewards and other supervisory and important positions, is

Mr. RAKER. You are going to give a vessel in the Atlantic with an all-American crew and a Shipping Board vessel in the Pacific operating with an oriental crew?

Mr. GRIFFITH. The majority of the crew being orientals. The first and second stewards, manicurists, barbers, etc., would be Americans. These amount to about 11 men, I think.

The cost of the all-white stewards' department crew in the Atlantic, according to figures obtained last spring for the select committee of the House of Representatives investigating the Shipping Board's activities, was $8,555.03 per month, there being 141 in the stewards' department. A sister ship operated out of San Francisco in the trans-Pacific trade, having a total crew of 143 in the stewards' department, all but 11 of whom were orientals, had a monthly wage expenditure of $2,929.94.

Mr. CABLE. There was that difference in wages?

Mr. GRIFFITH. Yes; a difference in wages.

The CHAIRMAN. Who pays the wages?

Mr. GRIFFITH. Eventually it is paid from the appropriation for the operation of the Shipping Board Fleet Corporation.

The CHAIRMAN. Are these vessels of the Shipping Board being operated at a loss? In gross there is a deficit every year and the people pay the bill, is that not right?

Mr. GRIFFITH. Yes-limited by the appropriation to meet which you have to either decrease the fleet or make some other arrangement.

The CHAIRMAN. The Shipping Board controls the employment of the men and fixes the wages, does it not?

Mr. GRIFFITH. Fixes the wages and designates the people who shall be employed through the Emergency Fleet Corporation.