CONGRESS. (PROTECTION OF AMERICAN SEAMEN.) 



225 



by the mate or one of the crew; and the offender, 

 if still in the vessel, shall, before her next ar- 

 rival at any port, or, if she is at the time in 

 port, before her departure therefrom, be furnished 

 with a copy of such entry, and have the same 

 read over distinctly and audibly to him, and 

 may thereupon make such a reply thereto as he 

 thinks fit; and a statement that a copy of the 

 entry has been so furnished, or the same has 

 been so read over, together with his reply, if 

 any, made by the offender, shall likewise be en- 

 tered and signed in the same manner. In any 

 subsequent legal proceedings the entries herein- 

 before required shall, if practicable, be produced 

 or proved, and in default of such production or 

 proof the court hearing the case may, at its dis- 

 cretion, refuse to receive evidence of the offense.' 



"SEC. 21. That section 4600 of the Revised 

 Statutes be, and is hereby, amended to read as 

 follows: 



" ' SEC, 4600. It shall be the duty of all con- 

 sular officers to reclaim deserters, discounte- 

 nance insubordination by every means in their 

 power, and, where the local authorities can be 

 usefully employed for that purpose, to lend their 

 aid and use their exertions to that end in the 

 most effectual manner. In all cases where sea- 

 men or officers are accused the consular officer 

 shall inquire into the facts and proceed as pro- 

 vided in section 4583 of the Revised Statutes; 

 and the officer discharging such seamen shall 

 enter upon the crew list and shipping articles and 

 official log the cause of discharge and the par- 

 ticulars in which the cruel or unusual treatment 

 consisted, and subscribe his name thereto of- 

 ficially. He shall read the entry made in the 

 official log to the master, and his reply thereto, 

 if any, shall likewise be entered and subscribed 

 in the same manner.' 



"SEC. 22. That section 4611 of the Revised 

 Statutes be, and is hereby, amended to read as 

 follows: 



"'SEC. 4611. Flogging and all other forms of 

 corporal punishment are hereby prohibited on 

 board any vessel, and no form of corporal pun- 

 ishment on board any vessel shall be deemed 

 justifiable, and any master or other officer there- 

 of who shall violate the aforesaid provisions of 

 this section or either thereof shall be deemed 

 guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by impris- 

 onment not less than three months or more than 

 two years. Whenever any officer other than the 

 master of such vessel shall violate any provision 

 VOL. xxxix. 15 A 



of this section, it shall be the duty of such mas- 

 ter to surrender such officer to the proper au- 

 thorities as soon as practicable. Any failure 

 upon the part of such master to comply here- 

 with, which failure shall result in the escape 

 of such officer, shall render said master liable 

 in damages to the person illegally punished by 

 such officer.' 



" SEC. 23. That section 4612 of the Revised Stat- 

 utes is hereby amended by striking out the scale 

 of provisions and substitutes in the table [above], 

 and in place thereof inserting the following scale 

 of provisions and substitutes to be allowed and 

 served out to the crew during the voyage: 



" ' SUBSTITUTES. 



" ' One pound of flour daily may be substituted 

 for the daily ration of biscuit or fresh bread; 2 

 ounces of desiccated vegetables for 1 pound of 

 potatoes or yams; 6 ounces of hominy, oatmeal, 

 or cracked wheat, or 2 ounces of tapioca, for 6 

 ounces of rice; 6 ounces of canned vegetables for 

 ^ pound of canned tomatoes; ounce of tea for 

 | ounce of coffee; f ounce of coffee for J ounce 

 of tea; 6 ounces of canned fruit for 3 ounces of 

 dried fruit; \ ounce of lime juice for the daily 

 ration of vinegar; 4 ounces of oatmeal or cracked 

 wheat for \ pint of corn meal ; 2 ounces of pickled 

 onions for 4 ounces of fresh onions. 



" ' When the vessel is in port and it is possible 

 to obtain the same, H pound of fresh meat 

 shall be substituted for the daily rations of salt 

 and canned meat ; \ pound of green cabbage for 

 one ration of canned tomatoes; \ pound of fresh 

 fruit for one ration of dried fruit. Fresh fruit 

 and vegetables shall be served while in port if 

 obtainable. The seamen shall have the option 

 of accepting the fare the master may provide, 

 but the right at any time to demand the fore- 

 going scale of provisions. 



" ' The foregoing scale of provisions shall be 

 inserted in every article of agreement, and shall 

 not be reduced by any contract, except as above, 

 and a copy of the same shall be posted in a 

 conspicuous place in the galley and in the fore- 

 castle of each vessel.' 



" SEC. 24. That section 10 of chapter 121 of the 

 laws of 1884, as amended by section 3 of chapter 

 421 of the laws of 1886 be, and is hereby, amended 

 to read as follows : 



" ' SEC. 10. (a) That it shall be, and is hereby, 

 made unlawful in any case to pay any seaman 

 wages in advance of the time when he has actual- 



