après la sentence prononcée, la subvention postale serait saisissable et par privilège jusqu'à concurrence de l'indemnité, intérêts et dépens accordés au demandeur.

Tels sont les vœux que formule la Commission de l'Union syndicale mutualiste des Inscrits maritimes du Havre.

Vu et approuvé les quatorze rapports ci-dessus, par la Commission. d'Etudes de l'Union Syndicale du Havre :

AUGÉ,

Capitaine au long cours, Membre de plusieurs Sociétés savantes françaises et étrangères, Président et Rapporteur.

E. VOIZARD,

Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur,
Vice-Président.

V. DUREL, Capitaine au long cours.

G. LEBOURHIS, Capitaine au long cours.

CORBIÈRE, Capitaine au long cours.

Pour le Syndicat des Capitaines au long cours de Marseille :

Le Président, BENIGNI,

Capitaine au long cours,

Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur.

Pour le Syndicat des Capitaines-Marins de la Méditerranée :

Le Président, J. BOUSQUET, C.-M.

Pour l'Union des Corporations maritimes du Midi :

Le Président, J. PÉTRIER, C. A. L. C.,
Officier d'Académie.

MEMORANDUM

CONCERNING A PROPOSED

PERMANENT

INTERNATIONAL MERCHANT SHIPPING COMMISSION

PREPARED BY

THE COMMITTEE OF THE SECOND

NORTHERN MARITIME CONFERENCE

(September, 1888)

PRESENTED BY

Com. AUGUST SCHNEIDER

of Copenhagen (Denmark)

INTRODUCTION

At the second Conference (the first was held in Gothenburg in the year 1883) of Northern (Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and Danish) delegates from various shipowners' (1), master mariners', underwriters', etc. associations and societies held in Copenhagen in the first Days of July 1888 under the leadership of C. F. Tietgen, Esq., Chairman of the Copenhagen. Chamber of Commerce, and in the presence of several Ministers of State, Foreign Ministers and Consuls, Government Maritime

(1) Representing a merchant fleet of above 2 million Register tons, the Scandinavian vessels thus to be placed as No. 3 on the list. No 1 being the English, No. 2 the United States', No. 4 the German and No. 5 the French merchant fleet.

Officials, etc. the proceedings commenced with the discussion of the following question :

« On the establishment of a permanent, international Merchant Shipping Commission ».

After a full discussion the following resolution was adopted unanimously:

<< The development of the shipping trade which has taken place during the last years, having given rise to a great number of questions of which the satisfactory solution is of the utmost importance to the trade,

the Conference resolves :

«< that this object best can be attained by the establishment of a permanent international Commission and requests the Committee of the Conference to present a Memorandum to this effect to the Maritime Congress which is to be held at Washington in the last days of April next year and to apply to the governments of the Northern States to submit the said resolution with their recommendation to the great European powers and the United States of America ».

In compliance with the first part of this resolution the Committee has appointed the Undersigned to inquire into, and report on the question, and in fulfilment of this request we now have the honour to present this Memorandum to the said Congress, and in doing so we propose to divide the Memorandum in four parts, viz. :

Part I, containing the main points of the discussion; Part II, containing a detailed statement of the development of international maritime agreements, with notes referring to Part III, consisting of an « Appendix », containing the necessary informations as to the respective merchant shipping laws and regulations, the opinions or proposals of influential societies or experts, and references to the nautical works made use of. For the sake of convenience we have also divided Part II in four divisions:

(a.) Under division 1 we have collected, and propose to treat the international agreements which have been adopted by the governments of almost all maritime States, as « The Rule of the Road at Sea », « The International Code of Signals »>, << Signals of Distress and for Pilots », « International Tonnage Measurement », etc. etc.

(b.) Under division 2 we propose to discuss some other merchant shipping laws or regulations, in the adoption of which by the other maritime States Great-Britain has taken an interest which, as yet, has nearly been without result; for instance: The Laws on « Official Inquiries into Shipwrecks, Strandings » etc.; Preventive regulations as to the sending to sea of « Unseaworthy Ships »; « The British system of marking and lettering of the Names of ships and their home ports, Register-Tonnage and Draught scale of feet », etc.

(c.) Under division 3 we propose to give an outline of some other mercantile shipping affairs of a more private judicial nature, which in our opinion seem well adapted to be considered as being of an international character, and, therefore, ought to be treated with due regard to such character.

(d.) In division 4 we have wound up our views as to the usefulness of the proposed permanent, international Merchant Shipping Commission, its eventual composition, mode of action, expenses, etc. etc.

Lastly, in Part IV, we propose to state the reasons for another resolution, which we are charged by the Conference to bring to the knowledge of the Congress, namely, about the question <«< What can be done diminish the danger which threatens the navigation by floating wrecks?», which, also, was discussed during the Conference.

PART I.

GENERAL REMARKS AS TO THe development OF INTERNATIONAL MARITIME AGREEMENTS, STATED IN ORDER TO SHOW THE DESIRABILITY OF A PERMANENT, INTERNATIONAL MERCHANT SHIPPING COMMISSION.

It is a well known fact, that it is only lately that the merchant shipping has thoroughly felt the inconvenience of the discrepancies in the rules by which its relations in the different countries have been regulated. In former times the navigation of the seas was moving in narrower tracks, more regularly laid

down, in such a manner that it was in its whole character in a less degree international, and it is, properly speaking, first, when the enormous development of the steam navigation took place, that efforts were awakened for reforms, which could liberate the navigation from its many checks.

Gradually, as the commercial intercourse has increased, the navigation is getting more and more cosmopolite, and the shipowners and merchants of all nations are associated in such a manner, that to the commercial world it is an indifferent matter, whetter the goods are transported in the ships of one nation or another. A well equipped and well manned ship, will an able and active master will make her way in the freight market, whether it is in the coasting or the foreign trade, without any other regard than to the master's capability to the fulfil a contract cheaply and punctually.

The natural consequence hereof seems to be, that it is in a high degree to be wished for, and in certain respects necessary, that all laws and regulations concerning shipping and navigation are drawn up as uniform as it in any way can be accomplished; in short, that in the navigation of the ocean, the highway at sea of all nations, a universal law system should be obeyed. By such an arrangement a multitude of common interests will, by and by, be created, and thereby the world will have found the right, although a slow and difficult way by which, at least, the probability of long lasting wars will be somewhat diminished.

It has hitherto been extremely difficult to get reliable information as to the Register-Tonnage of the merchant fleets in former times. Fortunately this want has lately been for a great deal removed by a Memorandum entitled :

Statistique Internationale. Navigation Maritime, issued in 1887 by the Chief of the Norwegian Statistical Bureau, Mr. A. N. Kiaer. From this interesting exposé we permit us to give a few extracts, viz. :

In 1850 the entire Register-Tonnage of the North-American and the European merchant fleets (of vessels above 20 Tons