The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-11-06
AN INTERNATIONAL MARINE CON-
GRESS.

A very important international
conference opened in Washington
on the 18th of October, called to-
gether to confer on the security of
shipping at sea, and to revise and
establish new regulations, should
they be deemed necessary. The con-
ference is merely advisory, and
whatever it does will require legis-
lation to make it effective. Some
twenty-three countries have ex-
pressed willingness to join in the
conference, and there will be about
fifty delegates, including one from
Hawaii:
The countries which have accepted
the invitation of the State Department
to send delegates are the following:
In Europe-Great Britain, France,
Germany, Italy, Denmark, Belgium, the
Netherlands, Sweden and Norway, Rus
STA, Austro- Hungary and Spain.
In America-Brazil, Chill, Venezuela,
Uruguay, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mica
ragua, Mexico and Hawaii.
In Asia-China and Japan.
The only important maritime country
of Europe which is unrepresented is POr-
tugal, and several of the South Amer
lean countries which have not accepted
have indicated that they will probably
accept the result of the conference.
At the preliminary meeting of the
American delegates the subjects for dis
cussiOn were classified in accordance
with the provisions of the Act of Con-
gress under the following general divl-
siOns:
/. Marine signals or other means of
plainly indicating the direction in which
vessels are moving in fog, mist, falling
snow and thick weather, and at night
rules for the prevention of collisions and
rules of the road.
2. Regulations to determine the sea-
worthiness of vessels.
3. Draught to which vessels should
be restricted when loaded.
4. Uniform regulations regarding the
designating and marking of vessels.
5. Saving life and property from ship
wreck.
6. Necessary qualifications for officers
and seamen, including tests for sight
and color blindness.
7. Lanes for steamers on frequented
route.
8. Night signals for communicating
information at sea.
8. Warnings of approaching storms.
10. Reporting, marking and removing
dangerous wrecks and distractions to
navigation.
IL. Notice of dangers to navigation /;
notice of changes in lights, buoys and
night marks.
II. A uniform system of buoys and
beacons.
13. The establishment of permanent
international maritime commission.
The proposition will probably be made
in the Conference to divide the ocean in
to districts, over which different nations
shall exercise a supervision in this re-
gard, and whenever derelict is report
ed, send out a naval vessel to scuttle it
Or blow it up. This division of the ocean
among the nations might prove dan
gerous precedent for the assertion of di-
plomatic authority, but if convention is
made for this purpose, it will probably
disav0w very explicitly any jurisdiction
of any other character. 1t is somewhat
doubtful if an international maritime
commission is established, but it would
be of great value if the various nations
which appointed it's members could be
brought to accept promptly it's decisions.
Ii it were established, it would be made
up of at least one member from each
leading maritime Power, and its deci-
sions would probably gradually receive
recognition, even if they were not
promptly adopted everywhere.
Such a commission could do much to
simplify and make uniform signals, lights
and navigation laws, and could take steps
for the general diffusion of information
of value to navigators.
The conference will be an interesting
one to ship-owners and naval officers,
and even if it accomplishes but few of
will be of great benefit to the maritime
world. The debates will be conducted
mainly in English, although French may
be used for the benefit of those delegates
who speak the language of diplomacy
without knowing English. The different
subjects will be referred to committee at
an early stage in the proceedings, the
committees will report their decisions to
the conference and the conference will
recommend them to the various govern
mentS.
Nothing which the delegates agree
upon will bind the country which any of
them may represent, and it may take
some years to bring all the maritime
nations into agreement. But ii import
ant rules are adopted by few of the
leading nations, in some cases even by
the United States and Great Britain
alone, they will be practically operative
upon the majority of merchant vessels,
and there can be little doubt that other
nations will gradually follow in their
course and the ocean be governed by one
uniform code which will be equally in
telligible to men of all nations and all
tongues.
The oldest hostelry in England is
fhn -