W. H. Hood

“ One of the objects of a strong navy is to enable our merchant ships to keep the sea in time of war, and this object would be defeated if too many seamen and firemen were suddenly withdrawn from the mercantile marine, and a considerable portion of it laid up in consequence for want of crews. ”

“ It is worthy of notice that Swedes are the most numerous of all the foreign seamen employed on the 81st March, 1901, and that the Swedes, Norwegians, and Danes together amounted to more than one-third of the total number of foreigners employed [Parliamentary Return of 1902, Cd. 1,842, Table 4.] It is probable also that some ships of the mercantile marine would necessarily be laid up in time of war, and their crews added to the number of men available for employment; and if freights and wages rose the effect would be to draw men from shore into sea employment. ”

“ We recommend that after a lapse, say, of three years a certificate should be given by the Board of Trade, based on the certificate of competent schools of cookery, to persons desirous of acting as cooks, and that a qualified cook should be carried by every foreign-going vessel of 1,000 tons gross register and over, such qualification consisting of either such a certificate as is above mentioned or the possession of certificates of service for two years. ”

“ In consequence their employment as firemen has grown almost universal in the tropics, and they are also largely employed in vessels trading between ports within the tropics and the United Kingdom.
15. They are so contented and so anxious to retain their situations in British ships that it is not easy to be sure whether that service entails an hardship on them. We believe, however, that there is no reason to think that many of them do, in any appreciable degree, suffer when employed in the colder climates to the north of the Suez Canal, or even in the Atlantic trade. ”

“ There is no doubt that in some foreign ports, notably in San Francisco, as to which we have had clear and valuable evidence, desertion is encouraged not only by the prospect of higher wages or profitable employment on shore, but also by the direct action of crimps. ”

“ We do not, however, feel competent to express any decided opinion on their employment in men-of-war, but we have no doubt of their desire to be so employed, or of their competency, at least in the capacity of stokers and firemen. ”

“ It is a difficulty connected with such ships that the boys trained in them do not invariably take to or remain in the merchant service, and we think that a keen interest taken in them by shipowners would be the most hopeful means of ensuring such training as would be practically useful, and also of ensuring the employment of boys on leaving the training-ship. ”

“ As regards medical attention, we think that it would be advantageous if masters and officers of vessels were allowed voluntarily to offer themselves for examination, and to receive certificates, in the elements of medical knowledge. Further than this we do not think it necessary or practicable to go. The evidence before us does not show that any strong feeling exists among sailors as to the want of medical attention, and with the aid of the book supplied to them and a proper supply of medical stores, masters succeed well in dealing with the ordinary cases of illness or accident. ”

“ From evidence given by various witnesses it appears that a certain number of the foreign seamen employed on British ships have acquired homes at seaports in the United Kingdom, and have become in this way British citizens. ”

“ In such a case, to give a reference to any authority would probably be to expose to a criticism possibly incompetent, necessarily imperfectly informed, a discretion which it is essential should be freely and fearlessly exercised, and might tend to encourage in masters what at present probably only too often exists, a good-natured or indifferent tolerance of misconduct or incompetence. ”

“ We see no way in which the nefarious proceedings of these persons can be prevented, except by stringent administration of the American law and perhaps by some amendment of that law, and we do not feel ourselves competent to recommend what, if any, steps could be taken to achieve such results. ”

“ Although Lascars and other Asiatics are employed almost exclusively on steam vessels, they now exceed the total number of foreign seamen employed in all classes of British ships, and their increase during recent years has been very much more rapid than the decrease of British or the increase of foreign seamen employed. ”

“ We think it most desirable that shipowners should instruct their captains not to employ seamen who cannot produce continuous discharge certificates, and we venture to express a hope that they will pursue this course.
(iii.)
85. We regard both failure to join and desertion as serious evils, and as. often causing inferior seamen and foreigners to be shipped at the last moment in order to meet a pressing emergency. ”

“ But there is reason to think that, in some instances, a seaman who receives a 'decline to report" as regards character believes himself to be the object of injustice. We feel considerable difficulty in suggesting any appropriate remedy. ”

“ Lascars are in most cases hereditary sailors, and have special qualifications for work as firemen in hot climates. They are temperate, and those who came before us made a most favourable impression upon us. The evidence shows that they make most amenable and contented crews. ”

“ As regards the increasing employment of foreign seamen, we do not think, speaking generally, that they are preferred on account of cheapness. The rates of wages at home ports are usually the same for British and for foreign seamen alike, but possibly crews largely or wholly foreign are sometimes taken at foreign ports, partly because wages are lower there, e.g. ”

“ Various scales exist; one was framed by a committee appointed by the Shipping Federation in 1892, which it was proposed by the Merchant Seamen Provision Bill of 18938 should be made a statutory minimum scale ”