The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-06-14
new ORDER DOES
NOT AFFECT BAY
Free to Come And go at All Hours
The Harbor Open at Night.

Government orders restricting the
of vessels in the harbors
on the Atlantic Coast will not affect
vessels operating in the Chesapeake
Bay and it's tributaries. No orders
have been received by the Collector
of Customs from Washington which
have any bearing on the movements
of coastwise vessels, except those
previously issued and which have
been in force for some time. There
can be no interference with local
craft in these waters, unless naviga-
ton at the Capes is unrestricted and
all safeguards at the mouth OF the
Bay removed. AS there is no ikeli-
hood of the present system being
changed, the Bay will continue as
safe as is any interior city today and
the harbor will not be closed at
night.
All of the precautions taken here
have been instituted for the purpose
of protecting incoming and outgoing
vessels. safeguarding the plants along
the waterfront and to prevent es-
pionage. AS has been repeatedly
stated in The American, there will be
no interference with excursion boats
operating to and from points in the
Bay. They may come and go at will.
The order requiring persons on
vessels of all kinds to obtain identi-
fication cards has been in force for
sometime.
The one new regulation which at
fects all motor-boats requires all such
vessels to be licensed. There is no
fee attached, but a penalty is impos-
ed on all that do not apply at the
Custom House. A number is furnish
ed and this must be attached to the
boat.
The Marine Department yesterday
issued the following notice which will
interest all owners of motor boats:
"A law has just been passed by
Congress and signed by the Presi-
dent on the 7th instant obliging all
motor boats not of the size requiring
regular Custom House documents to
have a number, which number must
be shown on the boat SO that there
will be at no time any difficulty to
identify the owner of the beat.
1.-THE procedure in order to obtain
the number will be to address let
ter to the Collector of Customs, Bal
timore, Md, requesting him to for
ward the application which the own
er will fill out and return to the Col
lector.
"All motor boat owners in Mary
land, Washington, D. c., and Alexan-
dria, Va, will apply to the Collector
of Customs, Baltimore, Nd, by mail
The cards have not yet been received,
but it is desired that the applications
be filed so that as soon as cards are
received from the Department OF
Commerce there will be no delay in
forwarding them to the applicants.
When the number awarded is sent to
the applicant there will also be in
structions how to place the numbers
on the vessel.
It is desired that the applications
be by mail and not in person, and
the issuance of numbers will begin
as soon as possible"
The government has a dual object
in view in exacting this requirement.
It enables the customs department
to keep tab on every motor boat in
the district and permit of its identi-
ficatiOn should it be used for illegal
purposes. By its number it can be
traced just as an automobile. Again
1t enables the internal revenue de-
partment to exact the tax imposed
on all pleasure craft.
Quite a number have escaped this
tax, being unknown, but using the
information gained by the customs
collector when application for a Ii
cense card is made, the coordinate
hand of the government will be in
n0eftion to round uD every such de-