CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. (AMERICAN SHIPPING.) 



221 



be agreed upon by him, or furnish the means of send- 

 ing back to such port, or provide him with a passage 

 home, or deposit with the consular officer such a sum 

 of money as is by such officer deemed sufficient to 

 defray the expenses of bis subsistence and passage 

 home, then no payment of extra wages shall be re- 

 quired." 



SEC. 6. That section 4600 of the Revised Statutes 

 be amended so as to read as follows : 



" SEO. 4600. It shall be the duty of consular of- 

 ficers to reclaim deserters and discountenance in- 

 subordination by every means within their power, 

 and where the local authorities can be usefully em- 

 ployed for that purpose, to lend their aid and use their 

 exertions to that end in the most effectual manner. 

 In all cases where deserters are apprehended consular 

 officers shall inquire into the facts ; and if he is satis- 

 fied that the desertion was caused by unusual or cruel 

 treatment, the seaman shall be discharged, and re- 

 ceive in addition to his wages to the time of his dis- 

 chargCj one month's pay, or the master shall provide 

 him with adequate employment on board some other 

 ship bound to the port at which he was originally 

 shipped, or to such other port as may be agreed upon 

 by nim, or furnish the means of sending him back to 

 such port, or provide him with a passage home, or 

 deposit with the consular officer such a sum of money 

 as is by such officer deemed sufficient to defray the 

 expenses of his subsistence and passage home. And 

 the officer discharging him shall enter upon the crew- 

 list and shipping articles the cause of discharge and 

 the particulars in which the cruelty or unusual treat- 

 ment consisted, and the facts as to his discharge, or 

 re-engagement, as the case may be, and subscribe his 

 name thereto officially." 



SEC. 7. That section 4581 of the Revised Statutes be 

 amended so as to read as follows : 



" SEO. 4581. That if any consular officer, when dis- 

 charging any seaman, shall neglect to require tne 

 payment of and collect the extra wages and charges 

 required to be paid in the case of the discharge of 

 any seaman, he shall be accountable to such seaman 

 to the full amount thereof ; and if any seaman shall, 

 after his discharge, have incurred any expense for 

 board or other necessaries at the place of" his dis- 

 charge, before shipping again, such expense shall be 

 paid out of the wages to which, he shall be entitled, 

 which shall be retained for that purpose, and the 

 balance onlv paid over to him." 



SEC. 8. That section 4584 of the Revised Statutes 

 be amended so as to read as follows : 



" SEC. 4584. Whenever any consular officer, upon 

 the discharge of any seaman, receives the wages due 

 to said seaman, he shall at once pay the same to the 

 said seaman, except as provided by section 4581 of 

 the Revised Statutes." 



SBC. 9. That section 4578 of the Revised Statutes be 

 amended so as to read as follows : 



" SEC. 4578. All masters of vessels belonging to citi- 

 zens of the United States and bound to some port of 

 the same are required to take such destitute seamen 

 on board their vessels,, at the request of the consuls, 

 vice-consuls, commercial agents, or vice-commercial 

 agents, respectively, and to transport them to the port 

 in the United States to which such vessel may be 

 bound, on such terms, not exceeding $10 for each 

 person, as may be agreed between the master and the 

 consul or officer. But for long voyages and peculiar 

 iisabled condition of such seamen there shall be al- 

 lowed to the master or owner of such vessel such 

 reasonable compensation, not to exceed 30 cents per 

 day, in addition to the allowances herein provided, as 

 shall be deemed equitable by the collector of the port 

 m the United States which the vessel may first reach, 

 the same to be paid under such regulations as may be 

 prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury. Every 

 such master who refuses the same, on the request or 

 order of such consul or officer, shall be liable to the 

 United States in a penalty of $100 for each seaman so 

 refused. The certificate of any such consul or officer, 



given under his hand and official seal, shall be pre- 

 sumptive evidence of such refusal in any court of law 

 having jurisdiction for the recovery of the penalty. 

 No master of any vessel shall, however, be obliged to 

 take a greater number than two men to every one hun- 

 dred tons burden of the vessel on any one voyage." 



SEC. 10. That no fees shall hereafter be charged by 

 any consular officer for any certificate, manifest, or 

 other official service to American vessels engaged in 

 the foreign trade, or to the owners, officers, or seamen 

 of such vessels. Consular officers who are now paid 

 in whole or in part by fees shall make a detailed re- 

 port to the Secretary of the Treasury of the services 

 performed in accordance with this section, with the 

 fees heretofore allowed in such cases, and shall be en- 

 titled to receive the amount thereof in the same man- 

 ner as is provided by law in case of other compensa- 

 tion payable by the United States. 



SEC. 11 ; That it shall be, and is hereby, made 

 unlawful in any case to pay any seaman wages in ad- 

 vance of the time when he has actually earned the 

 same, or to pay such advance wages to any other per- 

 son, or to pay any person any remuneration for the 

 shipment of seamen. Any person paying such ad- 

 vance wages or such remuneration, shall lc>e deemed 

 guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall 

 be punished by a fine not less than four times the 

 amount of the wages so advanced or remuneration so 

 paidj and may be also imprisoned for a period not ex- 

 ceeding six months, at the discretion of the court. 

 The payment of such advance wages or remuneration 

 shall in no case absolve the steamer, ship, or vessel, 

 or the master or owner thereof, from full payment of 

 wages after the same shall have been actually earned, 

 and shall be no defense to a libel suit, or action for 

 the recovery of such wages : Provided, That this sec- 

 tion shall not apply to such fees as by any law of the 

 United States may be collected by any shipping com- 

 missioner or other officer of the United States for the 

 shipment of seamen. This section shall apply as well 

 to foreign vessels as to vessels of the United States ; 

 and any foreign vessel, the master, owner, consignee, 

 or agent of which has violated this section, or induced 

 or connived at its violation, shall be refused a clear- 

 ance from anv port of the United States. 



SEC. 12. That every vessel mentioned in the pre- 

 ceding section shall also be provided with a stop- 

 chest, which shall contain a complement of clothing 

 for the intended voyage for each seaman employed, 

 including boots or shoes, hats or caps, under-clothing 

 and outer clothing, oiled clothing, and everything 

 necessary for the wear of the seaman : also a full sup- 

 ply of tobacco and blankets. Any of the contents of 

 the slop-chest shall be sold, from time to time, to any 

 or every seaman applying therefor, for his own use, 

 at a profit not exceeding 25 per cent, of the reasonable 

 wholesale value of the same at the port at which the 

 voyage commenced. 



SEC. 13. That all masters and owners of vessels 

 shall have the right to ship and pay off the men they 

 employ. 



SEC. 14. That section 2514 of the Revised Statutes 

 be amended so as to read as follows : 



" SEC. 2514. That all articles and materials of for- 

 eign production needed for the repair of vessels en- 

 gaged in the foreign trade, including the trade between 

 the Atlantic and Pacific ports of the United States, 

 and all ship stores, cordage, rigging, canvas for sails, 

 and coal to be used and consumed on board of any 

 such vessel, may be withdrawn from bonded ware- 

 houses free of duty, under such regulations as the 

 Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe." 



SEC. 15. That no vessel engaged in commerce with 

 the Dominion of Canada or the Republic of Mexico 

 shall be subject to tonnage tax or duty, nor shall con- 

 sular certificates be required from the same. 



SEC. 16. That instead of the assessment of 40 cents 

 per month, authorized by sections 4585 and 4587 of 

 the Revised Statutes of the United States, there shall 

 hereafter be assessed and collected 20 cents. 



