Speech #740219541

I called the gentlemans attention to it. There is another point in that connection to which I wish to direct your attention. As I understand the present law. every ship holding an oceanmail contract is required at each departure from an American port for an overseas journey to have a crew made up of not less than 66% percent of citizens of the United States. either nativeborn citizens or fully naturalized citizens. The weak point of this provision of law. as repeatedly shown during recent investigations. is that .the citizenship of the crew is based upon the entire crew. The Committee on Merchant Marine should agree to certain amendments to this. or some other. bill on this subject. so as to require that not less than 80 percent of the members of the crew in each department of the ship. namely. the deck department. the engine department. and the steward department. should be either nativeborn citizens or fully naturalized citizens. and further that not more than 20 percent of the members in each department of the crew on board may be unnaturalized aliens. but with a strict preference given to aliens who have valid declarations of intentions to become citizens when filling this 20percent alien quota. The point I make is that the crew in each department on board. rather than the total crew on the ship. should be the basis for requirement of citizencrew members. Finally. I would direct your attention to the three primary objectives we should endeavor to reach: First. a merchantmarine academy operated and financed by the Federal Government and with a national standing and importance to that now possessed by West Point. Annapolis. or London (Conn.)-Coast GuardAcademies. second. an awakened American spirit among the younger men upon which to establish an honorable prestige for the American merchantmarine service as a career. and. third. a new requirement upon captains of Americanregistry merchant ships that they maintain their ship crews at all times to a standard of 80 percent either nativeborn or fully naturalized citizens in each of the three departments of the crew. and that in filling the balance of 20 percent in each department of the crew strict preference be given to aliens who have declared their valid intention to become citizens. Such a program. when put into effect. will do much to give the American merchant marine a place in international commerce that all patriotic Americans will be proud of and will mean a new day for the American citizen who may choose the American merchantmarine service as his life work. The American seamen will find their lot at sea and in port more of a career than just a money job.