524 



MERCHANT MARINE OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Houses. The minority report was submitted 

 the same day, signed by Senator Vest and Rep- 

 resentatives Cox and McLane. 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE. The general 

 report of the committee to accompany the bill 

 followed the next day, and bore the signatures 

 of all the members. The bill, as reported, con- 

 sisted of twenty-three sections, and was enti- 

 tled " An act to remove certain burdens on the 

 American merchant marine, to encourage the 

 American foreign carry ing- trade, and to amend 

 the laws relating to the shipment and discharge 

 of seamen." The first section makes some 

 change in the law with reference to the regis- 

 tration of vessels, but restricts its benefits to 

 those " wholly owned by citizens and to be 

 commanded by a citizen of the United States." 

 The second section strikes from the statutes 

 the tax of fifty cents per ton on vessels, "any 

 officer of which shall not be a citizen of the 

 United States." The only important change 

 made by these two sections was to limit the 

 restrictions of the old law as to citizenship to 

 the commanding officer instead of applying it 

 to all officers. The third section modifies the 

 provisions as to the discharge of seamen at 

 foreign ports on their own application by con- 

 sular officers of the United States. The pay- 

 ment of the wages due may be exacted, but, if 

 the seaman is discharged on account of illness 

 or inability to perform his duties, he is enti- 

 tled only to the wages due ; while, if he is dis- 

 charged on account of any hurt received in the 

 service of the vessel, or disease caused by im- 

 proper or insufficient treatment, the master of 

 the vessel must provide proper care for him 

 until he recovers, dies, or is brought back to 

 the United States. Section 4 abolishes the 

 old requirement of three months' extra pay 

 when a seaman is discharged at a foreign port 

 upon the termination of his agreement, or 

 when the vessel becomes stranded, wrecked, 

 or unfit for further service. If the consular 

 officer is satisfied that the master of the vessel 

 has designedly continued the voyage beyond 

 the term of the agreement with the seaman, he 

 may require payment of one month's wages, 

 unless the master finds employment for the 

 seaman, or provides for his passage home. 

 Section 5 requires that, in case a vessel is sold 

 in a foreign country, the master shall pay to 

 a consular officer of the United States one 

 month's wages for all discharged seamen, or 

 provide them with other employment, or else 

 provide for their passage home. Section 6 

 provides for an examination by consuls into 

 cases of desertion of sailors, and, when they 

 are satisfied that it was caused by unusual or 

 cruel treatment, they may require the payment 

 of wages due, and of one month's extra wages, 

 unless employment on some other vessel is 

 provided, or means furnished for returning the 

 deserter to his own country. The seventh and 

 eighth sections make consuls responsible to 

 seamen for wages and charges collected in 

 their behalf, but permit the retention of the 



amount necessary to pay the expenses which 

 they may have incurred before shipping again. 

 Section 9 requires the masters of American 

 vessels bound to home-ports to take destitute 

 seamen, on the request of consuls, at a charge 

 not exceeding $10 each; but, in case of long 

 voyages, or peculiarly disabled condition of 

 the seamen, there may be an extra allowance, 

 not exceeding 30 cents a day, made by the col- 

 lector of the port at which the vessel arrives. 

 A penalty of $100 is provided for any refusal 

 of a master of a ship to take a destitute sea- 

 man home on the request of a consul, but no 

 master shall be required to take more than 

 two such seamen for every 100 tons burden of 

 the vessel. Section 10 abolishes consular fees 

 for certificates, manifests, or other official ser- 

 vice to American vessels, or their owners, 

 officers, or seamen, and provides for payment 

 for the service out of the Treasury of the 

 United States. Section 11 prohibits the pay- 

 ment of advance wages to any seaman, or to 

 any person on his account. This prohibition 

 is applied to foreign as well as American ves- 

 sels employing seamen in United States ports, 

 and is intended to do away with what is known 

 as the exaction of " blood-money." The abuse 

 at which it strikes is that of trusting sailors 

 for board, and other expenses, and then ob- 

 taining employment for them from the mas- 

 ters of vessels, and securing reimbursement 

 from advances on account of their wages. Sec- 

 tion 12 requires each vessel to carry a slop- 

 chest, with supplies of clothing, blankets, etc., 

 which shall be sold to seamen at a profit not 

 exceeding 25 per cent upon the reasonable 

 wholesale price. Section 13 gives to masters 

 and owners of vessels the right to ship and pay 

 off men without the intervention of shipping 

 commissioners or the payment of fees. Sec- 

 tion 14 provides for the admission in bond, for 

 use free of duty, of articles and materials used 

 in the repair of vessels engaged in foreign trade, 

 and of all ships' stores, cordage, rigging, can- 

 vas for sails, and coal to be used and consumed 

 on such vessels. Section 15 abolishes tonnage 

 dues and the requirement of consular certifi- 

 cates in the case of vessels trading with the 

 Dominion of Canada. Section 16 reduces the 

 assessment of 40 cents a month upon seamen 

 for hospital dues to 20 cents a month. Sec- 

 tion IV limits the liability of individual ship- 

 owners to the proportion of the ship's debts 

 that each owner's share in the vessel bore to 

 the whole, and the aggregate liability of all 

 the owners to the value of the vessel. Sec- 

 tions 18 and 19 are as follow: 



SECTION 18. That when any vessel, whether steam or 

 sail, shall be constructed and equipped in the United 

 States for the foreign trade, including the trade he- 

 tween the Atlantic and the Pacific ports of the United 

 States, in whole or in part, of materials of the produc- 

 tion of the United States, tne owner or owners of such 

 vessel shall be entitled to receive and collect from the 

 United States a drawback or sum equal in amount to 

 the duty which would have been collected upon im- 

 ported materials of like description and of equal qual- 



