RESOLUTION REGARDING SENATE BILL 136. 129 



Mr. Lewis Nixon, Vice-President: — I arise to make a special motion at the instance 

 of the Council. Ordinarily the Society has taken but little interest, and purposely so, in 

 political questions, but when there are propositions arising in Congress which seem to threaten 

 the very existence of shipbuilding in the country, we feel that if we should let the occasion 

 go by default, and not register a protest, that we ourselves should be to blame. 



A few weeks ago a bill was passed by the Senate of the United States called Seamen's 

 Bill 136, which was so radical in its treatment of the crews of our ships, in relation to the 

 officers, and in its relation to the ships generally, that it would undoubtedly end the flying of 

 the American flag on the ocean, certainly on the Pacific Ocean, almost entirely, and for that 

 reason I propose the following resolution: 



RESOLUTION REGARDING SENATE B'ILL 136. 



On October 3, 1913, the U. S. Senate passed Senate Bill 136. 



This bill is alleged to promote the welfare of American seamen in the Merchant Marine 

 of the United States. 



This Society does not concur in the view that a law which makes it impossible to fly 

 the American flag on the oceans in the foreign trade is in the interests of the seamen of 

 the country. It believes that legislation which will hinder the expansion of our coasting 

 fleets and nullify much of the good that will result from the development of our deeper 

 waterways is against the welfare of any of our people. 



It is our judgment that, as the result of the enactment of this bill, American vessels will 

 be driven from the foreign commerce upon the Pacific, that trade will be driven to Canadian 

 ports, and that vast damage will be done to our transportation systems on land and sea. 



It believes that on account of the demoralization resulting from the false and misleading 

 impressions to be created by such bill as to the relation between the seamen and the officers 

 of our merchant vessels, the hazard of the sea will be greatly added to and that the safety 

 of persons and commodities in transit at sea will be threatened. 



The bill is vicious selective class legislation based upon misrepresentations, and which 

 defeats the very object that it is alleged to further. Therefore, be it 



Resolved, That the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, representing 

 the shipbuilding and allied interests of the United States, protests against the enactment of 

 Senate Bill 136, as operating against the upbuilding of our merchant marine, reducing the 

 opportunity of employment of American seamen, adding to the risk of life and property at 

 sea and sapping the commercial independence of the nation. 



That a copy of this resolution be sent to the committees having cognizance of Mer- 

 chant Marine legislation in the Senate and House, and to the Secretary of Commerce. 



Mr. Stevenson Taylor, Past President: — In seconding the resolution of Mr. Nixon, I 

 wish to add that if this act as passed by the Senate is made a law it will destroy, in a 

 great measure, not only the attempts to improve our merchant ocean service, but will destroy 

 many of the lines engaged in our sound, bay and river sennce. I heartily endorse the 

 resolution, sincerely hope that it will be passed unanimously, and that it will be sent to the 

 proper authorities to-day. 



Mr. E. p. Bates, Member: — Before we can vote intelligently on this resolution, it seems 

 to me we should know more of the text of the bill. 



