No. 324.
Sir L. S.
Sackville West to Mr. Bayard.
Washington, December 2,
1886. (Received December 3.)
Sir: I have the honor to inclose to you
herewith a memorandum with regard to the application of the Treasury
decision (No. 6934) of May 25, 1885, to shipwrecked seamen and other
distressed British subjects who may be sent by Her Majesty’s consular
officers to American ports for immediate transshipment to their
destination, and whose expenses are provided for by the British
Government, as well as with regard to its application under similar
circumstances to shipwrecked and other distressed Canadians, in view of
section 22 of the article of June 26, 1884; and in submitting this
matter to your notice I have, etc.
[Inclosure No.
1.—Memorandum.]
Under the act of Congress of August 3, 1882, a tax of 50 cents per
head was imposed on alien passengers arriving at sea-ports in the
United States. This act appears to have been for some time construed
as applying solely to immigrants, but a decision of the Treasury
made it applicable to “tourists” or “travelers” as well. Since the
date of-this decision the collector of customs at Boston
(Massachusetts) has imposed this tax on shipwrecked and other
distressed British seamen sent to that port by Her Majesty’s
consular officers to be forwarded home in cases where there was no
direct means of conveyance to destination.
[Page 496]
The question has been raised as to whether the aforesaid Treasury
decision is intended to be made applicable to the cases of such
seamen, under the head “alien passengers,” as “tourists” or
“travelers.”
The Canadian Government have also asked whether, in similar cases,
exemption from this tax is not provided for under section 22 of the
act of June 26, 1884, which limits the provisions of the act of
August 3, 1882, as regards passengers coming by vessels employed
exclusively in the trade between the ports of the United States’ and
the ports of the Dominion of Canada or the ports of Mexico.
