The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-05-12
AMERICAN FLAG ON
F0REIGN BUILT SHIPS
FACTS ABOUT REGISTRATION ARE
NOT GENERALLY KNOWN
BY MARINERS.

Many shipping men and few Amer
leans are aware Of the fact that any
American citizen can go before one Of
our consnls In a foreign port and make
affidavit that certain vessel flying a
foreign flag is entirely owned by Amer
lean citizens and he viii Immediately
receive an American registration and
the right to hy the Stars and Stripes,
says Robert Dollar in the San Francisco
Daily Commercial News.
This is the law adopted by and now
in operation on the Philippine Islands.
They all fly the flag, but not one
steamer has been built in an American
yard; all are foreign built. But the
rights they enjoy all have a string ut
tached to them, as If one of them comes
to this country the vessel and cargo
would be seized, or if in ballast, a
heavy fine would be imposed.
Section 34l of the consular regula-
ton reads IS follows: "The right of
citizens of the United States to acquire
property in foreign ships has been held
to be a natural right independent of
statutory law and such property is as
much entitled to protection by the
United States as any other property of
citizen of the United States.
Section 347.-''The privilege of
carrying the flag of the United States
is under the regulation of congress,
and it may have been the intention of
that body that it should not be used
only by regular documented vessels No
such intention is found in any statute,
and as al citizen is not prohibited from
purchasing a foreign ship, it is regard
ed as reasonable and proper that he
should be permitted to fly the flag of
his country as an indication of owner
ship and for the due protection of his
property. The practice of carrying the
flag by such vessels is now established
The right to do so will not be ques-
toned"
Section 34S-'fIt should be under
stood that fOreign-built vessels not
registered and enrolled or licensed un-
dor the laws of the United States, al
though wholly owned by citizens there
Of cannot legally import goods, wares,
or merchandise from foreign ports and
are not allowed in the coastwise trade. -
h0ttllun otb DibNlhNo bhhh Va a
rival from foreign port if laden with
merchandise, may with their cargoes
be subject to forfeiture. " The meaning
of this is that a foreign ship owned bv
foreigners with n cargo in her could
enter the United States and deliver the
cargo without any discrimination. but
if that same vessel had received the
right to fly the American flag by virtue
of being wholly owned by American
citizens, then this same vessel on ar
rival in an American port would be
confscated with her cargo.
All this looks so unreasonable that
it is no wonder that the majority of
our people cannot understand our ship
ping laws. The great mass of our
people have heard SO. much about the
subsidy that they think this is the only
way to get az merchant marine. Com
paratively few know that we can have
merchant marine without its costing
our government a cent. All that is
necessary is to allowu us to buy our ships
where we can get them the cheapest
and change our navigation laws to per
init us to operate them on the same con-
ditions as the other nations of the
world who are our competitors. and the
| shipowners and merchants will do the
rest.
And to establish our mail service to
all parts of the world, all that is neces-
sary is for our government to pay the
same rate for service rendered as other
nations
It is a remarkable fact that we can
import from foreign nations any legal
merchandise, but a ship is absolutely
prohibited. Does amy one know whyi
l have never met any one who could
give reasonable excuse for the short
sighted policy of our government.