The Shipping Commissioners Act of 1872 was a United States law dealing with American mariners serving in the United States Merchant Marine.
Among other things, the act:
- was passed to combat crimps.[1]
- required that a sailor had to sign on to a ship in the presence of a federal shipping commissioner.[1]
- required that a seaman be paid off in person.[1]
The presence of a shipping commissioner was intended to ensure the sailor wasn't "forcibly or unknowingly signed on by a crimp."[1]
The legislation was modeled on England’s Merchant Shipping Act of 1854.[2]
See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- Bauer, K. Jack (1988). A Maritime History of the United States: The Role of America's Seas and Waterways. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina. ISBN 0-87249-519-1.
- "Andrew Furuseth Special Edition" (PDF). West Coast Sailors, March 12, 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2007. Retrieved March 21, 2007.