The Waterfront Labor Fight
A congressional commission hears testimony on the future of the American merchant marine, reigniting a heated debate over working conditions and 'shanghaiing' in Tacoma's ports.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The final Tacoma session of the congressional commission on the merchant marine was held this morning at the Chamber of Commerce. Captain Sid Burley of the Tacoma Tug & Barge Company, O.J.H. Swift, and several local shipping figures testified. Captain Burley advocated for government subsidies for American-owned vessels to protect the industry from foreign competition. The session also addressed allegations made by Henry Peterson of the sailors' union regarding 'shanghaiing' (the forced recruitment of sailors) on Puget Sound. Deputy Shipping Commissioner Swift denied these claims, stating that no such grievances had been reported to his office since 1901. C.W. Wiley of the Boston Steamship Company admitted to preferring white sailors over Chinese laborers, citing that American sailors, while more skilled, often caused management trouble by getting intoxicated during shore leave.
“Congressman Minor asked: 'All things being equal, which would your line prefer, experienced American sailors or Chinese?' 'We prefer the white man,' was the reply.”
The tension between corporate shipping interests, labor unions, and the exploitation of immigrant labor mirrors the ongoing struggles within modern maritime logistics and port labor. The 'shanghaiing' of the early 1900s has evolved into modern concerns regarding wage theft and the treatment of international crews stranded in global supply chains.
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