http://www.seafarerslog.org/archives_old/files/original/47da9c1f0dd6396f69d9d926f3ae0c0a.PDF c7dadc6a580825cede1659f974dfdc4e PDF Text Text V SEAFARER&teOG OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE SEAFARERS INTERNATIONAL UNION • ATLANTIC, GULF, LAKES AND INLAND WATERS DISTRICT • AFL-CIO I N The High Cost of Drugs— A Scandal in The Nation Page 15 �March 31, 1967 SEAFARERS LOG Page Two Addresses MTD Shipbuilding Seminar Hall Blasts Govt's Maritime Policy, Cites Need For Separate Marad Report of International President by Paul Hall The recent series of rallies organized by the AFL-CIO to gain overwhelming public support throughout these United States for a stronger and farther reaching Social Security program illustrates once again the deep concern of the American labor movement for the safety and well being of all citizens. WASHINGTON — SIU President Paul Hall, who is also president of the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department, said recently that he was optimistic that a concept of an Independent Maritime Administration would pass in the 90th Congress even though some interests are being pressured into position by the spokesman for ® From coast to coast tens of thousands of citizens attended these the new Department of Trans­ year's Congressional fight to keep out that there was good reason to believe that U.S. shipbuilding 14 meetings and many millions more were informed of them via the Maritime Administration inde­ portation. prices, utilizing existing facilities, Speaking at the day long semi­ pendent of the Department of can be reduced by 20 to 30 per­ press and television. Labor leaders and legislative exponents of the nar "Shipbuilding 1967—Year of Transportation, and assured those cent below today's levels with administration's proposed increase in Social Security pensions and in attendance that Congress was benefits gave of their time and urged adoption of the bill now before Decision," Hall said the Adminis­ ready and willing to receive rec­ more sensible procurement proce­ the Congress. Packed union halls and hotel ballrooms resounded with tration's maritime policy is "noth­ dures, multiple production con­ enthusiastic cheers for an expanded Social Security program. ing more than last year's task ommendations on U.S. Maritime tracts, better vessel design and policy. "It needs these recom­ force proposal retrieved from the All of this sounds very impressive and it was impressive. I was in more realistic specifications. mendations," he said. ash can in which Mr. Boyd told New Orleans to hear the reaction of the people there and reports from A "crusade for a bigger and Other speakers at the seminar other cities were no less favorable. Congress the plan had been better Merchant Marine" was included Page Groton, director of dumped." called for by Congressman Wil­ the Boilermakers, Iron Shipbuild­ But now that the applause has died down and the participants have Alan S. Boyd, head of the new liam L. St. Onge (D-Conn.). A returned to their homes, the campaign must continue in earnest. A ers Marine Council, who pointed cabinet-level Department of member of the House Merchant rousing beginning is just that. Unless it is sustained its purpose is out the boost shipbuilding gives Transportation, came under severe criticism from Hall, who accused Marine Committee, Onge noted the U.S. economy; and Andrew wasted and its cause often lost. Boyd of using "hatchet man" tac­ that from the national interest of Pettis, vice-president of the Indus­ Necessary and worthy as this Social Secuirty bill is, it has its oppo­ tics and said that he doubted the United States "it is vital that trial Union of Marine and Ship­ nents in the Congress as well as its supporters and could be defeated we maintain a shipbuilding base" building Workers, who urged a whether Boyd could properly rep­ unless the voters themselves let their wishes be known. Cheering at a with sufficient trained men and continued fight for an independent resent even a good program much rally is fine; but cheers die down and are heard no more. It must shipyards for the construction of MARAD. less the bad one he is now ped­ be done in writing and it must be done by the voter. ships for any eventuality that may dling. The importance of a revitalized arise in the future. Administration tactics in rela­ Senators and Representatives are in Washington because a majority Dismissing ideas of building merchant marine and the estab­ of citizens cast enough votes on election day to put them there. But tion to maritime also came under lishment of an independent Mari­ attack from Congressman William U.S. merchant ships abroad, he time Administration was also the the voter's voice in government doesn't end on election night any S. Mailliard (R-Calif.), who de­ said "the damage done to a vital topic of speakers at the regular more than a successful political campaign ends the responsibilities of scribed the Administration as us­ industry in our country would be MTD Legislative Meetings. the legislator who waged it. ing a "combination of politicking irreparable." "The Administration is duty Write to your Congressman or Senator and let him know that you Shipbuilders Council of Amer­ with the 'carrot and the stick' and support an expanded Social Security program. The letter doesn't have bound to the American people use of the principle of 'divide and ica President Edwin M. Hood at­ tacked the accuracy of estimated to see that appropriations are to be elaborate and the shorter it is the better; a few sentences saying conquer'." He urged the industry to re­ cost savings achieved by building made available to support a strong you favor the Social Security program requested by the administration. main as united as it was in last ships in foreign yards. He pointed Merchant Marine," said Joseph The voice of the people is just as much the foundation of a democracy Keenan. Keenan, who is secretary as it ever was but we must not forget that the men sent to Congress of the International Brotherhood to serve us can function only if we take the trouble to tell them what of Electrical Workers and a yice- we want. president of the AFL-CIO, pointed Although this bill doesn't do all that might be hoped for, the 20% to the vital contribution being average increase in Social Security benefits is a good step forward made by the maritime industry to toward the 50% increase the AFL-CIO would eventually like to see support American troops in Viet­ realized. Under certain circumstances it does provide medicare assist­ nam. ance to those under ^65, disability insurance and extended protection WASHINGTON—^The American Maritime Association has Another speaker who stated ;br survivors. Even under the present proposal, the Social Security voiced its vigorous opposition to a proposal by Transportation De­ strong support for the creation of package is vastly superior to any insurance available privately with partment Secretary Alan S. Boyd which would permit the cmistruc- an independent Maritime Admin­ )remiums that would ordinarily be available only throu^ a high cost istration was Representative Hugh lolicy issued through a private company. tion of American-flag vessels ^ Carey (D-N.Y.) who insisted that abroad and allow such vessels traded Isthmian Lines, the AMA If every person of .voting age that cheered at all of those rallies put an independent MARAD is the to receive operating subsidies, voiced its opposition to the Boyd the cheer on paper and also got someone else to do it, the bill would carry aid and defense cargoes and proposals on a point by point only course to follow in upgrading lave an excellent chance of becoming law. the American merchant fleet. participate in the U. S. domestic basis, and expressed its disagree­ trades—contrary to the provisions ment with two other management associations, the American Mer­ the 1936 Merchant Marine Act. SIU Ship Escapes Staten Island Blaze chant Marine Institute and the In a letter signed by Archibald E. King, president of SlU-con- Committee on American Steam­ ship Lines, which represent sub­ sidized operators and have ex­ v.:,. • pressed a willingness to accept SEAEiARER&^LOC most of Boyd's proposals. The AMA represents 95 com­ March 31. 1967 • Vol. XXIX, No. 7 panies operating 232 unsubsidized Official Publication of the vessels. Seafarers International Union Shipping Group Opiioses Boyd's ^ Han To Buiid Ships Abroad of North America, Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL,-CIO Exeeutive Board PAUL HALL, President CAL TANNER EARL SHBFARO Exoe. Viee-Prei. Vieo-Preiident AL KERR LiNosEt WILLIAMS See.-Treas. Pics-President BOBERT MATTHEWS Vice-President HERBBIT BRAND Direetor of Organitina and Pubtieationo Managing Editor MIKE POLLACK Assistant Editor NATHAN SKYER Staff Writers PETER WEILL Pam WHBs ED RUBENSTKN HARRY WITTSCHEN PiMbM ktattkly at *10 Mads lilasd AWSH I.E.. WaililKtiR. 0. C. 20018 ty tke Seafaran litwaallaaal. Oalaa, Attoatls, «alf, Lakaa sad lalaad WalMs DMriat. AFL-CI8, C75 Fairtt Aaaaaa, iraaUirR, H.V. 11232. Tal. RTaalalli 9-<600. Saaaad alan paitasa said at WoaMaitaa. D. C. PttTIAtTCI'S ATTEHTI88: Fans 3579 aaida aksald ka saat ts Saaiann lalanatlaaai IslaE, AMaatla. lalf, Ukaa aad lalaad Waian Malrtat AFL-CI*. <75 Fasrtk Aaaasa. inatITR. 8.7.1UI8. Instead of the five-year plan suggested by Boyd, the AMA called for a longer range, 10-year program as the "minimum time necessary for restoration of the na­ tion's fleet." 'a J V Boyd's proposal to enlarge and overhaul 100 vessels for return to the reserve fleet and the recondi­ tioning of 150 other old World War II Victory ships was described as "imprudent and wasteful" by the AMA. The AMA urged a program pro­ viding for the construction of at least 50 ships each year and ex­ pansion of the volume of cargo that is made available to Ameri­ can-flag vessels. The Boyd proposal calls for a building program of only 15 ships per year, an increase of just two ships yearly over the totally inadequate current ship­ building program of 13 vessels an­ nually. if Seafarers aboard the SiU-contracted vessel Fcrtaleza got a birds-eye-view of the spectacular fire that destroyed Pier 20 on Staten Island March 23. Photo, above, taken by the LOS photographer from the deck of the Fortaleza, shows how close the ship and her SIU crew were to the blaze. Fireboats and local firemen were unable to extinguish burning bales of rubber which were stored on the dock, and exerted all their efforts to keep the fire from spreading. A Norwegian ship, the Fernglen, unloading a cargo of rubber at Pier 20, was towed from the dock after suffering minor damage. The Fortaleza, docked at the next pier, was prepared to be towed to safety if the fire spread. The blaze was confined to Pier 20. �m March 31, 1967 Total Now Stands at 132 Page Three SEAFARERS LOG Senate Resists Defense Dept. Pressure SIU Engineer School Prodnces Senate Re/etts FDL Ship Proposal, Fonr More Ucensed Officers Opposition BuiUing Up in the House If Engineers licenses have been awarded to four more Seafarers who passed their Coast Guard'examinations after completing the course of study offered by the jointly sponsored SIU-Marine Engi­ neer's Beneficial Association, ^ District 2—School for Marine addition, MEBA District 2 mem­ bers who already possess en­ Engineers. All four men upgraded to 2nd gineer's licenses may upgrade Assistant Engineer's Licenses and themselves to higher ratings. The training school is operated each one had sailed previously under a reciprocal agreement be­ with a FOWT rating. Louis Matthew Hopkins was tween the SIU and District 2 of born in Baltirnore, Md. and makes MEBA. SIU men who enroll in his home in Houston, Tex. Hop­ the program are provided with kins, who is 49 years old, has been meals, hotel lodging and subsist­ a member of the SIU since 1949. ence payments of $110 per week while in training. As a result of the reciprocal agreement between MEBA Dis­ trict' 2 and the SIU, unlicensed SIU men receive full credit and complete protection for all of their accumulated pension and welfare credits. While sailing as engineers, they will also receive pension and welfare credits. As a result, upon reaching retirement eligibility their pension will be paid based on Layko combined time. Robert Layko, 40, has been a MEBA District 2 has waived member of the SIU for 25 years. its $1,000 initiation fee for all men Brother Layko makes his home who begin sailing as licensed engiin Portland, Oregon with his wife needs under the joint program dur­ and five children. He was born in ing the period of the Vietnam Pennsylvania. crisis. Billy J. Walker is a 20-year SIU man who, in addition to sailing as FOWT also shipped out as an electrician. Born and raised in Tennessee, he makes his home in that state with his wife and child. James Terry was born in Flor­ ida, where he makes his home with his wife and three children. Establishment of the engineer training program was spurred by Walker Terry the growing shortage of licensed marine engineers aboard Ameri­ Engine department Seafarers are can-flag ships, particularly as a eligible to apply for any of the result of the demands placed on upgrading programs if they are 19 American shipping by the conflict years of age or older and have 18 in Vietnam. months of Q.M.E.D. watch stand­ The SIU-MFBA District 2 train­ ing time in the engine department, ing program is the first of its plus six months' experience as a kind in maritime history. It as­ wiper or equivalent. sists engine department seafarers SIU engine department men in­ to obtain instruction in prepara­ terested in the program should ap­ tion for their Third Assistant En­ ply immediately, or obtain addi­ gineer's license, Temporary Third tional information at any SIU hall, Assistant Engineer's license, or or directly at SIU headquarters, Original Second Assistant En­ 675 Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn, gineer's license in either steam New York 11232. The telephone or motor vessel classifications. In number is HYacinth 9-6600. WASHINGTON—The Senate has rejected a proposal by the Defense Department calling for the construction during fiscal year 1968 of the first seven Fast Deployment Logistic Ships that were to serve as prototypes for an eventual fleet of at least 30 such vessels. In rejecting the FDL pro- ^ posal, the Senate acted on the sufficient to build three times as number of U.S.-flag ships dwindles recommendation of the Armed many fast, modern cargo vessels each year while we are told by the Services Committee, which had for the commercial merchant fleet Bureau of the Budget that con­ conducted an investigation of the under the present subsidy system. struction funds are not available. It was further feared that such a Hall said: Defense Department proposal. Defense Department Secretary huge expenditure for FDL ships "It is with great surprise, there­ Robert S. McNamara was report­ would have so reduced the money fore, that I note the recommenda­ edly "extremely disappointed" at available for construction of mer­ tion of the Department of De­ the Senate's rejection of the FDL chant ships that the already gross­ fense to spend approximately $800 proposal, which was in many ways ly inadequate ship replacement million to construct twenty Fast program would have been cut back his own concept. Deployment Logistic Ships, an Defense Secretary McNamara still further and the rapid deterio­ amount approximately four times is expected to carry the fight for ration of the nation's merchant greater than the current yearly fed­ approval of the FDL appropria­ fleet would have been accelerated. eral outlay for construction of tion to the House, which has not Outlines Views merchant ships. yet acted on the proposal. How­ ever, various Representatives have "It is most difficult for me to At the request of Senator War­ indicated that they share their ren Magnuson (D-Wash.), SIU understand how the federal gov­ Senate colleagues' doubts about President Hall outlined his views ernment can contemplate such a the feasibility of the FDL concept on the FDL proposal in a recent huge financial commitment for the and House approval of the propo­ letter to the Senator. Noting that constuction of vessels which some sal is doubtful. SIU President Paul Hall has the American Merchant Marine military experts have termed 'im­ called the Fast Deployment Logis­ faces block obsolescence and is practical' and at the same time al­ tic Ship concept a "liability laden" plagued by the absence of an ade­ low our basic vessel construction undertaking "with no apparent quate and up-to-date vessel con­ needs for the merchant marine to benefit or value to our country," struction program, and that the go wanting." and has noted that the FDL ships would represent direct competition by the Department of Defense with the privately-owned merchant fleet, which has the dual function under the law to serve the nation's commercial and national defense Two more Seafarers have been added to the ranks of those who needs. have upgraded themselves to Deck Officers licenses through train­ Flying Dutchmen Solid opposition to FDL has ing received in the SIU's Harry Lundeberg School for Seamanship also been the stand of the many in a program jointly operated by legislators in both the Senate and the SIU and the American Mari­ instructors' satisfaction of his the House. The proposed FDL time Officers Union. A total of readiness to take the examinations. ships have been referred to as six Seafarers have now upgraded The training program was in­ wasteful, useless and unnecessary, themselves to Deck Officers stituted in line with the SIU's ob­ and House Merchant Marine Licenses. jective of encouraging and assist­ Committee Chairman Edward A. ing unlicensed personnel to up­ Garmatz (D-Md.) has referred to grade themselves. them as Flying Dutchmen, which Seafarers can participate in the would cruise the seas endlessly course of instruction at no cost to without ever touching port and themselves. They will be provided never contributing anything to the with meals, hotel lodgings and sub­ nation's commerce. sistence payments of $110 per week while in training. Doubt about the feasibility of the FDL concept was spurred mainly by the extremely high cost Scarpelis Kushner of these vessels—about $40 mil­ lion each. It was noted often that Walter Kushner. who sailed for this amount of money would be a number of years as AB, received has 3rd Mates License. Brother Kushner is 36 years old and was SIU President Hall Addresses Social Security Rally born in Brooklyn, New York, where he makes his home. Thomas Scajpelis has been in WASHINGTON — Full scale the SIU for 18 years and sailed hearings on Federal shipping pol­ for a good deal of that time as an icy proposals and the needs of the AB. He, too has upgraded to his merchant marine have been re­ 3rd Mates License and will enjoy scheduled for April 12 and 13 by the additional pay and responsi­ the Senate Commerce sub-com­ bility of his new position. Brother Scarpelis, who is married and has mittee on Merchant Marine and one child, is 37 years old and Fisheries. Originally scheduled for Feb. makes his home in Clifton, New 27, they had been delayed to al­ Jersey with his family. Both Kushner and Scarpelis low formulation of a national pol­ completed the intensive course of icy by the White House, accord­ study at the joint SIU-AMO ing to a joint announcement by school and passed the required Senator Warren Magnuson (D. Wash.), chairman of the Com­ Coast Guard examinations. The training program, operated merce Committee; and Senator E. under a reciprocal agreement be­ L. Bartlett (D. Alaska), head of the tween SIU and the American Mar­ sub-committee. According to spokesmen, the itime Officers, is the first of its type sub-committee will conduct a in the maritime industry. An enthusiastic crowd was on hand at New Orleans SIU hall on March 12 to hear SIU President Paul Applicants can begin receiving thorough study of the American Hall and other speakers stress the importance of passage of the Administration's social security bill. instruction at any time. The pe­ Merchant fleet's requirements and Rallies were held in 14 major cities as part of the AFL-CIO's drive to coordinate public support for the riod of instruction will be deter­ review in full the adequacy of gov­ proposed legislation. AFL-CIO President George Meany called for the same type of eifort that led mined by each member's individ­ ernment policies and programs to enactment of medicare legislation in order to bring about the long-needed social security reforms. ual ability and knowledge, and the concerning it. S/ff Upgrading School Graduates Two More Licensed Deck Officers Senate Sets Probe Of U.S. Shipping For April 12-13 Wi �Pafi;e Four SEAFARERS March 31, 1967 LOG AFL'CIO Endorses Gov't Program To Aid Hard-Core Unemployed The Atlantic Coast by Earl (Bull) Shepard, Vice-President, Atlantic Coast Area WASHINGTON—Organized labor has called on the federal government to expand the war against I have been watching the labor situation in Puerto Rico closely poverty and honor its commitment to the nation's poor "even as we fulfill our commitments in Viet and note that while the cost of living has hit a record high and Nam." continues to rise, there are many non-union workers on the island The AFL-CIO at the same ^ who are still denied those minimum wages set forth by 1966 time gave its endorsement to a level to determine if they are ful­ A substantial inroad in this amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act. It is imperative that 1966 commission study that filling their intended purpose, he problem could be made, he said, this situation be rectified and I ^ through a federal program that certainly hope that hearings now would establish a federally-sup­ observed. Puerto Rico would attack America's "huge going on will accomplish this and ported effort to put the hard-core Julio Delgado was the bosun Consider Revisions backlog of public service needs" that Puerto Rico workers will ob­ aboard the San Juan when she unemployed to work in muchBiemiller suggested that consid­ in parks, playgrounds, hospitals, tain minimum wage coverage. needed public service programs. made her last run through here In testimony before a Senate eration be given to revisions in the libraries, nursing homes, highways, this period. Also on board were New York labor subcommittee examining the Job Corps program "in terms of public protection activities, conser­ Leoncio Calderon, who will hold Ed Kaznowski was by the hall three-year-old war against poverty, the realities of today's job market." vation and other public and pri­ down the steward's job, and Eric lately in-between visits to the race Sommers, AB. The San Juan is AFL-CIO Legislative Director An­ He urged the utilization of nation­ vate non-profit undertakings. track where he's passing some va­ bound for Okinawa. drew J. Biemiller declared that a ally recognized private groups, This program was first advanced good beginning has been made "including trade unions with years by the National Commission on cation time. Ed last served as Governor Sanchez had talks of experience in manpower train­ Technology, Automation and Eco­ chief steward aboard the Seatrain with Labor Secretary Willard "but much remains to be done." "Even as we fulfill commitments ing for various skills." Such nomic Progress in its report to the San Juan which made a Puerto Wirtz to explore the possibilities in Viet Nam and elsewhere over­ changes, he said, would improve President. The initial program, on Rican run, of course. of gaining more employment for After a shivering stint to North­ Puerto Rican migrant workers on seas;" Biemiller said, the resources the quality of training and the a five-year basis, would be funded allocated at home "are altogether young men would have further as­ at $2 billion and ultimately pro­ ern Europe aboard the John B. the mainland. Waterman, Mauri Karisson, oiler, inadequate in terms of the need surance of more advanced training vide 500,000 jobs. Baltimore is taking a breather on the beach. and of our capabilities." He warned and a greater likelihood of goodEdgar Nelson shipped out as Biemiller declared that the pro­ Shipping here has been only fair that incalculable harm would be paying jobs. AB on the Barre Victoiy for a trip gram would add to total employ­ the last two weeks but looks good done if the "forward thrust" of the He predicted that the ultimate poverty war is lost and "the rea­ success of all anti-poverty pro­ ment and would not displace any to Viet Nam. Back on the beach for the coming period. At present, we have the Alamar, sonable expectations of the poor grams would be the degree by workers. It would provide services for a while, Edgar is taking a vaca­ tion. And Rudolph Kamer, who Losmar, Ohio, Maine, Venore and are frustrated." which they are meshed with other that are badly needed now but for served as pumpman on the MonSeatrain Washington laid up in Biemiller praised the achieve­ federal programs, "particularly which most state and local gov­ ticello Victory, is enjoying some port. The Venore should be ready ment of the Neighborhood Youth those which seek to provide jobs at ernments lack funds. vacation time after his run to to crew up next week but there is Corps, the Job Corps and the decent pay for the millions of The AFL-CIO spokesman ex­ Japan. no report on the others. Community Action Programs and working poor." pressed confidence that the com­ Philadelphia During the last period we had urged their expansion as "the high­ He noted that most of the antiShipping out of the port of the three ships paid off, three signed road out of poverty for millions of poverty programs are aimed pri­ mittee's ex'.nination and evalua­ on and six in transit. Americans." marily at education, counseling tion of the anti-poverty program City of Brotherly Love has been Clarence Houchins is ready to fair lately. The outlook, however, would show that it can be expand­ He urged that the present 90* and job training while more than ship on the first job that comes percent funding by the federal half of the poor families have a ed intelligently and effectively. "It is for brighter prospects. along. Clarence, who has been Bennie Crawford was by to scan is our judgment that the funds government be continued because member who has a job. sailing in the deck department for the boards. Bennie, registered and of the inability of areas where the "These are the working poor," committed for programs to date ready to roll again, last shipped as about 22 years, last paid off the poor are most highly concentrated he declared, "and their impover­ are inadequate, and are far less to increase their level of participa­ ishment is due mainly to low than the American people are will­ chief cook aboard the Cape San Alcoa Trader to take a brief vaca­ tion. tion. He also asked an immediate wages, underemployment or un­ ing to invest in achieving victory Diego. B. S. Wilamoski would have Chief steward aboard the Pro­ supplemental appropriation to re­ employment." in this war." made another trip on the Duval ducer, James Winters, is back in store vital programs that have been but she went in for repairs and port after a good trip. Jim will be cut back. left him on the beach. Brother ready to go again in just a few By way of a report, Biemiller Wilamoski has been sailing for weeks. told the committee that the AFLsome 18 years in the Engine de­ William Millison, who last CIO is "deeply committed" to partment. shipped aboard the Potomac with making the anti-poverty program Boston a deck department spot is regis­ a success. The federation has en­ Shipping out of Beantown has SAN FRANCISCO — Deep-Sea SIU members are aiding tered once more and is resting up couraged affiliates to enter into been fair lately but we expect it SIUNA-affiliated International Union of Petroleum Workers mem­ on the beach before riding the state and local programs, he said, to be even better in the up-andand highly successful labor-initi­ bers in their accelerated picketing campaign against both Standard waves again. coming period. ated programs are under way in and Chevron service stations ^ And Alex Tuum has also been Oldtimef Thomas Fleming, who West Virginia, Maine, California, and the company's main offices on the Union hinges on an all-out by, chatting with his SIU buddies has proudly carried his SIU mem­ Wisconsin and the 10-state Appa­ in downtown San Francisco. effort to enlarge company prerog­ and eyeing the boards for the first bership card for 25 years, was by lachian region. He also noted that The picketing that started on a atives in determining the job secu­ deck department job. Alex last the hall lately to see some sea­ more than 3,000 union officials are small scale by the lUPW-SIUNA rity of employees. Standard wants shipped out aboard the Henry. faring buddies. Tom's last jaunt active in Community Action Pro­ in the Bakersfield and Los Angeles the right to establish new jobs, Deck hand B. L. Winbome is was aboard the Helen D as an grams. areas shortly after contract termi­ eliminate, change, expand, trans­ back around the hall fit for duty AB. One of labor's functions has nation last month, has now spread fer, reduce or combine jobs with­ and waiting to ship out. The 20Pete Choplinski is tired of walk­ been to monitor programs at every over an area from San Diego to out the Union having the right to year veteran was in drydock for ing around in this winter's snow grievance or arbitration proce­ a while after signing off the Chl- so he's waiting about for a sun­ the San Francisco Bay area. dures. lore. shine run to get him away from it Response Excellent all. Peter Jomides, a 25-year SIU man, last shipped as oiler on the In addition to picketing service Platte. Pete is waiting for a coast­ stations, SIUNA-IUPW is making wise run that won't take him too "do not patronize" materials avail­ All SIU men, regardless of far from home. able to other labor unions for open their ratings, who are sailing display in union halls and for mail Norfolk actively and whose draft sta­ out appeals to members of orga­ Bullard Jackson is taking a short tus is in question should com­ nized labor to help in the cam­ rest before shipping out again. municate immediately with paign. The response from other Bullard's last billet was aboard the Union, giving full par­ labor unions has been excellent. the CS Baltimore as an FWT for ticulars. Direct all letters and In San Francisco, deep-sea Sea­ eight months. Bill Price, an 18communications pertaining to farers are picketing the main head­ year SIU member, got off the draft board matters to Earl quarters of Standard Oil on a sixPenn Challenger in California to Shepard, Chairman, Seafarers day a week basis. fly home and be with his family. Appeals Board, 675 Fourth Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11232. While strike action against ei­ ther company is highly probable, The SIU. and the Maritime Trades Department have been the lUPW is determined to make seeking to have seafaring de­ every effort to reach a satisfactory settlement before calling its mem­ clared an essential industry because of the vital support­ bers off the job. Bargaining ses­ ing role it is performing in sions are scheduled with Standard the Viet Nam conflict. This and Chevron under auspices of the ezMiies-iviPiHe effort has not yet been suc­ Federal Mediation conciliation Seafarers are lending an assist to SIUNA-affiliated Petroleum Work­ stAnAHtKfiae service. cessful but the Union mean­ ers on the West Coast in picketing Standard Oil and Chevron MMO'iHMIAl... while has been endeavoring The fight^ with Standard Oil service stations. Above, pickets patrol before Standard Oil Co. tTS^ourmAVi to obtain deferments. company amounts to a "fight for headquarters in San Francisco. lUPW beef centers around company mat survival." The Company's attack attempt to reduce job security in contract talks now underway. Seafarer Pickets Lend Solid Support In SlUNA Oil Workers' Beef on Coast Contact Union On Draft Status �March 31, 1967 Page Five SEAFARERS LOG House Maritime Unit Holds Hearings The Gulf Coast by Lindsey Williams, Vice-President, Gulf Area The SlU-Inland Boatmen's Union contracted Crescent Towing and Salvaging Co. has commissioned what is reputed to be the most powerful tug in the American fleet, the William S. Smith, in New Orleans, along with her sistership, the new Jason Smith. The William S. Smith had been part of the Crescent tug fleet for over seventeen years. Among the new innovations is a totally have. His last job was on the Del new superstructure, revamped Santos. bulwarks, a fantail specially wid­ Mobile ened to accommodate twin screw Shipping out of Mobile has installation providing four times been a bit slow lately and pros­ the original power. pects for the coming period re­ The William S. Smith will he main not much brighter. within range of most major world Around the hall lately have ports with her enlarged bunkering been a number of oldtimers. facilities that will allow sustained Among them are Raymond runs in excess of 50 days. "Blackout" Ferriera. Blackout's Crew comfort has not been last ship was the De Valle as overlooked: She has been air- bosun, a spot he held down on her for the last 28 months. Black­ conditioned throughout. out, who has carried his SlU card The SlU-manned Del Sud ran for 25 proud years, has shipped aground in 19 feet of water at in all deck ratings mostly from the the mouth of the Mississippi. She Gulf area. He makes his home in stayed stuck for almost four days. Mobile with his wife. WASHINGTON — Annual Congressional authorization of appropriations for the Maritime Administration is of vital and major importance to the American merchant marine, Representative Edward A. Garmatz (D-Md.) told the Subcommittee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries of the House Merchant Marine Com­ mittee recently. Garmatz is who can save it." a process of continuous review by Strong support for the enact­ the responsible Legislative Com­ chairman of the full committee. The subcommittee is holding ment of maritime funds authoriz­ mittees. The pending, bills would hearings on a bill (H.R. 158) and ing legislation was also voiced by accomplish this objective." similar measures, which would John N. Thurman, vice-president FOREIGN PAYOFF? amend the 1936 Merchant Marine of the Pacific American Steamship Act to require authorization in the Association. Thurman called for LEAVE CLEAN SHIP future for certain Maritime Ad­ a vastly increased shipbuilding Seafarers are reminded that program to offset the present state ministration programs. when they leave a ship after The subcommittee heard testi­ of deterioration of the U.S. mer­ articles expire in a foreign port, mony from representatives of la­ chant marine, the almost universal the obligation to leave a clean bor, management and government lack of optimism for the future ship for the next crew is the —all of whom voiced support for of maritime if present policies are same as in any Stateside port. continued, and Russia's massive the proposed legislation. Attention to details of house­ efforts with respect to her own In pointing out the vital im­ merchant marine. keeping and efforts to leave portance of the proposed legisla­ quarters, messrooms and other "Clearly," Thurman said, "it tion witnesses emphasized the de­ will be in order for the Congress working spaces clean will be terioration of the merchant marine to exercise control on this expan­ appreciated by the new crew which has been brought about by sion of our maritime effort through when it comes aboard. years and years of neglect on the part of government agencies. Shipbuilding Workers Union vice-president Andrew A. Pettis told the subcommittee "it is im­ perative that this bill be passed as a first step in the build-up of the maritime industry. The next im­ WASHINGTON—Toll charges on the St. Lawrence Seaway portant step is the establishment will not be raised at least for the next four years, the State of an independent Maritime Agen­ Department announced here recently. cy," he continued. To support his "In view of the rapid growth NEW ORLEANS —The SIU- call for passage of the authoriza­ contracted Delta Steamship Lines tion legislation, Pettis pointed to of traffic on the seaway," the that, excepting iron ore, tolls vessel Del Sud was refloated with­ the steep decline of the maritime department said, the govern­ could be raised up to 50 per cent out damage or any injuries to pas­ industry in recent years and the ments of the United States and with little diversion of traffic. sengers or crew after spending five inadequate maritime budgets Canada have agreed that there is days aground in the Mississippi which have speeded this decline. no necessity for a toll increase at River-Gulf Outlet, about 50 miles "The Maritime Administration's this time. After four years the from New Orleans. fiscal year 1968 budget strikes an­ toll structure may be reviewed at The vessel was returning from a other fatal blow to the drive to the request of either country, the South American cruise with 58 modernize our merchant fleet," he announcement added. passengers and 120 crewmembers The waterway handled a record added. aboard when she went aground. total of 49,249,000 tons of cargo Down The Drain Until the combination passengerduring 1966—up 13.5 per cent cargo ship was refloated with the Representative Alton Lennon over the previous year. Last year aid of four tugboats, passengers (D.-N.C.), a member of the full was also the first in which volume PASCAGOULA, MISS. — The made the best of their unexpec­ Merchant Marine Committee who exceeded the estimate of the Tolls SIU Pacific District contracted tedly extended cruise and most appeared as a witness before the Committee, whose projected vol­ American President Lines enjoyed their extra days "at sea." Subcommittee, stated his opinion ume for 1966 had been 48 million launched its 572-foot cargo liner At no time was the ship in any that the authorization legislation tons. President Grant here on March 4. danger. proposals are among the most im­ Present tolls on the Montreal- The vessel is the second of five The person most anxious for the portant that have come before the Lake Ontario segment of the Sea­ being built by the company in its vessel to be refloated and finally Committee "in the 10 years I have way are 4 cents per gross register $68 million replacement program. dock at New Orleans was prob­ been a member of the Committee." ton; 40 cents per tons of bulk The President Grant and her ably Seafarer Robbie Maas, whose "Lennon warned that the American cargo and 90 cents per short ton sister ships—the Presidents Van wife had been waiting ashore for merchant marine is "going down of general cargo. Buren, Taft, Johnson and Fillmore the ship to dock with Maas' infant the drain," and declared that the New Toll Split —have been designated the Season, whom the Seafarer had never House Merchant Marine Commit­ The State Department also said master class and will be assigned seen. tee members "are the only people that U.S. and Canadian represent­ to round-the-world and Pacific atives have agreed to a new divi­ services. Upgrading on the Lakes sion of toll revenues. Under the The President Van Buren was new agreement, which the depart­ launched previously. The three ment says reflects cost incurred other ships are in various stages in recent years, the Canadian of construction at the Ingalls Ship­ share will be increased from 71 to building Division of Litton Indus­ 73 per cent and the U.S. share will tries at Pascagoula. be decreased from 29 to 27 cents At maximum draft of 30 feet, on each toll dollar. These latest developments ren­ the new vessel displaces 21,000 der void last year's agreement by tons and has a cruising radius of joint seaway authorities which 11,600 miles at a service speed of called for a 10 per cent increase 23 knots. in tolls and a 72-28 split with The ship has a total cargo ca­ 72 cents going to Canada. pacity of 845,000 cubic feet and The toll hike turndown is a is propelled by a 24,000-horsetemporary defeat for the St. Lawr­ power steam geared turbine which ence Seaway Development Corpo­ drives a single propeller. ration, the American agency Gas turbine generators, the first charged with administering the in maritime history, will be able U.S. share of the waterway. This to handle the full load of cargo agency released earlier this year operations in port and also provide a report based on two economic emergency propulsion at sea if studies which supported an in­ needed. Great Lakes Seafarer Ted Hansen (right), now a second cook, gets crease in tolls. One found that his diploma from SlU Agent Don Bensman in Alpena, after success­ moderate hikes would have little The new ships will each accom­ fully completing course of studies at the SlU upgrading school. influence on the seaway's projected modate a crew of 45 officers and men plus 12 passengers. Hansen sailed in the steward department on the A, E. Cornelius. traffic volume; the other concluded Del Sud Freed After Ffve-Day Crounding in Guff Ferriera Hazard It took the tugs Humrick and Port Allen of the Crescent Towing and Salvage Co. to ease her off after some cargo was unloaded. » » • Seafarer Robbie Maas was one of 120 members stranded on the Del Sud. Robbie was impatiently waiting to see his recently arrived son, Darin, born just a week after he left the States. Maas was hap­ pily united with the newest mem­ ber of his family following four frustrating days. New Orleans Fireman Ernest Torres recently piled off the Seatrain Delaware, which has been sailing between New York and Puerto Rico. He is now looking forward to making a, billet on the Del Rio when she touches port. He makes his home in San Juan. Seafarer Aden Ezell, Jr. finished a deck department tour aboard the Alcoa Ranger. Sailing regularly as bosun or AB, Ezell prefers a coastwise run when it's available. He lives in Mobile, but occasionally comes over to the Crescent City to scan the ship­ ping board. AB Paul Mayeux ended a tour to the Far West aboard the Overseas Joyce. Paul is resting on the beach, watching for another vessel going to the Western Pacific. He makes his home in New Orleans. Paul Turner is relaxing after a trip aboard the Del Sud as bosun. Turner missed the trip when the Del went aground at the Mississippi's mouth, but he doesn't seem to regret it. Now, he's looking for anything, going anywhere. Paul makes his home in New Orleans with his wife and two boys. AB Frank P. Russo told us re­ cently that he would advise all young men to get a good educa­ tion. He remember the days when educations were harder to come by and says kids today are foolish to pass up the opportunities they Congress' Voice In MARAD Funds Held Essential By Rep. Garmatz Seaway Tolls to Remain Unchanged, US-Canadian Authorities Agree New APL Liner President Grant Launched in Gall �Page Six March 31, 1967 SEAFARERS LOG The Great Lakes Iqr Fred Farnen,Secretary>Treasurer,Greet Lakes Although a decision was made to allow the St. Lawrence Sea­ way toli to remain at its present level for the next four seasons, a charge of $20 per lock will be made against vessels transiting the eight-lock Welland Canal that connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The fee will increase $20 a year until it reaches a charge of $100 per lock, or $800 for full transit, by 1971. out of a paint gang dispatched for the Kinsman Marine Transit Fleet. Chicago However, heavy ice and recordFit out for this area is getting breaking cold indicate that it won't into swing with the crews called be before the first part of April back for ships in Chicago, Mani­ that crews will be called. Erie towoc, Milwaukee and Sturgeon Sand and Gravel has indicated Bay. Despite a winter that set their first vessel—the Scobell— all records for inclemency, we will begin its fit-out around April predict an early fit-out for the 8th. area. However, some of the old We're glad to see back those faces are going to be missed at Great Lakes men who are return­ fit-out this year. Oldtimers who ing from winter trips off the coast retired over the winter months in­ to various parts of the world. clude Brother Hartlaub of the John Galster and Olie Olofsson off Cleveland the Milwaukee Clipper. Registration is going slowly but Seafarers and their families will steadily, assuring enough men to have the opportunity this spring to crew up ships laid up in this area use facilities at the spanking new as soon as they're ready for crew clinic which takes up the eptire calls. A look at the lake in this third floor of the new SIU build­ port though is not too encourag­ ing at 1306 S. Michigan Ave. ing, with ice blanketing the water for as far as the eye can roam. Buffalo Tentative dates for self-unloaders This port is coming out of hiber­ to begin operating is the first week nation now. Marking the first ac­ in April and for straight deckers, tivity of the season was the fitting the 3rd or 4th week. THE INQUmiNC;^ SEiimBER Question: What do you think ahout today's youth and their clothes, music, hair styles? (Asked at the New Orleans hall.) James MaineUa: Youth always reflects the society that parents create for their children. Parents are always the foundation for young people's actions. The chil­ dren of today will have children re­ flecting their atti­ tudes also. Of course, there is always a certain amount of revolt against the older generation, but I think it is over­ played. C. W. Garrison: I don't think much of today's youth. I particu­ larly do not like their styles of dancing or their hairdos. Youth today seems to be wilder than when I was a young man. Perhaps the changing times ""v. and the speed with which times are changing has something to do with it. People are living faster. I don't think things could get any worse. <1> Horace Curry: I think they're crazy. Most of it is fad: as the world goes so do the kids. It'll probably die out, the fad that is, not youth. Kids basically want to be noticed, that's why they act and dress crazy. Mod­ ern kids are more machine minded. And there is more money to go around so that they can afford to be machine minded nowadays. I have two grown children and they think that I am old-fashioned. Vincent Fitzgerald: I think that today's youth are way out of line. Their dress is sloppy and dirty. Some don't wear shoes; some don't bathe. Of course, you have to put the blame where it belongs: on the parents. Disci­ pline, and good examples, begin at home. . Charles Dowling: The hairdo and dress of today's youth is sim­ ply wild. But I think that it is a trend of the times. However, I don't think that today's kids are any bet­ ter or worse than kids when I was young. We got in­ to just as much devilment in the old days. But it's different when you're doing the devilment and trying to correct it —your approach is different. I think that today's youth are by far much more educated. <1> Nets Lomsen: Youth is alright. I'm 77 years old and can't see anything wrong in being young. Sure, there have been plenty of changes since I was young. The youth of today are better than in my day, for many reasons. They're better educated; better behaved; and they have a better opportu­ nity for advancement and I think that most of them take advantage of the opportunities offered them. March 11 to March 24, 1967 DECK DEPARTMENT TOTAL REGISTERED TOTAL SHIPPED Port Boston New York Philadelphia Baltimore Norfolk Jacksonville Tampa Mobile New Orleans Houston Wilmington San Francisco Seattle All Groups Class A Class B 6 1 76 36 13 6 40 13 6 ' 9 6 2 6 3 33 9 49 35 47 35 20 5 47 18 23 13 372 185 All Groups Class A Class B Class C 0 1 2 25 43 8 2 2 5 3 11 3 10 3 5 1 2 1 2 2 2 0 3 4 26 34 6 32 2 41 5 22 11 32 23 40 19 8 18 108 136 215 MGINE DEPARTMENT TOTAL SHIPPED TOTAL REGISTERED Port Boston New York Philadelphia Baltimore Norfolk Jacksonville Tampa Mobile New Orleans Houston Wilmington San Francisco .... Seattle All Groups Class A Class B 3 1 56 33 6 6 17 11 10 5 5 2 7 1 16 8 39 24 28 35 8 7 20 37 10 11 169 237 All Groups Class A Class B ClassC 2 2 1 22 • 41 32 2 4 9 1 9 12 4 7 2 0 2 1 2 2 2 8 12 15 27 12 24 10 34 24 7 15 6 21 54 25 8 7 8 166 145 165 STEWARD DB>ARTMENT TOTAL SHIPPED TOTAL REGISTERED Port Boston New York Philadelphia Baltimore Norfolk Jacksonville Tampa Mobile New Orleans Houston Wilmington San Francisco Seattle totals Class A dkuB 1 1 18 70 10 8 8 12 7 13 2 4 0 1 13 5 42 44 42 13 7 2 17 7 10 7 126 238 All Groups Class A Class B Class C 2 0 1 46 7 19 3 2 5 16 8 2 2 6 12 2 11 5 0 2 5 2 0 34 38 5 26 4 6 5 3 13 24 10 45 14 3 18 184 84 129 REGISTERED on BEACH All Groups Class A Class B 19 2 97 215 11 26 105 49 13 14 9 17 15 7 94 25 137 74 91 156 43 3 43 2 30 2 914 385 REGISTERED on BEACH All Groups Class A Class B 1 4 91 160 19 11 59 48 19 12 9 1 15 2 44 11 105 54 72 84 29 8 20 4 9 18 336 607 REGISTERED on BEACH AH Groups Class A Class B 2 1 155 36 25 6 65 40 8 20 7 1 7 0 66 15 96 75 105 59 20 9 44 3 14 3 614 288 Seventeen Unions Form New Council New AFL-CIO Unit Seeks to Spur Organizing of Professional Workers WASHINGTON—Seventeen AFL-CIO unions, including the SIU, joined in setting up a new council designed to stimulate union activity among men and women in the professions, sciences and the arts—and to encourage cooperation among unions in these fields. Delegates representing 400,000 union members pledged "to communities—^we're going to have sicians, engineers, artists and ac­ tors and others who have long bring the fruits of collective bar­ to bring out a more attractive, since embraced and remained gaining" to workers in these fields. thoroughly modern union." faithful to unionism." They promised to "exchange infor­ Friendly Hand A growing number of profes­ mation and investigate means and Delegates voted to extend a sionals, Kircher said, "are dis­ methods for improving salaries, friendly hand to legitimate pro­ covering that professionalism plus hours and working conditions." fessional associations "with the $1.09 will get a pound of sirloin Stressing the changes the space aim in mind that .we may even­ at the supermarket on a sale day. age has made in the pattern of tually bring them into the main­ A Ph.D. isn't worth an extra five the work force, delegates chose a stream of the labor movement." TV stamps at the cashier's stand name whose initials spell SPACE Another resolution cited the —and I think they are getting a —the council of AFL-CIO unions exclusion of many professionals little tired of seeing union laborers for Scientific, Professional and from collective bargaining legisla­ buy the steak while they buy the Cultural Employes. Ofhcers were tion and urged state and federal hamburger." to be elected at the final session. legislation to extend to them "full Participating in the founding Establishment of the council as bargaining rights." convention were Actors Equity, part of the AFL-CIO structure Delegates also expressed con­ the American Guild of Musical was hailed by Communications cern at the inadequate coverage Artists, the Barbers, Broadcast Workers President Joseph A. of labor's role and the history of Employes, Communications Work­ Beirne in an address at the open­ the labor movement fn schools ers, Electrical, Radio & Machine ing of the two-day convention. and colleges. Workers, Intl. Brotherhood of He termed it "a tribute to the AFL-CIO Organizing Director Electrical Workers, Insurance flexibility of outlook and form of William L. Kircher challenged the Workers, Musicians, Office & Pro­ the American trade union move­ delegates to take advantage of the fessional Employes, Operating En­ ment." "extreme flexibility" of the collec­ Retail Clerks, the SIU, gineers, By 1975, Beirne said, half of all tive bargaining process to deal Stage Employes, State, County & workers will be in white collar oc­ cupations. "For this new group with the special problems of pro­ Municipal Employes, Teachers and of workers—for these so-called fessionals. Technical Engineers. A number middle class people from the pro­ Many of the answers, he sug­ of other unions were represented fessional,* scientific and cultural gested, came from "teachers, mu­ by observers. �March 31, 1967 Chavez Urges U.S. Labor Law Coverage For Farm Workers "We need help, but we expect to do the job ourselves," Cesar Chavez, director of the AFL-CIO United Farm Workers Organizing Committee told 450 persons attending the John A. Ryan.Forum here. The job, Chavez explained, is organizing farm workers, especially migrant farm laborers, and shaping a solid union. He called the victories in the Delano, Calif., grape strike "spadework" for the task ahead. Chavez said the migrant farm labor movement needs help from the general public to win two things that can turn the tide for a segment of society that received an old deal while the rest of the nation enjoyed the New Deal of Franklin Roosevelt: • Protection of the National Labor Relations Act with the right to petition for Labor Board representation elections. • Strict enforcement of the federal law limiting the amount of free public water that can be used for private profit. The limit is 160 acres irrigated for a farmer and an extra 160 acres for his wife. Chavez said the big growers in California have made a mockery of the law. The John A. Ryan Forum is a lecture and discussion series spon­ sored by the Catholic Council on Working Life and the Catholic Adult Education Center. A number of unions cooperate in pro­ moting the program, which is a memorial to the late Msgr. John A Ryan, a labor supporter and a leader in the fight for social justice. After his "Report on the Migrant Labor Movement," Chavez was questioned by a panel that included Dr. Deton J. Brooks, chairman of the Chicago Committee on Urban Opportunity; Don Bruckner, cor-'' respondent for the Los Angeles Times; and the Rev. Robert A. Reicher, chaplain of thfe Catholic Council on Working Life and treasurer of the Illinois Migrant Council. The moderator was Msgr. William J. Quinn, assistant executive secretary of the Bishop's Committee for the Spanish Speaking. Chavez reviewed the history of organizing farm workers and cited the long list of failures. He said the job must be done by farm workers themselves. "We started out," he said, "by working on problems of the migrant worker at the community level. We forined an insurance company because that was the only way we could get insurance. "We started a credit union and then built a community service cen­ ter to hold the people together. We decided the best way to organize the whole community and then build the union." The organization, he said, is leaning on the AFL-CIO for help with research and educational programs and winning the legislation needed to bring farm workers under the protection of federal labor laws. "The rest we will do," he declared. "We need money and we could use volunteers in Delano, but we must do most of what has to be done by ourselves. Everyone in labor can help by supporting our boycotts." When questioned about the threat of automation in the fields, Chavez said, "We are not against automation. In many cases we have welcomed automation because it has eliminated some work that was not fit for human beings. When new machines are brought in, we want the growers to take some responsibility for the people. "We are happy to help improve production. There are many people around the world going hungry. If more production here can help feed them, we would be proud to help." Julius F. Rothman, coordinator of the AFL-CIO Community Serv­ ices liaison staff of the United Community Funds and Councils of America, has joined the staff of the AFL-CIO Department of So­ cial Security. A graduate of Syra­ cuse University, Rothman is a member of the Textile Workers Union of America and has been active in the labor movement since 1946. He is a member of the Na­ tional Association of Social Work­ ers and the Labor Department's Advisory Committee on Sheltered Workshops; a director of the Na­ tional S^ial Welfare Assembly and a trustee of the National In­ stitutes on Rehabilitation and Health Services. <I> Paul Fournier, Canadian direc­ tor of the Distillery Workers since 1940 and a DWU vice president since 1946, died here March 9 after a short illness. He was 56. Fournier joined the DWU after serving seven years as chief Cana­ dian organizer for the Hatters. The DWU credited a joint cam­ paign by Fournier and union Pres. Mort Brandenburg, then DWU di­ rector of organization, with bring­ ing 5000 distillery workers into the union. Page Seven SEAFARERS LOG Edward C. Adams has been named COPE director of the Al­ lied Industrial Workers and assist­ ant editor of the union's monthly newspajjer. He replaces Gordon W. Brehm, now a mediator for the Wisconsin Employment Relations Board. Adams formerly was on the staffs of the Fire Fighters, the State, County and Municipal Em­ ployees and the unaffiliated Mine Workers. <1> Press coverage of the recent AFL-CIO Executive Council meeting at Bal Harbour, Fla., al­ most doubled that from the mid­ winter council meeting in 1966, according to a compilation by the Western Union office in Miami. A total of 75,994 words moved over Western Union wires during the Feb. 20-28 period this year. The total filed by Western Union in 1966 was 41,270 words. — — Jack Weinberger, who served the Hotel and Restaurant Em­ ployes for 50 years as a member of Waiters Local 30 and in recent years as secretary-treasurer of the international union, died here at 83 after a week's illness. He had retired in 1963. 'Go/ Friday? A Changing of the Guard Big business, with its unrelenting bom­ bardment, has finally brought about the re­ moval of Esther Peterson as Consumer As­ sistant to the President and her replacement in the post by television's voice of Westinghouse, Betty Furness. Mrs. Peterson has fought hard for con­ sumer-protecting legislation and to enlighten the American consumer on the subtleties employed by manufacturers and packagers to fool him. Her labor background made her the natural enemy of the business lobby­ ists and they never passed up an opportunity to attack her. In the case of Miss Furness, we fail to see that her qualifications as a consumer coordi­ nator go beyond opening and closing refrig­ erator doors or expounding on the merits of a Westinghouse deep freeze before the tele­ vision cameras. Big business will no doubt feel somewhat more secure when she assumes her White House post in May. Mrs. Peterson has done a splendid job of holding the big corporations, ad agencies, the National Association of Manufacturers and other business giants at bay. She could fight them on their own ground and, while not always victorious, she was more harassed than defeated. The emasculation of the truth-in-packag­ ing law was a severe setback, but in the temporary absense of strong consumer-pro­ tecting laws, Mrs. Peterson was achieving marked success from two other directions: education of the buyers and some harass­ ment of her own directed at the sellers. Business lobbies blamed the recent rash of housewives' boycotts against soayng food prices last year on Mrs. Peterson. She had nothing to do with them but in their wake she did launch a compaign to teach all women to shop more wisely and get the most for their money and endorsed consumer in­ formation programs by high schools. She received thousands of buyer's complaints on credit frauds, repair gouging and price in­ creases hidden by larger packages or lesser content in existing packages and set out to warn consumers to be wary of such practices in lieu of laws preventing them. Mrs. Peterson had, at the time she was relieved of her administration post, actually convinced some retail and textile industries to develop means of solving some guarantee and service problems and to make the label­ ing of wearing apparel more informative. She had even persuaded some super market chains to give housewives some degree of constructive guidance in their shopping. All in all, a record of tireless and con­ tinuing effort on the part of the public servant whose voice was, as President John­ son said when he first appointed her, a vigor­ ous one on behalf of consumers. We don't presume to prejudge Miss Fur­ ness but we are skeptical about what might happen when Mrs. Peterson goes back to her full time job in the Federal Labor Depart­ ment and the former actress moves in as Consumer Assistant to the President. It re­ mains to be seen whether .she will actively dedicate herself to bringing about greater safeguards on behalf of the consumer, or whether she will serve simply as public rela­ tions aide for the administration. i' �SEAFARERS LOG Page Eight "...fV- a •• ri^HE HAUNTING STRAINS of sea shanties I JL were a familiar sound on the decks of ships the pif world over for many hundreds of years, perhaps from as long ago as when the first waterborne vessels i put out to sea with working men to propel them— whether by oar or sail. On today's modem ships, the shanty may be re­ garded by most Seafarers as merely, a musical link with the past; pleasing to hear but somehow remotely quaint. It is also pleasant to reflect on the beginnings of these early work chants which were so much a part of the everyday lives of our ancestors whose liveli­ hood was the sea. Some musical historians believe that the shanty, which was in evidence whenever men had hard labor to perform with nothing but their bare hands and mutual co-operation, was the primary source of all song.. The. first man to chronicle shantying, a Venetian Friar named Francisco Fabri, wrote in the fifteenth century of those "who sing when work is going on, because work at sea is very heavy, and is only carried on by a concert between one who sings out orders and the laborers who sing in response .. ." In the days of sailing vessels, the shanty was more than just a form of entertainment; it was a necessity. Indeed, a sailing ship could not properly run without shanties and a good singing voice could be as much of an asset to a sailor as the fundamentals of seaman­ ship. Herman Melville, creator of the classic Moby Dick, illustrated this fact graphically in his recollec­ tions of his own earliest days at sea when he sailed aboard the whaler Acudmet on her maiden voyage to the Pacific in search of sperm whales. He wrote; "I soon got used to this singing; for the sailors never touched a rope without it. Sometimes, when no one happened to strike up, and the pulling, whatever it might be, did not seem to be getting forward very well, the mate would always say^ 'Come men, can't any of you sing? Sing now, and. raise the dead.' It is a great thing in a sailor to know how to sing well, for he gets a great name by it from the officers, and a good deal of popularity among his shipmates. Some sea captains, before shipping a man, always ask him J whether he can sing out at a rope." ^ The crews of all sailing ships, merchantmen md whalers alike, had their robust and often profane work shanties. Set in leader-chorus patterns, th^ would both ease and facilitate the backbfeaking tasks to be performed. There were special ones for each job. Halyard shanties were devised and employed for. the more prolonged jobs such as hoisting and lowering the sails or yards, swaying heavy objects aloft and the like. For hauling jobs that required .only a comparatively few good, hefty pulls, there J were the short drag shanties. And to accompany the - sometimes joyous, sometimes melancholy function of weighing or lowering anchor, puinping the boat or \ivarping ship, was the capstan shanty. These last, the icapstah shanties, were generally more elaborate and Voften quite sentimentalin content. It was often said in the days of the clipper ships ||that a skipper could predict his arrival date as much ^hy the gusto the deck hands put into their singing ' as he could by the weather. Regardless of weather— or in spite of it—these vessels were driven by the sheer brute force of the crew,and the manner in which they directed that force toward hemp rope and canvas Mil was the major factor in determining the number J of knots traveled each day. Whether they were based on hate or love, motivated by despair or happiness, the rhythm of words, combined with the rhythm of movement thht only the shanties could provide, got the work done. ; And when work was done, the leisure time spent in the foc'sle between watches had to have its com­ munal aspect even for the most ardent of the model isship builders, mat makers and coconut carvers. This' i need was filled by the ballads—or "forebitter" songs —eagerly collected and exchanged by seafarers from fthe New England coast and the Gulf of Mexico to the West African coast and the wool ports of Aus' tralia; from Liverpool and London's Blackwall Docks to the Orient and the Arctic. A song fit any mood: bawdy, ironical, nostalgic, sad or comical. Some were Ihistorically accurate and others related the current fievents of the period, based on details not always p:omplete as sailing time approached, and therelore learned and passed on to succeeding generations i^ith certain inaccuracies remaining unaltered. A few V f were filled with teahnical jargon and judged only by ®^-fr|their degree of nautical perfection, but these did not gain the affection nor enjoy the lasting popularity that othersdid. All of the songs-—shanties and ballads—reflect the everyday thoughts and experiences of sailors (real and imaginary) both at sea and ashore. Despised by the majority of officeirs and worked without mercy . mi March 3h 1967 , :• to a point almost beyond endurance, these old time sailors who manned the frigates and the clippers and the packets quite naturally chose the ship's officers as the chief enemies of their songs, followed by foul weather and the thieving girls they couldn't force themselves to stay clear of. The friends depicted are all too few: here and there a fair and respected skip­ per or a sweetheart they desperately hope is being faithful. A favorite topic apparent from all sources was that of the landlubter getting the worst of it from a sailor in any encounter, be it in matters of love, money or cleverness. No matter what the theme, the large majority of the shanties and ballads seem to have three things in common. First, a deep and natural feeling for beauty. Second, an unrelenting insistence on the overcoming toughness of the com­ mon sailor and his ability to withstand any odds, ^ anywhere. And thirdly—^underlying the toughness— a deep, aching uneasiness and a fond longing for something a little bit better. There are hundreds of these anonymous songs of the sea but it is possible here to take a look at some of the more familiar ones and their backgrounds insofar as they are known. C^stan Shanties Shenandoah is perhaps one of the best loved of all shanties. Not really a song of the sea at all, it probably was originated by Canadian or American ^voyagers and tells the tale of the trader who fell in , love with the Indian chief Shenandoah's daughter. The Sea Chanty frt Link With The Past "Shenandoah, I love your daughter," he said, arid when the chief protested, fed him fitre-water and car­ ried the girl "Across the wide Missouri." Used as a work song but equally at home in the foc'sle; The Maid of Amsterdam (A-Roving), is con­ sidered by some historians to be the oldest of the. capstan shanties. There are several versions of this favorite; the girl makes advances to the sailor in some and in others it's the other way around. Either way, when the sailor returns to his ship with his money missing it is reason enough why he'll go no more a-roving with this fair maid. Santy Anna is gn example of both the historical and the current events-inspired shanty. Relating the victorious exploits of General Santa Anna in the Mexican War, it fails to make mention of the fact that General Taylor forced the wily Mexican into final retreat in February of 1847. The song appears to have developed from first reports of the fighting when Santa Anna had the upper hand and did, indeed, seem temporarily to have won that decisive battle. • Row Bullies Row, the singing stoiy of a Liverpool sailor who sailed to San Francisco with the idea of settling there and got himself shanghied back again to Liverpool, was more of a forebitter but was used at the capstan when the spokes were spinning easy. The refrain of this one: "The girls have got hold of the tow-rope today" iridicated that the ship was sailing along at a good clip. An outstanding favorite as a song of farewell was South Australia, originally sung on the wool clippers when they lifted anchor for their trips between Aus­ tralian ports and London. There is a record of at least one man who, on his death bed, asked his ship­ mates to bid him his final farewell: "I think I'm Sfip|iiti* my Mb^ lads. Strike up South Australia and let me go happy." For homeward bound seaman, there was the roar­ ing and exuberant Whup Jamboree which follows the progress of the ship past the Isle of Wight through the English Channel and into the London River iri^ eager anticipation of the girls waiting at the Blackwall Dock. From its reference to Blackwall, it is reason­ ably safe to assume that this capstan shanty origi­ nated among sailors on the Far !^st run. Sally Brown, about the Creole lady who wouldn't marry but kept the sailors coming happily back to spend their money on her, was a favorite for heaving up anchor. It dates back to at least the 1830s; was sung at the capstan of the Western Ocean packet ship that brought Captain James Marryat to America from England in 1837, according to his own vmtings. A shanty that captures the feeling a sailor has for great seamen is Old Stormaloi^ which tells of the death and sings the praises of a respected skipper. Halyard and Short-Drag Shanties Paddy Doyle is a short-drag shanty, unusual in that it is usually sung by only two men instead of a gang. It accompanies the bunting of a sail during which the men stand aloft on foot-ropes and, leaning over the yard, grab the bunched-up sail and try to heave the canvas onto the yard before lashing it in a furled position. Paddy Doyle was a famous boarding house keeper in Liverpool and the shanty draws on the superstition that leaving unpaid bills when leaving' port is bad luck. Old Billy Riley, about a dancing master with a pretty daughter who is unavailable, is so fast arid fierce that the sail would have to be really light or the occassiori desperate for men to pull at the halyards to such rhythm. It is said that this shanty probably originated on 17th century Dutch droghers in the West Indies sugar trade.„ Whidcey Jolmny was a halyard shanty usually used when the crew was working aft near the captain's quarters. Telling of the bad effects of whiskey and the need for more, norietheless, the verse alludes to a skipper who treats his crew right and gives them whiskey twice a day. It was probably as much a hint to the skipper concerned as it was a work song. Haul on the Bowline is said by many to date from the time of King Henry VIII. Although this has not been proven, it is quite certain that this short-drag shanty is older than most. The song remained a favor­ ite until the last days of sailing ships but it had even then been a very long time since bowlines needed much hauling on. Boney, a short-drag shanty, was a fairly accurate, though brief, account of Napolean's career through his exile to St. Helena and his death. Seaman con­ tinued to find Bonaparte worthy of song for seventy years after his death. , Foc'sle Ballads The infamous exploits of the bloodthirsty Captain Kidd, one of the most cherished foc'sle ballads of them all, came into being soon after the notorious pirate was hanged in 1701 and can still be heard on.the New England coast today. A curious error in the. sorig that has never been explained is Kidd's first name which is sung Robert instead of the correct William. One of the oldest of the sea songs still popular today is The Mermaid which links mermaids with bad weather and other evil happenings. It dates from at least the time of Melville because he quotes it in "White Jacket." The Handsome Cabin Boy is a fantasy, quite funny, which illustrates the deck hand's common dream that there is a girl among the crew dressed as a boy. This is the tale of a cabin "boy" who became pregnant with ho one to be found to answer for the girl's plight but the skipper himself. In one version, the skipper's wife is also aboard which adds considerably to the humor of the situation. While Cruising Round Yarmouth probably origi­ nated among the men who traveled to the Far East in the Blackwall frigates, but the sailors of Western Ocean packets adopted it as the well-known Blow the Man Etown—a shanty as popular below decks as above. A spicy and ribald song that remains a favorite to this day is Do Me Ama. It's appeal perhaps lies in the tale it tells of a wealthy lecher being outwitted and a grand lady being humbled by a sailor.These then, and many, many more, were the songs if --v| of work and relaxation for the sailing men of yore. They are happily no longer needed today in order to get the job done, but they still represent a common • i bond with, the past—a special heritage for all men who devote their lives to toe sea. 11 �Special Art The carvers of ship figureheads were practitioners of a very special art and had to follow rigid rules. For instance, figureheads had to be highly functional. They had to be quite strong and compact and were designed to fit the available space on the ship. Although they were often highly ornate and heavily carved, the work had to be done so that there were no depressions, such as the folds of a garment, that would hold water—lest the figure rot. This was espe­ cially true on those made in America which were usually soft pine, as opposed to the more durable oak and elm used in Britain. After the carving was completed, it was usually soaked in oil to prevent decay from salt water and then painted. The carvers were often paid for their work according to a schedule based on the number of guns the ship carried, in the case of carvings done for warships, or according to the tonnage of merchant vessels. Far from being hacks or mere craftsmen, the better known carvers of ship figureheads were true artists with ^11 the skill and knowledge of the finest sculptors. Others, it must be admitted, were very poorly skilled and turned out some pretty awful figures. One of the best American figurehead carvers was William Rush of Philadelphia who was well known in his time. His skill as a carver was so great that during slack periods he often carved anatomical models for use by college classes in medicine. Other carvers turned their hand to ornamental furniture, carved doorways, mantels and religious figures during slack periods. QHIP'Q FIGUREHEADS Lions, Maidens and Dragons T HE FIGUREHEADS that adorned the prows of sailing vessels during the days of the famous Yankee Clippers were most often delicately carved female figures. Had such carvings been in vogue when ornamental figureheads first began being used on ships however, the ladies would have had to have hard heads indeed, ...-y'-'v for the first carved figureheads were probably the battering rams on Roman war galleys—used to ram and crush the sides of enemy vessels. Primitive man often painted the bows of his fragile vessels in accordance with his religious beliefs to insure safety on voyages. The ancient Chinese painted %•• ii huge eyes on the prows of their ships to guard them from evil spirits and enable them to "see" where Ihey were going and reach port safely. V Latter day Roman merchant ships often replaced their ornamental figureheads with human figures, and this may have been the first such use of human figures P li for this purpose. But the practice did hot become universal. Viking ships, which wreaked havoc up and down many coasts, normally carried a carved dragon that held its head high above the bows. In heavy seas, when the vessel itself with its scant freeboard was invisible, the carved dragon head must have looked like a giant sea serpent cruising through the waves. Animal figureheads were popular with many mari­ ners for a great while. The British, for example, often made use of their national emblem, the lion, as figure­ heads. On the other hand, Spanish vessels at this time often carried figureheads representing various saints or even the holy family. On American merchant ships the figurehead was often a representation of one of the shipowners' family—a wife or daughter—often the same individ­ ual the ship was named for. The warships of many nations however, often carried figureheads represent­ ing famous admirals or national heroes. JSecond cook Joseph Vogelhien (L) discusses the day's menu with Ifbis colleague in the steward department, Messman Mothanna It. Ahmed. From the looks of it, a pretty good menu is planned, Enjoying themselves at mess are (rear, standing) All Haddad and the seated crewmembers are Seafarers Glenn Ayres, James Linart, and Edw. Stinnett. ON THE LAKES Setting up table in messroom of U.S.S. Gypsum is Messniah Joseph S. Novak. It won t be long before Brother Novak and shipmates once again ply Lakes. Every year at Hie end of March, Great Lakes pwls awaken from their state of KI hibernation. Fit-out time spells the advent of spring, the thawing out of tiiick ice, and flie preparation of vessels for a season's activity. The first ship to fit out in tte Port of Toledo %Wais, tiie U.S.S. Gypsum, 1 a vessel manned by the SUFS Great Lakes District Wiper Homer Nagle looks up from engine room duties only briefly as he gives U.S.S. Gypsum engine room gear a going over,. Also checking out status of engine machinery are Seafarers (left to right) Mohsen Ahmad, wiper: Yakia Mawari, fireman; and Leo Furman, wiper. ^ """"""" . 3 C V 'i.-U ^ ^ V! ... / %• \Ti: i-lv'f" • ^ t"' J ... 3, ' s s Tie' < . ,7 , . 5 ^ I �Page Ten March 31, 1967 SEAFARERS LOG Elderly Urge Congress Support Increases Inadequate Social Security Benefits Leave Many Elderly in Severe Need YOUR DOLLAR'S WORTH By Sidney Margolius The living is easier this April. Some foods temporarily are cheaper. The post-Easter clothing clearances offer money-saving buying oppor­ tunities in women's, children's and men's clothing. Mortgage interest rates have come down slightly from last Fall's "near-panic" peaks, and are likely to fall further. WASHINGTON—America's elderly—organized 2 million strong in the National Council of Senior Citizens—urged the House Ways and Means Committee to support social security improvements to ease "the desperate plight ... of older Americans forced to exist on inadequate incomes." We're even getting a little price competition in the auto business at President John W. Edelman, ow for 28 years and I have worked Appearing with Edelman, a for­ the manufacturer level. In recent years the dealers have had to do recuperating from a serious ill­ for 46 years. mer legislative representative of most of the competing, while the makers held their prices up except ness, led off the testimony on be­ "Two and a half years ago, I fell the Textile Workers Union of for some "merchandising allowances" to move leftover models at sea­ half of the President's social secu­ and broke my right shoulder and America, were his assistant, James rity proposals. He was followed elbow. That left me crippled in Cuff O'Brien; William R. Hutton, son's end. by other officers and staff mem­ my arm. But this year, sales of new cars have been running 15 to 25 per cent executive director of the council, bers of the national council, which "I get $83.70 a month in social and Walter Newburgher, East behind last year. The result has been a price drop on both new and has more than 2,000 affiliated security but I have to pay $50 a Coast vice president and president used models. One help in this respect has been a recent reduction in clubs of retirees. month in rent and for gas and of the Congress of Senior Citizens interest rates dealers pay to banks and finance companies on loans to The men and women receiving light. It's mighty hard to exist of Greater New York. finance their inventories. social security benefits "have after paying rent and gas and The council said the President's Perhaps the most interesting news to moderate-income families is the worked all their lives to build a light." social security proposals have its manufacturer price cut of $200 on a U.S.-made compact model (the prosperous America but, now in Yet, Edelman pointed out, she "solid backing" although they their old age, are shut out from is better off than the one in four don't meet all they need for im­ Rambler American). This cut puts the U.S. compacts more directly in competition on price with the imported compacts, while providing the prosperity they helped create," women on the social security rolls provement in the program. more passenger and trunk capacity and power, and more widelythe council spokesman told the who receive only the minimum Seeks Better Future available service and parts. committee. benefit of $44 a month. In the future, the witnesses said, Cites Letters The price cut also arouses new interest in the use of compacts, which Poverty Level social security taxes will have to be The senior citizen witnesses Nearly 2 million social security supplemented by general revenue save on operating costs as well as purchase price. The U.S. compacts cited statistics from government beneficiaries "have had to surren­ funds "as a matter of justice and usually can be counted on for average gas consumption of 20 or so miles per gallon and the small imports, about 25-30. reports and documents. But they der their pride and dignity to keep equity." cited statistics from government body and soul together" by going The council called for strength­ The six-cylinder U.S. compacts now are within $200-300 of the .reports and documents. But they on relief, the council witnesses ening of medicare and a method four-cylinder imports. The dealers' own margin on compact and cited also letters coming into their noted. Many more "are too proud of billing for doctors' services to intermediate cars usually is about 18-21 per cent of the list price headquarters from people like the to ask for help . . . and often hide relieve the elderly of the burden compared to the more typical 25 per cent on standard-size cars. Cleveland woman who last month from their friends and neighbors of paying bills and waiting for wrote Edelman: because they are so bitterly medicare reimbursement. Another significant aspect of the announcement by the U.S. company "I am 72, an American, a wid­ ashamed of their poverty." (Rambler) that cut the price of its compact, is that from now on it will not change its model each year except for actual safety and per­ formance improvements. If other manufacturers pick up this idea, cars in general will be cheaper. The imported cars hold down their costs by avoiding annual changes. These usually are only surface or appear­ ance changes. More-important basic changes usually are made only every two or three years. .S. Leails World In Ship Scrapping, Lloyd's Reveals The Pacific Coast by Frank Drozak, West Coast Representative Many Seafarers have volunteered to picket Standard Oil-Chevron service stations in San Francisco-Oakland and Contra Costa Coun­ ties. They are aiding members of the SIUNA-affiliated Interna­ tional Union of Petroleum Workers and Machinists Local 824 in their beef with the company. Members of all AFL-CIO un- ^ ions and the public at large, are ton, Yorkmar, Penn Challanger, being asked to send their credit Oakland and the Calmar. cards into the company with a note W. Koflowitch just came off the explaining why they are doing so: Longline in Honolulu. He had because the company fails to deal sailed as engine utility. Brother fairly with those unions involved. Koflowitch, known as "Flatop" around the SIU, will be shipping on the Platte next. Levy Evans Both the economic boycott and picket lines have spread to 19 com­ pany-owned service stations in San Francisco alone. The information­ al leaflet being handed to the pub­ lic exclaims: "Help! Standard Oil Company of California is unfair. Eton't Buy Standard Oil or Chev­ ron Products." San Francisco Shipping in the bay area has been very active this period and is likely to remain so, especially for Electricians, Oilers and FWT's. Paying off and signing on this period were the following: Del Alba, Los Angeles, De Pauw Victoiy, Jeiferson City Victory,' Bay­ lor Victory, Lynn Victory, Amer­ igo, Oceanic Tide, Steel Travier, Santa Emila, Steel Flyer, Steel Vendor, Halyctm Panthw and the Eilzabetbport. Ships in transit are the Cities Service Norfolk, Mayaguez, Tren­ Wilmington In the past couple of weeks we had the Young America and Mankato Victory pay off and sign on. Eight ships were through in transit and shipping has been very, very active. The outlook is for more of the same. For FOWT's the ship­ ping outlook is especially good. Seattle Shipping is booming in this area. Since the last report the fol­ lowing ships were paid off: Merid­ ian Victory, Trans Erie, Sagamore Hill, and the Platte. Signing on were the Yaka, Me­ ridian Victory, and Trans Erie. In transit were the Walter Rice and the Marymar. Oldtimer F. P. McErlane, a real SIU oldtimer, is warming up for a run to Viet Nam after spending some time on the beach. His last ship was the Rice Victory as FWT. Marcus Evans, off the Platte, will take a vacation before shipping out on a Viet Nam run. Marcus is a 20-year SIU man. Isadore Levy is just off the Walter Rice, itching for a run to the Far East. Isadore has been in the SIU for more than a quarter of a century. LONDON—^The United States continues to lead the nations of the world in the scrapping of its flagships, according to the most recent report by Lloyd's Register of Shipping. Fourteen American ships of 92,584 tons were junked com­ pared with 28 of 198,330 tons in the previous three months. Britain was again in second place with 22 of 55,845 tons scrapped as against the earlier 27 of 107,072 tons. Following in or­ der were Panama, Italy, Canada, Greece, Russia, Hong Kong, India and Liberia. The overall total of ships scrapped in the quarter was 103 of 405,658 gross tons, a substan­ tial drop of just over 140,000 tons from the 121 vessels of 546,682 tons that went to the breakers dur­ ing the preceding three-month pe­ riod. World-wide losses of merchant ships through Ynishap, the report showed, were down for the fourth quarter in a row and at their low­ est level in the past two years. Figures for the third quarter of 1966 show a loss of 48 ships of 163,566 gross tons compared with 49 of 176,601 tons during the second quarter of last year. The previous low was 51 ships of 140,142 tons for the third quarter of 1965. The losses involved eight ves­ sels of 61,439 tons burned, 21 (62,399 tons) wrecked, 13 (24,504 tons) foundered and six (15,224) through collision. None were American. No ships were posted as "miss­ ing" for the second straight quar­ ter. .t Seafarer's Guide to Better Buying| ^f "11 I |i -t i - f. GASOLINE PRICES: The oil companies have raised gasoline prices again on top of last year's increases. They also have ben avoiding price wars. People in the Midwest get ch^ged most for gasoline for no reason except the apparent lack of competition. Car owners in the Far West and Southeast also pay more than average. Those in the Northeast and Texas pay least. The oil companies did not need the latest price increase since their "earnings" (profits) have risen in the past two years. They argue that the service stations do need the additional margin, and that half the increase is going to them. (One group of gas stations in California actually announced that it was raising its prices "to meet competition.") * - I Here are facts that can help you keep down gasoline bills: • Most cars, unless they have very high compression ratios, do not need premium grade. The regular grade of most brands has been in­ creased steadily over the years so that present "regular" now is the equivalent in anti-knock quality of the "premium" of a few years ago. J • Unadvertised brands of gas selling for 2 or 3 cents less usually are the same quality as advertised brands. In fact, the unadvertised brands usually are bought from the same suppliers and are the same gasoline, a major oil company admitted in testifying to the Federal Trade Commission several years ago. , FOOD BUYING CALENDAR: Eggs are the buy of the month—in fact, the year. April is the month of heaviest supply and in any case egg production is heavier than a year ago. Two large eggs or three medium are the protein equivalent of an average serving of meat at half or less the cost. In red meats, beef is more abundant than last year, with pork also still in good supply, although supplies will be lower and prices higher when warm weather arrives. Fish filets and steaks also are in heavy supply. Canned salmon also is good value this year. Orange juice concentrate is in heavy supply and priced low. COMPARATIVE PRICES, SPECS OF COMPACT CARS Rambler Amer. Valiant 100 Falcon Corvalr 500 Chevy II100 Volkswagen Simca 1000 Opel Kadett Ford Cortina Price* Length (Inches) Width (Inches) Wheelbase Weight (Lbs.) Horse­ power (Cyl.) $1839 2117 2118 2128 2152 1639 1639 1695 1815 181 188.4 184.3 183.3 183 160.6 149.5 161.6 168 70.8 71.1 73.2 69.7 71.3 60.6 58.5 61.9 64.9 106 108 111 108 110 94.5 87.3 95.1 98 2669 2780 2638 2525 2765, 1764 1609 1614 1923 128/6 115/6 105/6 95/6 120/6 53/4 52/4 54/4 65/4 * Manufacturer's suggested list price, lowest-price model, FOB fac­ tory or port of entry. Excise tax included but not state and local taxes. • T .V . f . /( . 1 -I V �March 31, 1967 SEAFARERS Page Eleven LOG Thanks Union For Health Benefits Wallace P.'Auduson, Ship's Delegate of the Manhattan (Hudson Waterways), reported that the Captain praised the crew for a smooth running ship, and especially the Stewards Department for the excellent preparation of the food. He remarked, writes Meeting Secretary Clyde Kent, that "this is the best Steward Department that I have ever sailed with." Agent Frank Drozak about men Del Sol (Delta), during a meeting During a meeting presided over being reimbursed for transporta­ presided over by by Meeting Chair­ tion to and from signing on. Dur­ Meeting Chair­ man William Pad­ ing the good and welfare portion man E. J. Riviere. gett, the crew en­ of the meeting, the crew decided One man was dorsed the Cap­ that each department would take sick, the Ship's turns keeping the recreation room tain's word hy ex­ Delegate said, but tending a vote of clean. his illness was thanks to the brief and he was Stewards for a Milton Trotman was elected Mameito soon back at good job. A dona­ new Ship's Treasurer of the Saga­ tion was collected more Hill (Vic­ work. Another crew member had Kent and presented to tory Carriers). an accident. Meeting Secretary Brother Fred Wilson, Movie Man­ The new ship's Frank Mameito wrote, "but was ager, for a job well done. treasurer asked lucky and not hurt badly." The that money be Steward Department, during the Ship's Delegate S. D. Richarddonated for ship's good and welfare portion of the •son's report was accepted with a business at the shipboard meeting, asked all crew vote of thanks, next draw. He members to bring their soiled suggested a levy linen, to the Stewards when new writes J. E. Rob­ of one dollar per linen is issued, so it can be sent erts, Meeting Sec­ Trotman man. During the ashore. retary aboard the Yellowstone (Rio good and welfare portion of the Grande Trans­ meeting recorded by Meeting Sec­ Movie lovers on the Del Sud port). Brother retary Francis Napoli it was (Delta) have agreed to raise the agreed that the crew could use a Richardson re­ movie fund conported that he new washing machine. The Stew­ tribqtions to $4 ard will see the Port Steward about posted a list of Or­ Roberts per man, Michael dinaries, Wipers new linen. Tbe crew was request­ Dunn, meeting and Bedroom Stewards to alternate ed to be a little more quiet at chairman report­ weeks of cleaning the recreation night so those about to go on ed. The movie room and the laundry. One man watch can sleep. Members of the fund totals $524.was injured and taken off the ship crew were advised that proper 32, the ship's fund clothing was required in the messin Cueta. The Yellowstone is en is up to $368, route to Columbo, Ceylon. Broth­ room at all times. Dunn writes. Bob er Richardson, during the meeting Hand Hand, meeting presided over by Meeting Chair­ Jerome Hacker, Ship's Delegate secretary, reports that there is man J. M. Davis, asked the crew on the Halaula Victory (Isthmian), some disputed overtime but no to cooperate in keeping the messgave a vote of major beefs. Hand writes that one room clean. He also told the men thanks to Brother man was hospitalized in Rio, an­ that if they have a beef, to see him C. Arnold for other in Santos and the ship's lirst. During the new business por­ doing a good job tion of the meeting, it was report­ as Acting Ship's stewardess left because of illness in ed that the ship needs two new Delegate. During San Juan. washing machines and an ice ma­ the good and wel­ chine. A vote of thanks went to fare portion of the Steward Department for its the meeting pre­ A vote of thanks was extended good food and service. sided over by to the Steward department for an Tolentino Meeting Chair­ "excellent job well ^ done, especially A beef about beef was the main man Ted Tolentino, it was an­ holiday meals, item in Ship Delegate T. H. Holt's nounced that a TV set would be they were su­ report during a installed in the recreation room. perb," according shipboard meet­ The ship's Electrician was asked to Meeting Chair­ ing on the Coeur to cooperate in taking care of the man Arthur D'AIene Victory ship's fans, writes Meeting Secre­ Fricks aboard the (Victory Carriers). tary V. Tarallo. The Electrician Our Lady of He reported that replied that this was a difficult Peace (Liberty). it was brought to task as the company did not sup­ Fricks Department dele­ his attention that ply new fans or parts for existing a considerable ones. A vote of thanks went to gates were also praised for their amount of the the Steward Department for a job fine work. Meeting Secretary H. Givens Carmichael reports that the new food in the meat w-'l done. men on board, some making their box had gone bad. However, "it first trip, have done their jobs very "All went well this trip," re­ was taken care of by the Steward well. ported the Ship's Delegate of the and Chief Cook by throwing the bad stuff over the side," he re­ ported. Meeting Secretary Johnny Gl's Chow Down on Oceanic Cloud W. Givens writes that a number of crew members complained that the messhall wasn't being cleaned up at night. All promised to co­ operate. The Steward Department agreed to leave out enough cups for night time use. <1> i ^ Delmar Craig was re-elected as Ship's Delegate representing the crew members of the Los Angeles (Sea-Land), re­ ports Meeting Secretary Thomas Thompson. Dur­ ing the new busi­ ness portion of the meeting, presided over by Meeting Craig Chairman Ralph H. Smith, the crew asked Brother Craig to write San Francisco Port Angelo Turro (extreme left), Chief Cook aboard the Oceanic Cloud, and Confessor Axila, Third Cook, serve up chow to hungry Gl's, who are taking a meal break while guarding military cargo in Saigon. To The Editor; Would you please print this in your next paper going to press. First, I want to thank the Seafarers Welfare Plan for the wonderful way it paid my sec­ ond hospital bill. I had two major operations in a space of nine months. My husband and I are so grateful to the SIU Welfare Plan because without it we would have been in a desperate situa­ tion. Also, I'm writing to urge all interested relatives and friends of Merchant Seamen to please write to their Congressmen and plead with them to fight for an independent Maritime Adminis­ tration. I've already written my Con­ gressman. Mrs. Joseph Schaell ^ Oldtimer Recalls Dodging Icebergs To The Editor; The iceberg I saw in the Log, and the article, "Icebergs, A Major Sea Peril," recalled the time in 1909 that we went through, holding our breath all the way. It was in the full rigged ship Glenlui, in ballast on the voyage from England to Can­ ada to load lumber for Buenos Aires. It was midnight and blowing hard and with the ship close hauled under lower topsails. And there was the iceberg, a tnile Ipng it seemed, and so near On ouT lee and gating nearer." To wear ship to keep clear? We would have to square the yards and run a mile before the gale to bring the ship on the other tack. The iceberg was dangerously near for that. To stay on the same tack and set the main upper topsail? It was taking the chance that the sail would stand the gale. The old skipper gave the order: "Set the main upper topsail! Hurry! Be ready men, and haul!" We, the youne, ran aloft and loosened the sail. Violently the sail was beating. The yard jerked with the roll. And we, on the swaying fOotrope, went swinging aloft ^tween the dark sky and dark sea. ' TTie men on deck tailed on the halliard, and pulling hard, hoisted the yard, singing with a gusto the chanty "Blow the Man Down." Capt. R. J. Peterson Medical Problems Need Appraisal To The Editor; Your two-page article, "The Nation's Health Crisis," was a lucid presentation of what ails the American health care "in­ dustry" today. I think you got to'the crux of the problem by the use of the word "industry" in the article. You did point out that health care in America, unlike in many other industrialized nations, is seen as business, subject to the laws of supply and demand, where the well-to-do can afford , adequate medical care, while the poor and the not so well-m^ do cannot, "Free enterprise" is sacrosanct to most ihfldehtial Americans. Because of this ingrained, al­ most obsessive compulsion to protect "free enterprise" from all enemies, imagined and real, America has lagged behind other industrialized nations in passing much needed social leg­ islation. I believe there is a direction in which we can move to solve the nation's health problems, even given the set of circum­ stances that exist. We must clearly see that medicine is in­ deed an industry, like any other, and that it is a vital industry. What is more vital than health, to the American nation and to its citizens? Like other vital industries, medicine is clearly in need of government subsidy. Looking at the problem in this light, I don't think many would object if Federal funds were pumped into hospitals, if the govern­ ment set up scholarships for medical schools or subsidized the schools themselves, if Medi­ care were expanded to cover citizens other than the aged, and If other needed steps were taken to insure the blessing of good health to every American. Ralph Kehimian —— Right to Strike Is a Basic Liberty To The Editon I believe that the working man's right to strike is essential LETTERS To The Eldltor in maintaining the freedom that we have enjoyed in America since the framing of the Con­ stitution, essential to the preser­ vation of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The American Bar Associa­ tion—the group that is the offi­ cial voice of the nation's law­ yers—should have better sense than to try to promulgate a doctrine that would be the be­ ginning of the epd of freedom in this country. I am referring to the Bar's heavily-stacked study of na­ tional strikes in the transporta­ tion industries. As your article pointed out, the Railroad indus­ try's workers, in the event of a national strike, are already forced to the arbitration table by existing legislation. Are mari­ time and airlines workers next? The excuse for passing such legislation is "national interest." However, it is not in the na­ tional interest at all to limit the right of any worker to go on strike and to stay out on strike as long as he and his elected union officials see fit. Whose interest is it in, thenj to limit the power of the strike? The management's and inves­ tors', of course. As I see it from here, the whole movement to introduce compulsory arbin| tration legislation that would! bind the shipping industry is| merely the beginning of an at-| tempt to solidify the ever-1 increasing power of the large corporations over life in Amer-> -ica.. • • • If the right of the shipping| industry's workers to strike is| limited, whose rights will be; faken away next? And next? Manny KoppCTsmillL �Page Twelve SEAFARERS Seafarer's SOO-fiHHe Walkathon Aids Fight On Crippling Disease Seafarer Abe Handleman has been spending his time in an unaccustomed way in recent weeks— taking it easy. His idleness is not by choice, however, but rather enforced by doctors following an operation performed in the USPHS hospital in New York. Brother Handleman was never a stranger to hard work CITY HALL COMMENT JERRY ADLER even on his own time. Before pFi^iu joining the SIU and going to sea /V. in 1960, he mixed concrete and drove a truck for the city in his native Baltimore. With a large fam­ What's his angle, you may was $25 from Wallee Motora. WK ALL Rive to charity. ily to support, this 'Towards the end. I began But how many of us really wonder ? According to him: All my to feel a little tired." the 39work to help the sick and might have been life I've wanted to do some­ year-old man told me. needy? thing good. A certificate of apprecia­ considered work One such Also: In 1945 X was in a tion is being readied for selfless Indi' enough for most hospital for six months with presentation to Handleman vidual Is a a spot on my lung and saw by the March of Dimes. city employe men, but another, 15 patient.s. old and young, named Abe longer stay in hos­ die of polio. r THINK he deserves K Handlcm.sn. My estimate: he simply en­ and more. His job: pital more than joys doing good. Here's a guy with a city mixinR con­ job who uses his only vaca­ crete in the Handleman 20 years ago con­ THE GOOD he did the tion to help others. aewcr depart­ ADLER vinced Handlepolio campaign amounted to Why do I harp on his boment. $1.48144. ing a municipal employe? man that he could and would do Between Nov. 14. 1959, and He had each donor sign a Because I keep getting let­ Jan. 28 of this year, thi& scroll and had 76 sheets with more. While there he watched rough - looking individual 32 names on each at the end ters from people who want me to "expose" all the "po­ walked all over E.i.st BAltl- of his one-man trek. more than a dozen patients die of litical appointees on the city .•nore ringing doorbeii-s to col­ Although he has a wife and payroll who eat at the public polio and determined to do what lect money for the March of five children. Handleman trough." Dimes. chipped in $9 himself. he could to help combat the dread In actuality there are so Not only did he walk—500 He solicited not only homes few of these -and so over­ disease. miles according to New but stores, too. receiving any­ whelming a majority of tha March of Dimes estimate — where from five cents to $1 Handleman kind that I felt And so he did. When the March but he did so during his from most. it important to tell about a yearly 2-week vacation.* The largest contribution typical employe. of Dimes campaign got under way in 1946, Handleman immediately volunteered to raise contributions A Baltimore newspaper columnist and the March of Dimes both paid in his spare time. After work he tribute to Seafarer Abe Handleman, who worked continuously through pounded the pavements collecting his vacation time to aid the March of Dimes fund to research and whatever people would contribute combat the crippling effect of polio. Brother Handleman has been on the street, in bars, bowling by the Headquarters hall lately following some time in drydock. alleys, stores; wherever pennies or dollars could be found. Seafarer Handleman's efforts for the March of Dimes, which netted an average of more than $1,000 each year over a period of some 12 years, is even more note­ worthy when it is realized that An act of extrordinary courage bow of the small craft into the every cent of the money was col­ and outstanding seamanship by wind. lected on his own shoe leather. "Vincent Frisinga left his sta­ Brother Vincent Louis Frisinga re­ Back in 1960, the March of tion as Night Gangway Watchman sulted in a letter of commendation Dimes presented Handleman with after observing the dangerous posi­ a certificate of appreciation for his by the Master of the Vantage tion of the Larc and boarded the years of tireless effort and he was Progress (Pioneer Maritime). The Floating Crane and, without the subject of several write-ups in letter of commendation from the thought to his personal safety, the Baltimore News and other ship's Master, G. H. Catlender, jumped aboard the small craft and journals in that city. But praise which follows, describes the dra­ attached a line to the bow, then for himself was not what he matic incident: worked his way on board the S.S. sought. Handleman's only com­ "On January 2, 1967, on or Sebec and secured a line for­ ment was: "Thank the PEOPLE about 0200 hours (2:00 a.m.), U.S. warded on the bow. He lowered for what they gave." Army Larc No. 56 was trapped himself hand over hand on the Brother Handleman, who ships on a tide pocket broadside of the bow line down to the Larc, and as a Bedroom Steward, seems bow of a Heavy Lift Floating then managed to bring the bow never to be far from the action Crane, and with strong winds and of the small craft into the wind for long. For ten years of his life a heavy tide running, was in dan­ where steerage way was recovered he sought it out himself as an ama­ ger of foundering with one man and removed the Larc from its teur boxer. aboard attempting to move the hazardous position into safe wa­ ters. "For this single act of outstand­ Lifeboat Class No. 172 Sets Sail ing seamanship, this Letter of Commendation is presented with pride and praise to Vincent Louis Frisinga." 500 Fo^l^ore Miles In City So That Others Might Walk Seafarer's Act of Courage Lauded by Ship's Officers Claim Gear Held by Customs These graduates of the Union's Lifeboat School have received their endorsements as Lifeboatmen from the Coast Guard after completing the school's intensive course. Seated (l-r) are: Freddie Brown, Louis Eggleston, Pat McNulty and George B. Graczyk. Standing (l-r) are: Paul MacLean, K. C. McGregor, Bruce J. Smith, Samuel A. Sotomayor, John R, Marcimo and the school instructor Ami Bjornsson. March 31, 1967 LOG The personal gear of the Seafarers listed below who sailed aboard the Monticello Victory, is being held at the U.S. Customs Warehouse at Mobile. Customs informed the LOG that the belongings will be put up for auction within a year if not claimed. Chester Gilbert Brown, John C. Kershner, Richard A. Sproul, Vicki Langford, Joe O. Donnell, Phil Choi, Thom­ as P. Anderson, Lius Guadamud, Howard C. Albertson, Earl Smith, Rolin Manual, Bernard Schwartz, Mike Broadus, Keith Faulkner, Neil D. Matthey, Emilio Sierra, Calvin J. Wilson. FINAL DEPARTURES Lawrence Earl Owens, 46: Brother Owens died suddenly of a heart attack while at the New­ ark (N.J.) Air­ port. Brother Owens joined the SIU in 1952, in Baltimore. He sailed in the black gang, as an FWT and Oiler, He was a WW II veteran of the Navy. Brother Owens resided in St. Petersburg, Fla. He is survived by his former wife, Lillian, two children, and a sister, Betty Jean Strickland. Carlos Bayes, 24: Brother Bayes died an accidental death while at work as a tugboat Deck Hand. He had been em­ ployed by the Pennsylvania Rail­ road Marine De­ partment since 1963. Married, he was a resident of Jersey City, N.J. He is survived by his wife, Steph­ anie, and two young sons, John and Steven. a Louis Prince, 55; Brother Prince died of a lung hemorrhage, Nov. 24, in St. Mary's Hospital, Port Arthur, Tex­ as. Born in Avery Island, La., Prince lived in Port Ar­ thur and joined the IBU in that port. He sailed as a cook and was employed by the Sabine Towing Co.. Joseph A. Laiity Please contact your daughter, Linda, at R. R. #1, Hiser Station Rd., Milton, Ind. ^ Robert N. Bibbo Contact your brother, John, at your first opportunity. His ad­ dress is 56 Philips Drive, Billingham, Mass. ^ Orlando Rosales Hoppe Contact your sister, Elia Mulleniux, 1115 Rose Ave., Oakland, Calif. Anthony P. Rogers You are a grandfather. Your wife asked the Log to inform you that your doaughter-in-law, Mrs. Paul E. Rogers, gaves birth to a healthy girl on Dec. 29. Mike Gladis Please contact Harry Wally at 550 West 54th St., New York, N. Y. 10019. John Murray Please contact your family as soon as possible in regard to a very important matter. —— Roy Poole, 52: Brother Poole died of heart failure after an illness of two days. He died in the Nor­ folk USPHS hos­ pital. A resident of New York City, he usually sailed from that port. Originally from South Caro­ lina, Brother Poole joined the Union in the port of Baltimore in 1945. He sailed in the Steward Department as a Messman. He is survived by his wife, Fannie. Sam Robinson, 56: Seafarer Robinson died Dec. 14, following an illness, in US­ PHS Hospital, New Orleans. Born in Alabama, he lived in Mo­ bile. A member of the IBU, Rob­ inson joined the union in the port of Mobile. Robin­ son is survived by his wife, Ellarene of Mobile. Burial was in the Oaklawn Cemetery, Mobile. —— Thomas T. Willis, 37: Brother Willis died Jan. 16, while at sea aboard the Marore. Born in Texas, he resided in Winnsboro, Texas. Willis shipped in all de­ partments. He served in the Navy from 1952 to 1954. Brother Willis joined the union in the port of New York. He is survived by his wife, Maria. Burial was in Wood County, Texas. George Bunting Little Please contact your daughter, Magaly Bunting y Fernandez, now Magaly Soto, at 3626 N.W. 103 St., Miami, Fla., or telephone 681-8062. <|> Lincoln Brigade Veterans Cameron Stewart would like to hear from seamen who were in the Lincoln Brigade during the Span­ ish Civil War. He asks that they write him at 10622-H Tibbs Cir­ cle, Garden Grove, Calif. 92640. Lisa Esquerre, born February 19, 1967, to the William Esqueres. Mobile, Ala. ^ Carolyn Franklin, born August 3, 1966, to the Franklin Benja­ mins, Kenner, La. ^ Amanda Lundy, born February 22, 1967, to the Thomas J. Lundys, Wilmer, Ala. Jorge Nelson Gonzalez, Jr., born July 15, 1966, to the Jorge N. Gonzalezs, Brooklyn, New York. • �March 31, 1967 SEAFARERS Dishing It Out Scheduled Grudge Match No Contest When Cohra Falls To Answer Bell Chief Cook Nick Gaylord, on the Halaula Victory (Bloomfield) is serving up a delectable main course tor Crew Messman Jay Lester " (left) to carry to a hungry crew member. The photo was sent to the . LOG by Seafarer Ange Panogopoulos, who sailed as chief steward. Seafarer Sets Porthole View Of fmpentiing Ship's Coiiision Seafarer John A. Denais had the terrifying experience of looking out of a porthole and seeing a ship bearing down upon him. The time was last October, and Utility Messman Denais was sittting in the messhall of the Steel Designer (Isthmian) with block, keeping the Isthmian ship the Ship's Delegate. It was six from listing any further and from o'clock in the morning. The sun taking much more water. Captain Kelly told the officers had ri.sen an hour earlier on a fine, and crew that it would not be clear day in Manila Harbor. When Brother Denais looked necessary to abandon ship, as al­ out of the porthole he saw the most all of the damage was con­ S.S. Brooicfield, a reactivated Vic­ tained in the number two hold, tory Ship, headed and the ship was not taking much straight for the more water. All cargo was taken out of the messhall. The number two hold, as well as from Steel Designer the number four hold, to balance was at anchor the vessel. and, of course, The ship stayed in Manila for could not ma­ 28 more days, undergoing tempo­ neuver. The Brookfield rary repairs and awaiting orders ripped into the to proceed to Saigon. "We lamed Denais Steel Designer, into Saigon with • our cargo," tearing a 27-foot-deep, three-foot- Brother Denais reported. Then wide gash in her hull. The ship's the Steel Designer sailed to Hong delegate sounded the general Kong, for permanent repairs at alarm, and soon the entire ship's the Kowloon Shipyard. The ship complement, inciuding the 34-man was in dry dock for five days. unlicensed crew, was assembled by While the ship was undergoing re­ the gangway with lifejackets on. pairs, her crew enjoyed the fabled Most of the gash was under the port of many pleasures. water line, and at first the Steel Though both ships were badly Designer took on water at a rapid damaged, there were no casualties rate. She began to list, but then aboard either vessel. The Steel stopped. The Brookfield, whose Designer was carrying mostly gen­ bow was buried in the Steel De­ eral cargo, as well as some mili­ signer's side, was acting like a tary cargo. I I I I I I I I Tditor,-' SEAFARERS LOG, 675 Fourth Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. 11232 I would like to receive the SEAFARERS LOG—please put my name on your mailing list, (Prinf Mormafion) m NAAAE I STREET ADDRESS ...... i .* STATE. J CITY I TO AVOID DUPtlCATIOisi: If ypo aire ah old subscriber an<jTiave a change | j tof address,, pieaw your former address below: g 5 ADDRE^ STATE •,...... 21IP. fHeClTY.;.,.k. ee •• ereit^-aet «• eeina-iei a* *raai ae-eii-'ee • Page Thirteen LOG ! ei-a* a* A grudge match between two notorious enemies—a mongoose and a cobra—that never took place provided the material for an elaborate take-off by Seafarer Roy Guild, 45, whose hobby is writing stories about animals. Brother Guild, who sails in 5bonus of prolonged freedom from sent a story to a publisher, and the Deck Department as a his sack. added, "I have no pretentions Bosun was a spectator at the "The fakir backhanded the about being a great writer." match that never quite came off snake in frustration, since it was One of his recent stories is about in Karachi, Pakistan, in 1948. obvious that it had no further two sea gulls who met on the rim He was sailing as an AB at the plans for coming out of its basket. of a garbage can in San Francisco. time (he received his Bosun's en­ We were all grudgingly given a It was love at first sight, and they dorsement in 1951) on the Steel refund, and the fakir slammed the got married in great haste. Mari­ Seafarer (Isthmian), which was lid on the basket, stuffed the mon­ tal difficulties followed, but were unloading general goose back in his sack and stalked eventually resolved. cargo at that port off down the street." Many of Guild's stories take on the Arabian Brother Roy Guild, who nar­ place on farms, quite naturally, Sea near the rated the yarn so eloquently, is since he is originally from Kansas. mouth of the In­ married and lives in The Bronx, On one of these farms there was a dus River. in New York City. His wife is a cat who was suspected of subver­ Together with nurse, and manages a local nurs­ sive activity. Specifically, it was seven of his ship­ ing home. He joined the SIU in believed that he was using his tail mates from the 1946. as an antenna to secretly broad­ Guild Steel Seafarer, he He began writing stories about cast data on the butterfat content ran across the animals because he thought his of the COW.S' milk. Gradually, the promoter of the fight, a native wife was getting tired of receiving menace of internal subversion sub­ fakir, while roaming the streets letters "about the same old stuff" sided. of the exotic port. The fakir was —ships, their cargo, the sea and There is one theme that runs standing on the sidewalk, trying details of each trip. Mrs. Guild throughout all of Brother Guild's to take up a collection. On one circulates his stories among their stories, reflecting an outlook that side of him lay a burlap sack, on friends. Asked if he had any of is perhaps common to all of us. the other, a basket covered with his works published. Brother He explains, "my animals get in a lid. Guild replied that he had never and out of trouble." He was exhorting passers-by on the hot and humid street to stop DEI. SOI. (Delt.T), January 22—Chair­ TRANS HARTSFORD (Hudson Water­ ways!. February 12—Chairman. T. L. K- J. Riviere: Secretary, Frank and see the impending exhibition. man. Moss; Secretary. S. A. Soloman. Sr. Mameito. $22.30 in ship's fund. Few Some disputed OT in engine department. The eight Seafarers stopped and hours disputed OT in deck department. Ship's delegate to be elected. No beefs contributed a couple of rupees reported by department delegates. TRANSHATTERAS (Hudson Water­ February 12—Chairman, J. Presteach. The fakir thought that this ways!. FLORIDIAN (South Atlantic!. Febru­ wood : Secretary. Jimmy Seal. Few hours 26—Chairman. Anthony C. Aronica : made up a sufficient gate "to jus­ disputed OT in deck and engine depart­ ary Secretary S. RosofT. Ship's delegate re­ Motion made that headquarters tify the exhibition," and dumped ments. ported that there were no beefs and get in touch with companies and arrange everything is running smoothly. Brother to have a doctor on board to give shots a mongoose out of the burlap sack before Mason R. Scott resigned as ship's going foreign. delegate. Entire crew appreciates the onto the sidewalk. The mongoose good job that Brother Scott did in the ELIZABETH (Albatross Tank­ is native to India and Pakistan. A er!.ERNA last two months. Brother Nick Sabin was February 8—Chairman, A. W. Lima; elected new ship's delegate for the next J. R. Thompson. Brother B. member of the cat family, it is Secretary. two months. Chief Steward is very co­ J. Brewer was elected to serve as new Plenty of boiled eggs, tuna famous for fearlessly attacking ship's delegate. No beefs reported by operative. fish, salmon etc. are available at night. department delegates. and killing the most poisonous Vote of thanks to the chief steward and to the entire steward department. snakes. EAGLE VOYAGER (Sea Transport). The native entrepreneur then February 19—Chairman. T. D. Ballard; Secretary. William Morris. Some dis­ took off the lid of his basket and puted OT in deck department. began to play a flute. Inside the DEL NORTE (Delta). February 19— basket was a cobra, "a muddyChairman. Robert Callahan; Secretary. Bill Kaiser. Ship's delegate thanked colored, evil-looking son-of-acrew for making his job an easy one. Baker in galley thanked for doing a real gun," according to Brother Guild. good job. $23.00 in movie fund and Cobras are very venomous snakes $16.00 in ship's fund. No beefs reported by department delegates. and cause many deaths in Paki­ DEL AIRES (Delta). February 5— stan and India. Chairman. Nils Eric Grinberg ; Secretary. Alf Tolentino. Brother Nil E. Grinberg The rest of the story follows ex­ was elected to serve as new ship's dele­ HALAULA VICTORY (Bloomfield). actly as Brother Guild told it to gate. $21.60 in ship's fund. No beefs. February 12—Chairman. Ted Tolentino: Everything is running smoothly. the Log. Secretary. V. Tarallo. Some beefs were straightened out in San Francisco, but ALCOA MARINER (Alcoa). February "Apparently, this particular some left unsettled due to the fact that 26—Chairman. Thomas E. Frazier ; Sec­ there was no patrolman at ship during retary. Howard Webber. Brother Frank snake and mongoose had fought sign-on. Vote of thanks to Brother C. Rakas was elected to serve as ship's dele­ Arnold for doing a good job as acting gate. No beefs reported by department many times before, and because ship's delegate. Vote of thanks extended of these previous encounters had to the steward department for a job well delegates. CORNELL VICTORY (Waterman). reached a point of acute boredom done. February 19—Chairman. Jesse J. M. SAGAMORE HILL (Victory Carriers). Krause; Secretary. Charles Stambul. and futility and now had a healthy February 23—Chairman. Milton Trotman ; Brother Stambul was elected to serve as indifference to each other. Secretary. Francis Napoli. Some disputed new ship's delegate. No beefs were re­ OT reported in engine department. Men ported by department delegates. Ship's "However, the mongoose as­ were requested to wear proper clothing delegate to take up matter of stale in messroom at all times. cigarettes in slop chest, with the Captain. sumed his fighting stance as a mat­ ter of habit. The only remaining problem the fakir had was to get Seafarer Hits the Beach the snake out of the basket so the show could go on. "He frantically played his flute and through curiosity the snake raised his head out of the basket. Recognizing the same old tune, he promptly went back into the basket. "The fakir, sensing a refund of all his collected money was im­ minent, promptly went into a ren­ dition of a livelier song. The snake came up to investigate, sensing the change of pace, but remained in the basket, unmoved. "In the meantime the crowd be­ came impatient, but not discour­ Brother Fernando Vargas, 61 (center), receives his first Seafarers aged, because it appeared that the pension check from New York Port Representative E. 8. "Mac" fakir and not the snake was the one in a trance at this point. The McAuley. Vargas's wife, Isaura, looks on. Brother Vargas, born mongoose merely swished his tail in Puerto Rico, lives in The Bronx, New York City. He joined the from side to side, enjoying the SIU in that port in 1939. He sailed in the Engine Department. DIGEST of SIU SHIP MEETINGS £1 �Page Fourteen ANTINOUS (Waterman). March 5— Chairman. F. Paskowski; Secretary, A. J. Kuberaki. Two men missed ship, one in Saigon and one in Manila. Some dis­ puted OT concerning delayed sailing in Manila. Discussion on shortage of water. Vote of thanks to the steward depart­ ment for a job well done. SIU-AGLIWD Meetings New Orleans Apr. 11—2:30 p.m. Mobile Apr. 12—^2:30 p.m. Wilmington .Apr. 17—2:00p.m. San Francisco Apr. 19—2:00 p.m. Seattle Apr. 21—2:00 p.m. New York .. Apr. 3—2:30 p.m. Philadelphia .Apr. 4—2:30 p.m. Baltimore .. . Apr. 5—2:30 p.m. Detroit Apr. 14—2:30 p.m. Houston ... .Apr. 10—2:30 p.m. Great Lakes SIU Meetings Detroit Apr. 17—2:00 p.m. Alpena Apr. 17—7:00 p.m. Buffalo Apr. 17—7:00 p.m. Chicago Apr. 17—7:00 p.m. Cleveland .. .Apr. 17—7:00 p.m. Duluth Apr. 17—7:00 p.m. Frankford .. Apr. 17—7:00 p.m. Great Lakes Tug and Dredge Region Chicago ....Apr. 11—7:30p.m. tSault Ste. Marie Apr. Buffalo Apr. Duluth Apr. Cleveland .. .Apr. Toledo Apr. Detroit Apr. Milwaukee .. Apr. 13—7:30 p.m. 12—7:30 p.m. 14—7:30 p.m. 14—7:30 p.m. 14—7:30 p.m. 10—7:30 p.m. 10—7:30 p.m. SIU Inland Boatmen's Union New Orleans Apr. 11—5:00 p.m. Mobile Apr. 12—5:00 p.m. Philadelphia .Apr. Baltimore Qicensed unlicensed) Apr. Norfolk .... Apr. March 31, 1967 SEAFARERS LOG 4—5:00p.m. and 5—5:00 p.m. 6—5:00 p.m. Railway Marine Region Houston .... Apr. 10—5:00 p.m. Philadelphia Apr. 11—10 a.m. & 8 p.m. Baltimore Apr. 12—10 a.m. & 8 p.m. •Norfolk Apr. 13—10 a.m. & 8 p.m. Jersey City Apr. 10—10 a.m. & 8 p.m. United Industrial Workers New Orleans Apr. 11—7:00 p.m. Mobile .... .Apr. 12—7:00 p.m. New York .. Apr. 3—7:00 p.m. Philadelphia .Apr. 4—7:00p.m, Baltimore . . .Apr. 5—7:00 p.m. ^Houston . . . Apr. 10—7:00 p.m. t Meetine held at Labor Temple, Sanlt Ste. Marie. Mich. * Meeting held at Labor Temple, New­ port News. ^ Meeting held at Galreeton wharvea. DIRECTORYof UNION HALLS SIU A+ian+ic, Gulf, Lakes & InlancI Waters Inland Boatmen's Union United Industrial Workers PRESIDENT Paul Hall EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Cal Tanner VICE PRESIDENTS Lindsay Williams Robert Matthews SECRETARY-TREASURER Al Karr HEADQUARTERS 675 4th Ave.. Bklyn. HY 9-4600 ALPENA, Mich 127 River St. EL 4-3614 BALTIMORE, MD 1216 E. Baltimore St. EA 7-4900 BOSTON, Mass 177 State St. Rl 2-0140 BUFFALO, N.Y 735 Washington St. TL 3-9259 CHICAGO, III 93B3 Ewing Ave. SA 1-0733 CLEVELAND, Ohio 1420 W. 25th St. MA 1-5450 DETROIT, Mich. .. 10225 W. Jefferson Ave. Earl Shapard VI 3-4741 DULUTH, Minn 312 W. 2nd St. RA 2-4110 FRANKFORT, Mich P.O. Box 287 415 Main St. EL 7-2441 HOUSTON, Tex 5804 Canal St. WA 8-3207 JACKSONVILLE, Fla 2608 Pearl St. EL 3-0987 JERSEY CITY, N.J 99 Montgomery St. HE 3-0104 MOBILE, Ala I South Lawrence St. HE 2-I7S4 NEW ORLEANS. La 630 Jackson Ave. Tel. 529 7546 NORFOLK, Va 115 3rd St. Tel. 622-1892 PHILADELPHIA, Pa 2604 S. 4th St. DE 6-3818 PORT ARTHUR, Tex 1348 Seventh St. SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. 350 Freemont St. DO 2-4401 SANTURCE. P.R. ...1313 Fernandez Juncos Stop 20 Tel. 723-8594 SEATTLE, Wash 2505 First Avenue MA 3-4334 ST. LOUIS. Mo 805 Del Mar CE-l-1434 TAMPA, Fla 312 Harrison Sit. Tel. 229-2788 WILMINGTON, Calif. ...505 N. Marine Ave. 834-2528 YOKOHAMA, Japan..Iseya BIdg., Room So 1-2 Kaigan-Dori-Nakaku 204971 Ext. 281 STEEL APPRENTICE (Isthmian), February 26—Chairman. Pablo P. Lopez ; Secretary, Augusto T>opez. $25.00 in ship's fund. No beefs reported by depart­ ment delegates. Vote of thanks was ex­ tended to the cooks and messmen for the fine job they performed. DIGEST of SIU MEETIKGS PENN CHALLENGER (Penn Tank­ ers), March 8—Chairman. W. S. Rudd; Secretary, R. Principe. $9.25 in ship's fund. No beefs and no disputed OT re­ ported. Everything is running smoothly. DEL SUD (Delta), March 5—Chair­ man, Michael Dunn; Secretary, Robert J. Hand. $368.60 in ship's fund and $524.32 in movie fund. Few hours dis­ puted OT in each department, other­ wise no beefs aboard. STEEL VOYAGER (Isthmian), Feb­ ruary 13—Chairman, R. Whitney ; Sec­ retary, Tony Caspar. $8.50 in ship's fund. Motion made to give more time on pay­ ing off and signing on in Port of New York. Brother D. Keith was elected to serve as new ship's delegate. Vote of thanks was extended to the out-going ship's delegate for a job well done. STEEL ADMIRAL (Isthmian) Feb­ ruary 26—Chairman. T. D. Blades ; Sec­ retary, B. G. Crouch. No beefs reported by department delegates. Request made that ship be fumigated when ship is in New York. STEEL CHEMIST (Isthmian), March 5—Chairman, E. Finnerty ; Secretary, J. Tucker. Few beefs aboard to be taken up with boarding patrolman. $1.00 in ship's fund. STEEL SCIENTIST (Isthmian), March 8— Chairman, E. Hernandez; Secretary, P. S. Omega. $17.39 in ship's fund. Some disputed OT in engine department. BEAUREGARD (Sea-Land), February 8—Chairman, Tom Lundy; Secretary, Michael Smith. No beefs and no dis­ puted OT reported by department dele­ gates. Motion made that the Union open negotiation for tanker contract, due to lack of port time. AZALEA CITY (Sea-Land), March 6 —Chairman, Pate; Secretary, Beattie. Repair list has been submitted. One man missed ship in New York. There are no beefs and no disputed OT was reported. Everything is running smoothly. Motion made that the crew of this vessel be informed as to the progress of the cur­ rent plan for the pension fund. BEAUREGARD (Sea-Land), March 2 Chairman, James Gill; Secretary, Mi­ chael Smith. No beefs and no disputed OT was reported. Matter of delayed sailing in Mayaquez to be clarified. Motion made to increase penalty for delayed sailing, which is getting out of hand. STEEL FLYER (Isthmian), February 26—Chairman, None; Secretary, None. $1.00 in ship's fund. Some disputed OT in deck and steward departments. Motion made to give draws in cash in­ stead of checks. Wash water tanks are in bad shape ruining clothes. Vote of thanks to the steward department and the ship's delegate for a job well done. CITADEL VICTORY (Waterman), February 19—Chairman, N. Bryant; Sec­ retary, Jack Dolan. A few minor beefs to be taken up with boarding patrolman. Discussions about having air-conditioners installed in messhalls. OCEAN EVELYN (Maritime Overseas), February 18—Chairman, R, Nich­ olson : Secretary, T. E. Markham. Ship is laying up for repairs for ten days. Some disputed OT in engine department. Vote of thanks extended to the steward department for a job well done. STEEL VENDOR (Isthmian). Feb­ ruary 26—Chairman, Fred Shaia : Sec­ retary, Elliott Gorum. $21.90 in ship's fund. Disputed OT in deck and engine departments to he taken up with patrol­ man. Vote of thanks was extended to the steward department for a job well done. Discussion about poor grade of mattresses. LONGVIEW VICTORY (Victory Car­ riers), No date—Chairman, Don Bartlett; Secretary, John Spenc. $19.38 in ship's fund. No beefs and no disputed OT reported by department delegates. If was suggested that SIU food plan repre­ sentative check the quality of present and new stores. E.XPRESS VIRGINIA (Marine Car­ riers), February 20—Chairman, Louis Cartwright; Secretarj-, G. Van Etten. One man missed ship in Manila. No beefs and no disputed OT in the departments. Ice machine is out of order again. WHITEHALL (Whitehall), February 19—Chairman, G. G. Parker: Secretary, W. Quisenberry. No beefs and no dis­ puted OT reported by department dele­ gates. All Union mail to ship is opened before ship receives it. YAKA (Waterman), February 19— Chairman, W. Veleqiez; Secretary, J. Petruxsewicz. No beefs and no disputed OT reported by department delegates. ENID VICTORY (Columbia), January 22—Chairman, Mel Shawvner; Secretary, Sam W. McDonald. Motion made to have another wiper on this trip. Motion made to replace man in topside pantry as all officers are constantly beefing about lack of service. Discussion about service in messroom. AMES VICTORY (Victory Carriers), January 22—Chairman, Roy J. Jones: Secretary, Jesse J. M. Krause. Left San Francisco short 1 A.B., 1 oiler, 3rd cook promoted to chief cook and chief cook demoted to pantryman. No beefs and no disputed OT reported by department delegates. Discussion about starting ship's fund. Vote of thanks to the steward for a job well done with the men he had to work with. OUR LADY OP PEACE (Liberty Na­ vigation), January 29—Chairman, Ar­ thur Pricks: Secretary, H. Carmichael. Few hours disputed OT in deck depart­ ment to be taken up with boarding pa­ trolman, Vote of thanks to the steward department for the excellent holidaj meals. Also a vote of thanks to the de­ partment delegates for a job well done. Suggestion was made that immunization shots be given at sign-on. It is very in­ convenient trying to get them in foreign ports. Ship has some young men on board for first trip at sea. Crew appreci­ ates the fine job they have done and hope they will keep it up. STEEL RECORDER (Isthmian), March 3—Chairman, J. Bourgeois; Sec­ retary, L. C. Clark. Ship's delegate re­ ported that everything is running smoothly with no beefs. Some disputed OT in the engine department. $2.50 in ship's fund. Motion made that A.B. maintenance be put back on board as the O.S. as he is not qualified to work aloft and do the required work on deck. Ship's delegate is doing a fine job. Vote of thanks to the steward department for a job well done. DEL RIO (Delta), March 4—Chair­ man, Samuel Papas; Secretary, Robert Merritt. $30.10 in ship's fund. No beefs and no disputed OT reported. Everything is running smoothly. Motion made that the entire crew of the Del Rio are in favor of a twenty-year retirement plan. Vote of thanks to the cooks for the very good food. COSMOS MARINER (Admanthos), February 12—Chairman, C. E. Miller; Secretary, G. P. Thlu. Ship's delegate and chief electrician took care of all repairs. Brother C. E. Miller was elected to serve as ship's delegate. The steward requested the crew to cooperate with his department and to keep the ship clean. FREE AMERICA (A. L. Burbank), March 9—Chairman, R. Garay; Secre­ tary, A. Hirsch. No beefs and no dis­ puted OT reported. Vote of thanks was extended to the galley staff. KNOWYOUB] FINANCIAL REPORTS. The constitution of the SIU Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District makes specific provision for safeguarding the meml^rship's money and Union finances. The constitution requires a detailed CPA audit every three months by a rank and file auditing committee elected by the membership. All Union records are available at SIU headquarters in Brooklyn. TRUST FUNDS. All trust funds of the SIU Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District are administered in accordance with the provisions of various trust fund agreements. All these agreements specify that the trustees in cl^rge of these funds shall equally consist of union and management representatives and their alternates. All expenditures and disbursements of trust fun^ are made only upon approval by a majority of the trustees. All trust fund financial records are available at the headquarters of the various trust funds. SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and seniority are protected exclusively by the contracts between the Union and the shipowners. Get to know your shipping rights. Copies of these contracts are posted and available in all Union halls. If you feel there has been any violation of your shipping or seniority rights as contained in the contracts between the Union and the shipowners, notify the Seafarers Appeals Board by certified mail, return receipt request^. The proper address for this Is: Earl Shepard, Chairman, Seafarers Appeals Board 17 Battenr Place, Suite 1930, New York 4, N. Y. Full copies of contracts as referred to are available to you at all times, either by writing directly to the Union or to the Seafarers Appeals Board. CONTRACTS. Copies of all SIU contracts are available in all SIU halls. These contracts specify the wages and conditions under which you work and live aboaril ship. Know your contract rights, as well as your obligations, such as filing for OT on the proper sheets and in the proper manner. If, at any time, any SIU patrolman, or other Union official, in your opinion, fails to protect your contract rights prop­ erly, contact the nearest SIU port agent. EDITORIAL POLICY—SEAFARERS LOG. The LOG has traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving the political purposes of any Individual in the Union, officer or member. It has also refrained from publishing articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed by membezahip action at the SeptemMr, 1960, meetings in all constitu­ tional ports. The responsibility for LOG policy is vested in an editorial board which consists of the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board may delegate, ftom among its ranks, one individual to carry out this reaponsibility. PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to he paid to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU* unless an official Union receipt is given for same. Under no circumstances should any member pay any money for any reason unless he Is given such receipt. In the event anyone attempts to require any such payment be made without supplying a receipt, or if a member is required to make a payment and is given an official receipt, but feels that he should not have been required to make such payment, this should immediately be reported to headquarters. CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. The SIU publishes every six, months in the SEAFARERS LOG a verbatim copy of its cimstitution. In addition, copies are available in all Union halls. All members should obtain copies of this constitution so as to familiarize themselves with its contents. Any time you feel any member or officer is attempting to deprive you of any constitutional right or obli­ gation by any methods such as dealing with charges, trials, etc., as well as all other details, then the member so affected should immediately notify headquarters. RETIRED SEAFARERS. Old-time SIU members drawing disability-pension bene­ fits have always been encouraged to continue their union activities, including attend­ ance at membership meetings. And like all other SIU members at these Union meet­ ings, they are encouraged to take an active role in all rank-and-file functions, in­ cluding service on rank-and-file committees. Because these oldtlmers cannot take shipboard employment, the membership has reaffirmed the long-standing Union pol­ icy of allowing them to retain their g(^ standing through the waiving of their dues. EQUAL RIGHTS. All Seafarers are guaranteed equal rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the employers. Conse­ quently, no Seafarer may be discriminated against because of race, creed, color, national or geographic origin. If any member feels that he Is denied the eqiul rights to which he is entitled, he should notify headquarters. SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATIONS. One of the basic rights of Seafarers is the right to pursue legislative and political objectives which will serve the best interests of themselves, their fanailies and their Union. To achieve these objectives, the Seafarers Political Activity Donation was established. Donations to SPAD are entirely voluntary and constitute the funds through which legislative and liolitical activities are conducted for the benefit of the membership and the Union. If St any time a Seafarer feeb that any of the above righU have been violated, or that he hss been ddnied his constitntionsl right of access to Union records or in­ formation, he shonld immediately notify SIU President Panl HaU at headqnartere by certUied mail, retnm receipt requested. • UNFAIR TO LABOR DO NOT BUY Seafarers and their families are urged to support a consumer boy­ cott by trade unionists against various companies whose products are produced under non-union conditions, or which are "unfair to labor." (This listing carries the name of the AFL-CIO unions in­ volved, and will be amended from time to time.) Sears, Roebuck Company Retail stores & products (Retail Clerks) Stitzel-Weller Distilleries "Old Fitzgerald," "Old Elk" "Cabin Still," W. L, Weller Bourbon whiskeys (Distillery Workers) ^ Kingsport Press "World Book," "Childcraft" (Printing Pressmen) (Typographers, Bookbinders) (Machinists, Stereotypers) ^ Jamestown Sterling Corp. (United Furniture Workers) White Furniture Co. (United Furniture Workers of America) ^ Genesco Shoe Mfg. Co. Work Shoes . . . Sentry, Cedar Chest, Statler Men's Shoes . . . Jarman, Johnson & Murphy, CrestwOrth, (Boot and Shoe Workers' Union) Di Giorgio Fniit Corp. S and W Fine Foods Treeswcet (National Farm Workers Association) Baltimore Luggage Co. Lady Baltimore, Amelia Earhart Starlite luggage Starflite luggage (International Leather Goods, Plastics and Novelty Workers Union) <I> "HIS" brand men's clothes Kaynee Boyswear, Judy Bond hlouses, Hanes Knitwear, Randa Ties, Boss Gloves, Richman Brothers and Sewell Suits, Wing Shirts (Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America) R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. Camels, Winston, Tempo, Brandon, Cavalier and Salem cigarettes (Tobacco Workers International Union) i Peavy Paper Mill Products (United Papermakers and Paperworkers Union) Comet Rice Mills Co. products (International Union of United Brewery, Flour, Cereal, Soft Drinks and Distillery Workers) Antonio Perelli MInetti & Sons Ambassador, Eleven Cellars Red Rooster, Greystone, Guasti, Calwa, F. I., Tribuno Vermouth, Aristocrat, Victor Hugo, A. R. Morrow Wines and Brandies. (National Farm Workers Association) �March 31, 1967 SEAFARERS LOG Page Fifteen The High CO$T OF DRUG$ "CAL, give if a' newliW? - "ticular ^'nd name. It has been estimated that U.S. name, then resell it for a 1,330 percent profit or pharmaceutical companies employ 1 high powered a 799 percent profit or a 749 percent profit. These salesman for every 10 doctors in the nation—so that . each doctor can be flooded with their literature—^if astounding markups are typical of the increased cost not with them in person! to the consumer when a common drug is given a The doctor faces the same problem when reading brand name by a pharmaceutical company and resold. his medical journals. Although a drug has only one Today's medicinal compounds are often called generic name, it may have 20 or more brand names. wonder drugs, but one of the biggest wonders about In addition, the pharmaceutical companies are nat­ some of these drug products is their high prices, and urally big advertisers in medical journals, constantly how the big pharmaceutical companies manage to displaying their brand name products in bold-type keep drug prices up in the clouds. advertisements. It is easy to see how the generic For example: Amphetamine sulphate is the generic name can be completely submerged and forgotten. name (the official name for a compound as estab­ In addition to this situation, many investigators lished by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act) have raised the possibility of cooperation or even of a well-'known drug. Under its generic name it sells outright collusion between the drag industry and cer­ for $1.58 for a specific dosage. The same compound, tain sectors of the medical profession. It has been under the brand name of one of the nation's leading noted that for organized medicine, drug advertise­ pharmaceutical companies is called Benzedrine sul­ ments in their official journals and publications are phate, and sells for $22.60 for the same dosage—a a lucrative source of revenue. Furthermore, the drag 1,330 percent increase. industry regularly gives out lucrative" "research" con­ The disgraceful profiteering that results when drug tracts. It is therefore quite possible that in this matter companies disguise drug compounds behind their own the average doctor may be nothing but a pawn caught brand names was brought out clearly during the nowbetween the drug industry and organized medicine. famous hearings before the Senate Subcommittee on Called to account for the high cost of drags, the Antitrust and Monopoly, under the chairmanship of pharmaceutical industry never mentions the high cost the late Senator Estes Kefauver. of the thousands upon thousands of salesmen it Examples of such profiteering were practically employs, the millions spent on high^owered adver­ endless. Sold under its generic name Prednisolone, tising campaigns in medical journals and consumer a certain compound cost $1.99 for a specific dosage. publications, or other "expenses" designed to boost Sold under a dnig company's brand name, Meticortesales. Instead, the drag industry invariably and selflone, the same dosage cost $17.90—a 799 percent righteously points to the money it spends on research iaci;ease....Reseipine.(generic name) sold for. 53.ff, but - -—to develop, as it says, wonderful and, miraculous Serpasil (the same drug under a brand name) sold for new drags to aid mankind.' $4.50—a 749 percent boost. Rauwolfia serpentina In reality, the largest single expense of the 20 big­ (generic name) cost 65^, but as Raudinin (brand gest drag companies goes to pay high-pressure sales­ name) the same compound cost $5.00—up 669 men to push products on doctors. Ten percent of percent. the gross income of these companies is used to pay salesmen. Another huge chunk goes for advertising. It must be kept in mind also that these are whole­ The research budgets of the largest drag firms ac­ sale prices, to which the final distributor must also counts for only 6.3 percent of their sales dollars. add his profit—making the cost to the consumer still Impartial investigatc«« of the drug industry have higher. rejected the industry's claim that high prices are nec­ How do the drug companies manage to perpetrate essary to support research. They point to an investi­ this swindle against the American people? To (Jo this gation of 3,583 new drug products introduced over the. drug industry takes advantage of the U.S. patent the period 1950-1959. Of these only 29 were totally laws. new drags, of which 13 were developed in Europe. Any unpatented generic drug may be prepared and sold by any number of different drug companies. Noddng New Cbmpetition between the various companies keeps the Virtually all original and creative drag develop­ price down. ment is the result of university and foundation re­ But under U.S. patent laws, each company may search. .The drag industry has contributed almost select a trade name of its own, different from the nothing reklly new. A critic of the drag industry generic name, under which to promote the sale of , recently described industry research in the following the drug, and receive a patent. The patent holder manner: "old established drag-j-advertising hooey= may then set his price, without regard to the cost new drug." of manufacture or distribution of the drug. This is The truth is that this breakneck scramble for profits how a drug that should cost less than a dollar can has actually reduced drug research standards so dras­ be sold for nearly $20. tically that the public is being placed in grave danger . It must be kept in mind that we are dealing here —both from the poor quality of research and the with prescription drugs, prescribed by your doctor— purposively misleading information given to doctors not over-the-counter drugs that need no prescriptions. on the basis of this testing. In that case, it is fair to ask why the doctor does not Many doctors have charged that sloppy, inade­ simply prescribe the drug by its generic name so that quate or hiisleading research is leading to the employ­ you could purchase it for a reasonable price? There ment of useless and even dangerous treatments. The are many reasons for this. Food and Ehug Administration has been sharply First of all, the American drug industry has gone critical of the work of independent investigators who to a great deal of effort and spent vast amounts of test new drugs for the industry. money to make sure that even the most honest and "The hand of the amateur is evident too often for dedicated of doctors would find it difficult to pre­ my comfort," FDA head James Goddard said re­ scribe drugs generically. cently. Dr. Goddard has also expressed "shock" at Sales Squad the poor quality of many proposed studies of new drags submitted to the FDA for review. It is well known that there are not nearly enough As a result, the FDA has begun to pull drugs off PfiSisgdoclors in the United States to adequately meet the the market—drags which were actively promoted ihealth needs of the American people. As a result of; and sold by the nation's largest drag companies, but ,,^^ fthis, doctors are usually exceedingly busy. To keep which have been found either worthless or down­ 7 up with the latest advances in the field of drugs they right daiigerous. irely on medical journals and the information supplied In an attempt to get closer tp the heart of the i to them by drug detail men (salesmen) employed by a problem, the FDA has ,,alsO been eliminating the ^the major drug companies. It is a certainty that: the drug company salesmen:^ 1: names of researchers from its "approved" list after ffinding outrigiht fraud or gross inadequacies in their Inever mention the generic name of a drag when theyf |j^ their pitch, but refer to it <mly under their piyti • - J . Last year a noted research doctor and his research ^ .... associates were removed from the list. Among other • j things, the FDA charged that some patients who had allegedly been given test drugs during the research- ' were actually dead at the time. The Justice Depart­ ment is presently studying the case for possible legal action. Another researcher was removed from the ap­ proved list after gross inadequacies were discovered in his methods. It was found that of 20 men who were supposed to received a test drug for 26 weeks, some of the men received it for only 16 weeks and others dropped out of the study even earUer. In addi­ tion, the researcher failed to mention the fact that one patient developed giant hives on his skin as a result of taking-the drug. Describing the techniques of some researchers who •test drugs for the pharmaceutical industry, a profes­ sor of medical statistics has botedf that "one can develop an excellent test for heart diseaswby counting a patient's ears. Everyone who has two ears has heart disease." He insists that blunders almost as incredible as this have been found in some medical articles he reviewed. Lack of Ethks If the findings of the researchers are often danger- • ously misleading, the manner in which the drag companies present this information to the public and even to the medical profession itself is even worse. One example uncovered by the Kefauver Committee should demonstrate the total lack of ethics within the drag industry. ; =^1, A powerful antibiotic effective against typhoid fever. Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other seri­ ous diseases was found to also have many serious side effects—often causing fatal blood diseases. The FDA reviewed the evidence and cleared the drag for use, but indicated the labeling and the cir­ cular accompanying the drug should include the warning that blood disorders have been associated with its use. Both label and circular were ordered to carry the following framing: "It is essential that adequate blood studies be made when prolonged or intermittent administration of this drug is required." The circular was also to say, ". .. should not be used indiscriminately or for minor infections." To make its meaning even clearer, the FDA voiced the following warning at the time it resumed certifi­ cation of the drug: "The administration has weighed the value of the drug against its capabilities for caus­ ing harm and has dMided that it should continue to be available for careful use by the medical profession in those serious and sometimes fatal diseases in which its use is necessary." However, what the drug company told its salesmen, and the salesmen passed on to doctors was that; ". . . has been officially cleared by the FDA and the National Research Council with no restrictions on the number or the range of diseases for which . . . may be administered." Eyeing fat profits, however, the drug maker set out to mislead everyone in sight—no matter ho^ many people might suffer or die as a' result. It is no wonder that hospitals feport an increasing number of hospitalizations caused by faulty use of drugs. In summary, it is clear that there are two basic dangers facing the American people today in regards to pharmaceutical drugs. One is an economic prob­ lem, the other is a medical problem—although the two areas overlap. Unnecessarily-high drug prices keep many of America's poor from receiving the medication they need for their health. These high prices also take from the pockets of more fortunate people money which may be desperately needed for other things. At the same time, the race for ever-greater profits , has contributed greatly toward lowering the standards i of research and of ethical practices within the drag industry, and has put every American in grave danger every time he must take medication—-even for the most minor illness. �SEAFARERS*LOG OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE SEAFARERS INTERNATIONAL UNION > ATLANTIC, GULF, LAKES AND INLAND WATERS DISTRICT > AFL-CIQ The 'RIGHT-TO-WORKI MYTH li :•) . ^1 • -1 " enough of this destructive legislation and repealed its • FLORIDA enacted a RTW law in 1944V In HE ECONOMIC HISTORIES of states that have RTW law in 1965. It is significant that since repeal­ 1948-it was $250 below the national average. By . adopted right-to-work laws shows, beyond any ing RTW, Indiana's per capita income has jumped 1965 it was $323 below—a loss of $73. doubt, that they must be doing something wrong. nearly ten percent—much higher than the national In relation to the rest of the nation these states • GEORGIA in 1948 was $462 behind the na­ average of 6.5 percent. stand today far below the position they held in the tional average. In 1965 it was $587 below—a loss Wyoming is a good case study in what right-tonational economy before adopting rieht-to-work leg­ of $125. work legislation can do to a state in terms of de­ islation. This is true without exception and by almost • IOWA in 1948 was $159 above the national pressing its entire economy and even reducing its every generally-accepted economic measurement. average. In 1965 it was $70 below. It has lost $229 population. With the exception of only one very special situa­ in relation to the national average in per capita in­ Since adoption of ri^t-to-work legislation in 1963, tion, these right-to-work states stand far below the come. Wyoming has dropped from a position where it was national average in per-capita income and stand far $18 per person almve the national average in per • KANSAS passed a RTW law in 1958. It was lower in per capita income than they did before capita income to $188 below that figure. During the at that time $5 above the national average. By 1965, adopting right-to-work. same period, personal bankruptcies have risen by 30 after 7 years with a RTW law, it had fallen $107 These states did not benefit from the general eco­ percent. Private employment has dropped 2.9 per­ below the average—a loss of $ 112. nomic expansion which the rest of the nation has cent in Wyoming during a period when it increased enjoyed in recent years. Along with a drastic drop • MISSISSIPPI passed the law in 1954, and was by 6.7 percent in the rest of the nation. The state in per capita income, repressive anti-labor right-to$877 below 'the national average at that time. In has the highest move-out rate in the nation. It has work legislation has brought these states increased 1965 it was $1,138 below—a loss of $261. lost citizens at the rate of 8.2 percent in the last five personal and business bankruptcies, reduced employ­ • NEBRASKA.in 1948 was $79 above the na­ years and its population which stood at 335,000 in ment, an increase in home foreclosures, a drop in tional average. It had adopted a RTW law in 1947. 1963, when it adopted RTW, was down to 330,000 new car ownership, a drastic decline in new construc­ By 1965 it was $117 below—a loss of $196. in 1965. tion and a loss of population to other states. Home foreclosures have quadrupled in Wyoming • NORTH CAROLINA passed a RTW law in Right-to-work legislation invariably brings about to where they are now twice the rate for the nation March, 1957. In 1948 it was $457 below the national these results because it is an attempt to bring back as a whole. New construction has dropped by 17 average. In 1965 it was $705 below—a loss of $248. the laissez-faire industrial capitalism of the 19th cen­ percent in Wyoming, contrasted against an 8 percent tury. This is the 20th century however, and the • NORTH DAKOTA passed a RTW law in 1947, increase in the entire U.S. for the same period. United States' economy has progressed far beyond when it was $130 above the national average per An ironic example of how the depressing effects those dark days. Right-to-work cannot and will not capita income. In 1965 it was $467 below—a loss of of right-to-work legislation affect everyone in a state, function in the United States today, and this has been $597. worker and employer alike, is exemplified in the case best proven by the plight of those states that have • SOUTH CAROLINA in 1954 when it passed of a Wyoming contractor who was one of the prime tried it out. the law, was $666 below the national average per movers in the original campaign to get the Wyoming Whatever facades, excuses or outright lies the pro­ capita income. In 1965 it was $900 below—a loss legislature to adopt RTW, With construction down ponents of right-to-work use to disguise their real of $234. 17 percent since 19$3, this contractor recently sold objectives, the purpose of right-to-work is simple, and all of his equipment in Wyoming and announced that • TENNESSEE in 1948 was $486 below the na­ always the same. Its purpose is union-busting—to he would henceforth concentrate his efforts in other tional average. In 1965 it was $733 below—a loss outlaw the closed shop, destroy the labor unions, cut states. Right-to-work had completely ruined his of $247. wages and increase profit^. business. • TEXAS—This state was $231 below the na­ Downward Spiral The Myth tional average in 1948, after having passed a RTW But there's something wrong with the formula. Proponents of right-to-work continually claim that law in 1947. After eighteen years of this law, in Instead of going up, profits'^have gone down in these they seek such legislation to stimulate business and 1965, it was $408 below—a loss of $177. states. Business, went down, employment went down, improve the, economies of the states. It is clear, how­ • UTAH passed the RTW law in 1955. At that construction went down, arid eventually population ever, that RTW does just the opposite. time it was $251 below the national average. In 1965 went down. The drastic cuts in workers' wages that The truth is that proponents of right-to-work are it was $391 below—a loss of $140. came about so reduced buying power that stores simply seeking a legal weapon to aid in their tradi­ began to close. With store outlets closed, manufac­ • VIRGINIA in 1948 was $300 below the na­ tional union-busting by assuring an open shop in turing began to decline. Unemployment increased. tional average. In 1965 it was $327 below—a loss of which their specially hired finks and discriminatory With low wages and unemployment on the increase, $27. hiring practices are aimed at destroying established there was little money available to invest in new unions and make it impossible for further organiza­ • WYOMING in 1962, the year before the law homes and the construction industry skidded badly. tion to take place. was passed, was $18 above the national average. In This further increased unemployment. With still 1965 it was $188 below—a loss of $206. Worst of all, their anti-labor hatreds are so great less money available more stores closed. As job that they would destroy the economic security of an • SOUTH DAKOTA in 1948 was $67 above the availability fell and unemployment rose, young famientire state and its whole population to achieve their national average. By 1965 it was $533 below—-a loss ® lies began moving away to states without right-toends. of $600. work, where business was booming and jobs were It might be said that any state foolish enough td available. This further reduced general business in NEVADA is the only exception to the rule that swallow the bait of the right-to-work proponents de­ the right-to-work states and the downward spiral con­ right-to-work states stand below the national average serves what it gets. Such an argument is not really tinued faster and faster. in per capita income. Nevada passed a RTW law in valid because df the tactics used by these men in Just how far have the economies of these right-to1951. At that time it was $598 above that national their right-to-work campaigns. Vast amounts of work states declined since adopting this legislation average. In 1965 it was still above in per capita in­ money are spent. Old animosities are re-kindled. Sta­ . • . . j-'vA'S under the authority of Section 14(b) of the Taftcome, but only $565, or a drop of $33. But Nwada's tistics are juggled. Almost before the people of a Hartley Act? The following is based on figures com­ prosperity has been based almost entirely on income state know what is happening, right-to-work legislapiled by the U.S. Department of Commerce in the derived by the .state's huge gambling casinos. It is is passed—and then it is too late. The downward August, 1966 Survey of Current Business: this heavy infiux Of out-of-state money that keeps economic spiral has begun. Nevada afloat. Histories The cure for the dangers of right-to-work must be Dismal Failare • ALABAMA—When Alabama pawed its rightmade at the source of the disease—^by repeal of Sec­ The dismal failure of right-to-work legislation and to-work law in 1953, it was $680 below the national tion 14(b) of the Taft-Hartley Act, which makes it the economic disaster which adoption of such legis­ average in per capita income. By 1965, it was $836 possible for the state to adopt such legislation. lation has brought upon every state that has given in below—a loss of $156 in relation to the national The American labor movement has been waging a to the fast-talking piroponents of right-to-work has '• raverage per capita income. vigorous campaign for repeal of Section 14(b), and been well documented. Although RTW proponents • ARIZONA passed the law before 1948. The have never ceased their propagandizing and have I • has pledged itself to continue fighting against this figures go back only to 1948, but since that date even stepped up their campaigning in state legisla- Ji: repressive, anti-labor measure until repeal is achieved. I £ Arizona has fallen farther behind the national aver­ . tures and within the United States Congress, they 14(b) repeal is of the utmost importance to the entire age in per capita income. It was $156 below in l?4ffe nation, workers and employers alike, because while ..have met with no success during recent years. s and $376 in 1965—-a loss of $220. 14(b) exists the specter of right-to-work legislation Since 1958, only one state has adopted right-toand its disastrous effects continue to hang over the work legislation. That was Wyoming, which put its • ARKANSAS in 1948 was $555 telow the naf 1 head of every man, woman and child in every state law on the books in 1963. During that period Inditional average. It passed a RTW law in 1947. Ii| of the union. ana, which was a right-to-work state decided it had 1965 it was $901 below—a loss of $346. i" � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Seafarers Log Issues 1960-1969 Description An account of the resource Volumes XXII-XXXI of the Seafarers Log Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Paul Hall Maritime Library Microfilm 1939-1993 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Seafarers International Union of North America Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource March 31, 1967 Description An account of the resource Headlines: HALL BLASTS GOVT’S MARITIME POLICY, CITES NEED FOR SEPARATE MARAD SENATE REJECTS FDL SHIP PROPOSAL, OPPOSITION BUILDING UP IN THE HOUSE AFL-CIO ENDORSES GOV’T PROGRAM TO AID HARD-CORE UNEMPLOYED CONGRESS’ VOICE IN MARAD FUNDS HELD ESSENTIAL BY REP. GARMATZ NEW AFL-CIO UNIT SEEKS TO SPUR ORGANIZING OF PROFESSIONAL WORKERS CHAVEZ URGES U.S. LABOR LAW COVERAGE FOR FARM WORKERS THE SEA CHANTY – A LINK WITH THE PAST SHIP’S FIGUREHEADS – LIONS, MAIDENS, AND DRAGONS INADEQUATE SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS LEAVE MANY ELDERLY IN SEVERE NEEDS SEAFARER’S 500-MILE WALKATHON AIDS FIGHT ON CRIPPLING DISEASE SCHEDULED GRUDGE MATCH NO CONTEST WHEN COBRA FAILS TO ANSWER BELL THE HIGH COST OF DRUGS THE ‘RIGHT-TO-WORK’ MYTH Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Seafarers Log Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Paul Hall Maritime Library Microfilm 1939-1993 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Seafarers International Union of North America Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 03/31/1967 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Newsprint Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Vol. XXIX, No. 7 1967 Periodicals Seafarers Log