FORTY-SECOND CONGRESS- Sess. II. Ch. 322. 1872. 263 Sec. 4. That every shipping-commissioner shall lease, rent, or procure Omce for shipat his own cost, suitable premises for the transaction of business, and for Ring °°”““iS‘ the preservation of the books and other documents connected therewith, mm' and which premises shall be styled " the shipping-commissioner’s office." And the general business of a shippingbommissioner shall be, first, to G¤¤Q¤’¤l_Y>¤§i~ afford facilities for engaging seamen· by keeping a register of their names gw? °·l i2lpp'°g` and characters; secondly, to superintend their engagement and discharge, 0 mlm um` in manner hereinafter mentioned ; thirdly, to provide means for securing the presence on board at the proper times of men who are so engaged; fourthly, to facilitate the making of apprenticeships to the sea-service; and to perform such other duties relating to merchant seamen and merchant ships as are hereby, or may hereafter, under the powers herein contained, be committed to him. Sec. 5. That such tees, not exceeding the sums specified in the table Fees; marked “A " in the schedule hereto annexed, shall be payable upon all _ engagements and discharges effected before shipping-commissioners as S°° p' 2*1 hereinafter mentioned, and such shipping-commissioners shall cause a scale SW6 fbéfsvf ¤¤ of the fees payable to be prepared, and to be conspicuously placed in the g°1ag°g3°`E;°:;,`;€?' shipping-office; and the shipping commissioner may refuse to proceed M, be pmpaidi
any engagement or discharge unless the fees payable thereon are first if required.
pai . · Sec. 6-. That. every owner, consignee, agent, orlmaster of a ship engag- Owners, gw__ mg or discharging any seamen or seaman in a shipping-office, or before a of SNP *0 PW shipping-commissioner, shall pay to the shipping-commissioner the whole Egg °}¥£,:"`$§g`;§` of the fees hereby made payable in respect of such engagement or dis- of seamen, excharge, and may, for the purpose of in part reimbursing himself; deduct in °°P*· &°· respect of each such engagement or discharge, from the wages of all persons (except apprentices) so engaged or discharged, and retain any sums S°° P- 277- not exceeding the sums specified in that behalf in the table marked “B " in the schedule hereto annexed. Sec. 7. That any shipping-commissioner, or any clerk or employee in Penalty on any shippingoffice, who shall demand or receive any remuneration what- commissioners ever, either directly or indirectly, for hiring or supplying any seaman for g::]:}?;::} fx,} any merchant ships, excepting the lawful fees payable under this act, u,,i,,w,—ui,%{,S_ " shall, for every such offence, incur a penalty not exceeding two hundred dollars. Sec. 8. That in the case of any place or port in which no shipping- In ports where commissioner shall have been appointed, then the whole or any part of the **}***6 is ¤° §*“P· business of a shipping-commissioner shall be conducted by the collector or deputy-collector of customs of such place or port; and in respect of to be done by such business such custom-house shall be deemed a shipping-office, and °' the collector or deputy-collector of customs to whom such business shall Uusmm.h0uss be committed shall for all purposes be deemed a shipping-commissioner ¤9l’¢ ttl; ShiP· within the meaning of this act ; and any person other than a commissioner p"i€`:a,:;`,·6, under this act who shall perform, or attempt to perform, either directly or acting unlawfully indirectly, the duties which are by this act set forth as pertaining to a :is’;i:£¥‘;;“·%"°°“*‘ " shipping-commissioner," shall incur a penalty not exceeding five hundred ' dollars: Provided, That nothing in this act shall be [so] construed as to pre- Owners, gm., vent the owner or consignee, or master of any ship, except such as are €X°¤i>*i $5% lm)' described in section twelve of this act, from performing himself, so far as s° °°t' the said ships are concerned, the duties of shipping-commissioner under this act. Sec. 9. That every shipping-commissioner appointed. under this act Shipping4mm_ shall, if applied to for the purpose of apprenticing boys to the sea-service pnisgiongrsjp gid by any masters or owners of ships, or by any person or persons Ilegally g;$;>l:;°§;¤¢;2l8s qualified, give such assistance as' is in their power for facilitating the games; ° making of such apprenticeships ; but the shipping-commissioner shall commons of ascertain that the boy has voluntarily consented to be bound, and that the apprenticeship_ parents or guardian of said boy have consented to said apprent1ceship,and
