The Seamen's Act

• Author: Philip B. Kennedy
• DOI: 10.1177/000271621606300121
• Published date: 01 January 1916
• Date: 01 January 1916
• Subject Matter: Articles

232

THE

SEAMEN’S

ACT

BY

PHILIP

B.

KENNEDY,

Assistant

Professor

in

Economics,

New

York

University

School

of

Commerce,

Accounts

and

Finance.

The

Seamen’s

Act

which

was

approved

by

President

Wilson

on

March

4,

1915,

and

which

went

into

effect

as

concerns

vessels

of

American

registry

on

November

4,

1915,

has

been

highly

applauded

on

one

side

by

those

ostensibly

representing

American

seamen

and

as

soundly

condemned

on

the

other

side

by

those

who

are

attempt-

ing

to

build

up

an

American

merchant

marine.

This

act,

which

has

been

the

object

of

so

much

controversy,

is

entitled

in

full:

&dquo;An

Act

to

promote

the

welfare

of

American

seamen

in

the

merchant

marine

of

the

United

States;

to

abolish

arrest

and

imprisonment

as

a

penalty

for

desertion

and

to

secure

the

abrogation

of

treaty

pro-

visions

in

relation

thereto:

and

to

promote

safety

at

sea.&dquo;

1

There

is

much

in

the

act

which

is

generally

approved.

Certain

recommendations

made

by

the

International

Conference

on

Safety

of

Life

at

Sea,2

in

a

report

signed

at

London,

January

20,

1914,

have

been

embodied

in

the

act

and

are

reflected

in

its

title.

This

con-

ference

was

called

as a

result

of

the

sinking

of

the

White

Star

liner

Titanic.

Certain

provisions,

however,

relating

to

language

require-

ments

of

sailors,

desertion,

and

life-saving

appliances

are

claimed

to

unduly

increase

the

cost

of

operating

vessels

under

our

flag.

THE

CONTROVERSY

OVER

THE

SEAMEN’S

ACT

The

different

points

of

view

are

interesting

as

showing

the

feeling

which

has

been

aroused

by

this

act.

Senator

R.

M.

La

Follette

of

Wisconsin,

the

father

of

the

Act,

writes

in

La

Follette’s

Magazine

for

March,

1915,

in

part

as

follows:

It

is

four

days

since

the

President

signed

the

Seamen’s

Bill,

and

already

the

masters

of

the

sea

are

beginning

to

threaten

dire

vengeance.

Through

their

press

they

are

turning

out

columns

of

violent

denunciation

of

the

law.

Already

they

1

Publication

No.

302.

Sixty-third

Congress,

S.

136.

2

International

Conference

on

Safety

of

Life

at

Sea.

Sixty-third

Congress,

second

session.

Senate

Document

No.

463.