130 RESOLUTION REGARDING SENATE BILL 136. 



Mr. Taylor: — I presumed that everybody knew the text of the act. Briefly, it estab- 

 lishes a class called A. B. S., meaning able-bodied seamen. To be an able-bodied seaman, 

 and to receive a certificate that one is such, a man must have been three years on the deck of 

 an ocean or lake steamer. The law provides, also, that those serving in one department of 

 a vessel shall not be required to do duty in another department. It provides that every life- 

 boat must have at least two of the so-called able-bodied seamen. It provides that there shall 

 be a sufficient number of seaworthy lifeboats on ocean, lake, sound and bay steamers, to carry 

 every passenger and every person in the crew on board the vessel. There are many other 

 objectionable provisions, but I think I have already named sufficient of them to show the 

 character of the bill. 



We all know there are no seamen, as the term "seamen" used to be understood, on our 

 steam vessels — that the persons on deck are merely deck scrubbers, brass polishers, painters 

 of rust spots, and similar work of that sort. The old seaman, the man who could furl a sail, 

 splice a rope, tie a bowline or square knot, take his trick at the wheel and steer the ship, has 

 almost passed away. There are few such on our ocean, sound or bay steamers. We de- 

 pend on the entire crew of the vessel to man the lifeboats; in other words, the engineers, fire- 

 men and stewards are all part of the crew, and have to man the lifeboats. These men are 

 drilled in the handling of the lifeboats, and the boats are well provided with crews at the 

 present time without adding unnecessarily to the number in the crew of the vessel. If you 

 prevent one man in one department from doing duty in another department, except in case 

 of work necessary for the safety of the vessel or for the saving of life in jeopardy, we will 

 have no right to demand that stewards and firemen, or other member of the crew than those 

 on deck, shall take part in the lifeboat drill or fire drill. 



I think I have said sufficient to this body, the members of which are well acquainted 

 with the needs of vessels, especially vessels at sea, to indicate that the bill is purely class 

 legislation, in the interest of what is called the Seamen's Union and in utter disregard of 

 other rights. Though not an owner of vessels or any part thereof, I feel deeply on this 

 subject, and think any one who has given it any attention will feel the same. To my mind 

 this Society should take a stand against legislation of that sort. 



Mr. William E. Waterhouse, Member: — I am in hearty sympathy with what Mr. 

 Taylor has said, and Mr. Nixon preceding him, and I would like to cite a specific case of the 

 effect of this bill. Three weeks ago to-morrow contracts were to have been signed for three 

 excursion boats to operate between the Battery and Glen Island, and at the eleventh hour 

 and fifty-ninth minute the attorney for the bankers who were to underwrite the project 

 called attention to Bill S. 136, and said that under a strict interpretation of Section 12 of that 

 bill these boats would be a losing proposition. The banking support was accordingly with- 

 drawn until Congress had disposed of this measure. 



Mr. F. B. Smith, Member: — There is another point the gentleman did not bring out in 

 regard to the A. B. S. We might take the definition of an A. B. S. according to this bill — 

 they must have served three years on the deck of a vessel — ■ — 



Mr. Taylor : — ^Ocean or lake. 



Mr. Smith : — ^They might never have been in a lifeboat in the three years, or handled 



