, 1872-10-05
THE WEEKLY ARGUS
sATURpAY, ocT. 5. 1872.
shipping Commissioners.


The Act of Congress Of juno I, 1872,
creating the Office of shipping commits
sioner, has already gone into effect in the
various Atlantic sea ports and at San
francisco, and works admirably. The
,duties of shipping commissioner are to
oseethAt bsafariug men in making engage
ments TO 60 on voyages, understand the
nature of the obligation. aud to- see that
they are sober when they sign the ship
ping articles. The wages paid crews,
whether advance wages or amount paid at
ifual discharge. must be paid in The pres
enee of the commissioner. The commis>
,sioner keeps one copy of the shipping arr
tieIes and retains in his Office copies Of
other papers which have heretofore been
fled in the custom.honse. He also sees
that the seamen are properly paid, aud
that the ships accounts between the caps
tain and crew are properly kept. He is
also required to hear and decide cry
question whatsoever between master and
his crew, not Of a criminal nature, iE short,
she shipping commissioner is required TO
perform duties that have hitherto been
done by United States commissioners and
Justices Of the peace, and to attend TO
many matters which have hitherto been
done by the eustom>house officials, The
Office Is an important one, and should be
filed by a person having a thorough
knowledge of sailors and commercial
usages, as we'll as knowledge Of COM
Hercial law. In San francisco the Office
"a most acceptabIy filled by Col. J. D.
Stevenson, one of CaliforDia's earliest
pioneers.
=, Puget Sound, however, is not likely 10
have shipping commissioner unless tue
law is altered so as to include Territories.
Sec. l provides that the shipping COM
missioner shall be appointed by the Circuit
Court Of the United States. There is no
Circuit Court here, and Judge jacobs has
decided that the District Court of which
he 10 Judge is not authorized TO make the
appointment. Sec. of the Act provides
that in those seaportS where 10 commis-
,.Sioner has been appointed, the collector or
bis deputy shall act in whole or in part as
shipping commissioner, but makes this
wise provision that where no commissioner
has been appointed, the owner, cOnsignee
.:Sr master Of any ship may act az eO.nmis.
,sioner 20 far as his particular vessel Is
concerned, and as the law now stands
there is nothing TO prevent sailors on Puget
Sound from being shipped under the old
style. except that they must be shipped BY
the new form of shipping articles. There
is nothing in the law which obliges the
master of vessel to go to the custom
house to ship his crew. He can do SO
himself if be chooses or employ the usual
shipping agents.
We believe, however, from the multi
plicity of forms required undq5the new
law. that it will be greatly 10 ,the Interest
of the shipping community, both masters
and sesmen, as we'll as owners aud agents,
that shipping commission, separate and
distinct from the custom house, should be
appointed. and in law of such general
application it seems that provisions should
have been made for its extension to Terri
tories. It is more than probable that this
matter will be corrected by the next Con-
errss so as to enable shipping commits
siOneT to be appointed for Puget Sound.