The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-05-02

rolment is q Just cause Of dissatisfaction among
! a large portion of the mercantile community
steam or sail, which sometimes are employed
on navigable waters of the United States. and
at other times on the waters of a State. and
vessels which are exempt under the act of 1874
from enrolment and license.
Section 8. Of the Revised Statutes defines the
term vessel to include every description OF
water craft. or other artificial contrivance used
or capa bic of being used as means Of trans
every, vessel Of less than twenty tons and not
less than five tons burden to liability to Ii
cense II found trading between district and dis
trict. or between places in the same district on
penalty of paying such tonnage tax as is le-
yled on vessels not belonging to citizens OF the
| United States.
These provisions of law forced the owners Of
| bargea, canal boats, and even Of crafts m
ployed on navig@be, waters OF the United
States, to tnke out license and pay the fees
! prescribed in sections 4l53 and 1876 Of the
statutes, which prescribe the rules and fees for
admea5urement rs prerequisite to the issue
Of license. the cost of which, on q common
canal boat, between s12 and sl5
1t was to relieve the owners Of such boats. and
| others employed on the internal waters Of the
States. not provided with sails or propeing
machinery of their own. that the act of April
X, 1874, was passed, tho effect Of which was to
exempt all boats except such as were engaged
sail or machinery of their own and which We're
employed on the canals or internal waters of a
State. from enrolment. even though they should
trade on the navigabe waters of tho United
States. But the statute left like boats vessels
exclusively employed on waters of the United
rOlment,
While your committee submit that this is an
unjust discrimination, yet they ut the Same time
further submit that the act of 1874 went too far
In that it did not require the class of vessels
exempted by that act to perform some act which
would enable the Trea-ur Department TO keep
trace OF them. and TO be possessed Of such in :
formation as would enable the department to
furnish proper statistics as to the amount Of
our internal trade and commerce. carried on by
this class of vessels on the navgable waters of
the United States.
The bill submitted exempts "al vessels en-
States, not propelled by any internal appliance.
such as sail or steam. except vessels of this
character engaged in trade with contiguous
rollnent; but provides that masters of regis
tered. enrolled or lie nsed vessels. towing or
propeling vessels Of the character described.
shall produce manife5ts of the cargoes of yes
sells SO tOwed to the collector Of tho port Of on
try, or to the surveyor or collector Of any port
livery Of any cargoes Of a vessel so toWed or
propelled shall be completed
Your committee are Of the opinion, and in
this they in accord with the views Of tn o
Treasury Department, that this system of man
feat will not only furnish the government with
adequate means Of ascnrtaining the statistics
If h"trade Carried on by this class of vessels
but also Of that class exempted by the act of
I97i ami that it will also relieve large meroan-
III" class Of the country from the unjust bur
d"nS imposed on them under existing prOvi-
sipn9 Of law in tn" matter of fees for admeas-
urmn"nt "nr"llmnnt and iic"nse
I'D" second pTDVl-p TO the first section Of the
hlI pr"s"rt,"-. for all vessels not propelled by
steam or sail~. the penalties for not displaying
light mentioned in sections ~" and t23l of the
Revised Statutes, and r"mrd u defect in the
present law hy which thts" penalties are ap-
plirAble TO sail v"eSe'a only which l. 50 ap-
pnrent that comment is not d"em"l necessary.
Your committee ara Df tho opinion thar the
lee Of tWent Y cents each for receiving ana fling
manlfeS'5 is a r"asonAE'le on", in v"W Of tn"