Great Lakes Art Database

Marine Review (Cleveland, OH), 16 Apr 1908, p. 24

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TRE MARINE REVIEW FOR THE LAKE MARINE In this department hereafter will be found every to Lake Navigation. Masters are advised to interest to them; and owners are invited to us The Marine Review will be placed aboard every Lake Carriers' Association, representing a registered and can, therefore, be depended upon as a reliable It will reach every vessel in active service weekly. It is announcements of a general nature. vessel having membership in the tonnage of nearly 2,000,000 tons, courier to the entire fleet. the intention to make this department com thing of current interest pertaining consult it weekly for information of e it freely for the promulgation of all plete so that at the end of the year it will be an authentic record which should prove of permanent and increasing value to owners and masters alike. A general meeting of vessel: own- ers, shippers and masters was held in the rooms of the Cleveland lodge of the Ship Masters' Association on Fr:day last. The. purpose of this meeting was to discuss the new order of things which has been projected on the lakes by tthe Lake Carriers' Association, and it may safely be said that it was the consensus of opinion that the Lake Carriers' Association in declaring for the open shop had. adopted a policy of the highest prac- tical wisdom. Harry Coulby, presi- dent and general manager of the Pittsburgh Steamship Co., especially, distinguished 'himself by his admira- ble presentation of the case. No man could listen to him and not be con- vinced of the absolute desire of the owners to deal fairly with their men. No man has a right to ask for more than fair treatment; nor should any man be satisfied with less. Secretary Jj. A, Holmes, of the Cleveland lodge, called 'the meeting to order. It was tthe first time that owners had had an opportunity to inspect the new quarters, and Capt. Holmes turned the keys of the rooms over to Harvey D. Goulder and appointed him chairman of the meet- ing, Mr. Goulder emphasized the fact that there cannot be any division, any "parting of the ways, 'between owner and master. There must be recipro- cal trust and honor between them. This communion between owner and master might ..-be put...upon... the ground of self-interest, because in this world nothing much is accom- plished without a selfish interest somewhere. He .referred. to. dake tonnage as embracing one-third of all the internal and external tonnage of the United States that fles the American flag. Referring to the open shop he said 'that while business con- ditions had circumscribed. its enforce- ment during the past few years the principle had never been abandoned. "We don't Mr. Goulder, "to the old days of op- want to go back," said. pression. We want to provide the best quarters, the best food, the best wages, but let the executive officers of the ship manage her after she leaves the dock. The brunt of the struggle will be on the executive of- ficer of 'the ship, 'but the owner will stand back of you. Let us approach the situation with firmness and wis- dom and not do a single thing that a just, honest and upright man should be ashamed of." President Wm. Liv-ngstone, of the Lake Cafriers' Association, said that there was no closer relationship in commercial life than that which ex- isted between the master of a vessel and its owner. He congratulated the masters on the close _ relationsh'p which they enjoyed with their own- ers. The masters are the men_ be- hind the gun and they are the best judges of what is required to make navigation safe. He begged - that they would always have a pencil in hand to note down anything that would be an. aid to navigation and to forward it to him for presentation later to congress. Arthur Hawgood made a. brief speech urging the consolidation of the interests of master and owner. Capt. Samuel Allen said that mas- ters welcomed the open shop with Open arms, and asked 'that the sub- ject be. generally discussed. Mr. Goulder then called upon Capt. Matthew Mulholland, but the captain could not be prevailed upon to speak, saying dryly that he thad observed in the old days when sweating the main topsail that the fellow that "hollered most did the least work." Mr. Goulder then introduced Harry Coulby, who smilingly admitted that he probably did "holler" more than he worked and then 'proceeded to make one of the best speeches ever made by 'an employer to. the em- ploye. He related that when the shipmasters removed into their old quarters on Water street he under- took to solicit funds for a library for the lodge rooms. He said that he had never forgotten a remark that one of the owners made to him jp declining a subscription, "I don't think we ought to let the captains know too much." He sad that remark get him thinking and he hoped that that owner, now gone to his long home, was wiser than when he was on earth. Mr. Coulby frankly admitted that he had longed for many years for a closer understanding between masters and owners. It was his first visit to the new quarters and surveying the equipment he regretted the absence of James C. Wallace, who had fitted them out personally because it proved the old saying 'that a man always does a better job for love than for money. "There is a thought," said he, "that I desire that. you keep uppermost in your minds at all times. We have put a new range on the lakes for your guidance. The lower light, which might be called the floating light, is the commercial one. It is the wage light and it will fluctuate, like a. floating light, according tio the con- ditions surrounding it. The wpper light stands for fair, honest 'treatment as man to man. When in the pilot house you tell your wheelsman to steady her on the range, I want you at the same. time to think whether. you are steadying your mind on this new range, and whether you are do- ing your duty to the poor deck-hand, the fireman and the coal passer. We want fair treatment for every man on 'the ship and we want you to see that every one gets it. The nespon- sibility for the selection of the crew is restored to the captain. The open shop imeans merely this. We don't care what society, what church, or organization a mian belongs to. What we are try:ng to do is simply to get back to 'the o!d conditions aboard ship. We don't want any members of the crew to see if it is in the Red Book before they undertake to do it. You masters have got to go on the picket line; you've got to win this fight for us. For my 'own company, I can say that we are going to win if it takes one day, one month, one year or five years. If any man pulls a book of rules on you, he is not an open shop man. He is a closed shop man. Put him on the dock. df any engineer, first, second or third, wheels- man, watchman, mate, declines to obey orders, put him on the dock. We will help you fill their places. We will get along somehow. Now, gentlemen, this is the first time that I have met with you, but it won't be the last."

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