OPERATING PROBLEMS OF THE AMERICAN SHIPOWNER. 19 
passengers between places in the United Kingdom, shall be provided with officers duly certi- 
ficated under this Act according to the following scale— 
“(a) In any case with a duly certificated master. 
“(b) If the ship is of 100 tons burden or upwards, with at least one officer besides the 
master holding a certificate not lower than that of only mate in the case of a foreign-going 
ship, or of mate in the case of a home-trade passenger ship. 
“(c) If the ship is a foreign-going ship, and carries more than one mate, with at least 
the first and second mate duly certificated. 
“(d) If the ship is a foreign-going steamship of 100 nominal horse-power or upwards, 
with at least two engineers, one of whom shall be a first-class and the other a first-class or 
second-class engineer duly certificated. 
“(e) If the ship is a foreign-going steamship of less than 100 nominal horse-power or 
a seagoing home-trade passenger steamship, with at least one engineer who is a first-class or 
second-class engineer duly certificated.” 
While it is acknowledged that most British ocean ships in the foreign trade carry as 
many licensed deck officers as American ships and frequently as many engineers, the charac- 
ter of the British legislation is such that they may reduce the number at any time and are not 
subject to the penalties for failure to carry the full quota, as happens in the case of American 
ships by virtue of the penalty clause contained in Section 4463. 
With further reterence to the’ unlicensed personnel on American ships, in addition to the 
authority reposed in the local inspectors which is contained in Section 4463, Section 2 of, 
the Seamen’s Act provides that the sailors while at sea shall be divided into at least two 
watches and the firemen, oilers and watertenders into at least three watches. The seamen 
may not be shipped for duty alternately in the fireroom and on deck, and the firemen may not 
be shipped to perform duty in the fireroom and on deck; while in the American ship on Sun- 
days and holidays the crew shall not be permitted to perform unnecessary duties nor shall 
they be required to do duty on any week day of more than nine hours while the vessel is in 
a safe harbor. In this regard, let me again point out that the British law is silent. 
Section 13 of the Seamen’s Act requires that 65 per cent of the deck crew shall be able- 
bodied seamen and to obtain a full-fledged A. B. seaman’s certificate a man must have at least 
three years’ experience on the deck of a vessel at sea. 
Section 14 of the Seamen’s Act relates to the life-saving equipment and the manning of 
boats and rafts with a definite number of licensed officers, able seamen and certificated life- 
boat men. All boats and rafts carrying more than fifteen persons are required to be in charge 
of a licensed officer or able seaman. The British Merchant Shipping Act is silent on the 
question of watches at sea and as to the requirement of the number of able seamen. Only in 
the case of emigrant or passenger ships does it carry a schedule as to crew requirements. 
Again I desire to direct your attention to the moderate terms of the language employed. 
“1, Every emigrant ship shall be manned with an efficient crew for her intended voyage, 
to the satisfaction of the emigration officer from whom a certificate for clearance for such 
ship is demanded; after the crew have been passed by the emigration officer, the strength of 
the crew shall not be diminished nor any of the men changed without the consent in writing 
either of that emigration officer or of the superintendent at the port of clearance. 
“2, Where the consent of a superintendent has been obtained, it shall, within twenty- 
four hours thereafter, be lodged with the said emigration officer.” 
