Mr. Grip to Mr.
Gresham.
[Translation.]
Legation of Sweden and Norway,
Washington, December 22,
1893.
A royal decree of September 14, 1893, which went into operation on the
1st of October last, introduced certain modifications in and amendments
to the instructions in force in Norway in regard to the admeasurement of
vessels.
By the inclosed French translation of an extract from the department of
finance in Norway, bearing date of October 30, 1893, your excellency
will see the essential points on which these modifications and
amendments bear. The Norwegian rules which have thus been adopted for
the admeasurement of vessels agree, in the main, with the rules
established in Great Britain and Ireland by the merchant shipping
(tonnage) act of 1889.
In accordance with the new regulations, a circular dated September 21,
1893, which was addressed by the department of finance and customs to
Norwegian collectors of customs, instructed such collectors to
recognize, on and after October 1, 1893, the national certificates of
admeasurement of foreign sailing vessels admeasured according to the
Moorsom system, as also national certificates of admeasurement of steam
vessels belonging to a country that has adopted the so-called English
rule for the deduction of engine room. On the other hand, steam vessels
belonging to countries in which another rule, whether the German or the
Danube rule, is adopted, are to be readmeasured for the purpose of
ascertaining the deduction to be made for engine room according to the
English rule, while the gross capacity, the deduction for the space set
apart for the crew, etc., are to be recognized according to the
statements contained in the national certificates of admeasurement. If,
however, the captain of such a vessel prefers, the dues to be collected
on the net capacity of the vessel may be computed according to the
certificate of admeasurement.
In having the honor to bring the foregoing to your excellency’s notice I
take the liberty, in pursuance of the instructions of my Government, to
express the hope that the United States Government will be pleased, by
way of reciprocity, to order Norwegian certificates of admeasurement
issued subsequently to October 1, 1893, to be recognized in American
ports. The agreement established between the United Kingdoms and the
United States by the exchange of the ministerial notes of April 16 and
June 13, 1883, should, therefore, if this is done, be modified so far as
Norwegian vessels are concerned.
[Page 637]
As English certificates of admeasurement are, unless I have been
misinformed, recognized by the custom-houses of the United States, my
Government trusts that the same favor will be granted to the new
Norwegian certificates, which are virtually the same as those of British
vessels.
In addition to the aforesaid extract I herewith inclose a copy of the
decree of September 14, 1893, together with a copy of the circular
issued by the department of finance and customs under date of September
21, 1893.
Be pleased, etc.,
[Inclosure.—Translation.]
Extract from a letter dated October 30, 1893,
addressed to the ministry of foreign affairs at Stockholm by the
department of finance and customs at Christiania.
A royal decree of September 14, 1893, introduced in Norway certain
modifications of and amendments to the instructions in force in that
country relative to the admeasurement of vessels. The main points
are the following:
- (1)
- The tanks for water ballast, being between the outer and
inner bottoms in double-bottomed vessels, are not to be
included in the tonnage of the volume below the tonnage deck
when such tanks can not be utilized for cargo, sea stores,
or fuel.
- (2)
- Roundhouses and raised hatchways communicating with the
hold are to be measured, and, of their cubic contents, all
in excess of one-half of 1 per cent of the gross tonnage of
the rest of the vessel shall be added to the gross tonnage.
Formerly nothing but the volume in excess of 2 per cent of
the volume below the upper deck was added.
- (3)
- The deductions for the compartments set apart for the
crew, etc., are modified in such a way as to permit, besides
the deductions already allowed, a deduction for the cable
stages, and, in sailing vessels, sail rooms, and also for
the captain’s sleeping room, with toilet and bathroom. By
this measure the deductions of this nature agree with the
English rules of admeasurement as established by the
merchant shipping (tonnage) act of 1889, except as regards
the deduction for the cable stages, which, in Norway, is
limited to 2 per cent of the gross tonnage, whereas this
deduction is unlimited in, England.
- (4)
- The deduction for the engine is to be computed according
to the English rule, instead of the German rule, which has
hitherto been in force, with this modification, however,
that the deduction, except in the case of tugboats and boats
used for breaking a passage through ice, is never to exceed
50 per cent of the vessel’s gross tonnage.
The aforesaid royal decree has superseded the royal decree of May 5,
1883, with regard to the addendum to certificates of admeasurement
of decked steamers. Certificates of admeasurement of Norwegian
steamers will, therefore, no longer have an addendum made to them
containing a statement of their net capacity, according to the
German or Danube rule.
The new instructions went into operation, according to paragraph 14,
on the 1st instant. The readmeasurement of vessels, however, can not
be required before January 1, 1894, except in certain special
cases.
In pursuance of the new provisions the Norwegian ministry of
[Page 638]
finance and customs
informed the custom-houses of the Kingdom by a circular, dated
September 21, 1893, that previous circulars concerning the
recognition, either in whole or in part, of the certificates of
admeasurement of foreign vessels would be revoked, and that on and
after October 1, 1893, custom-houses must observe the following
rules for the collection of duties to be computed on the tonnage of
foreign vessels, to wit:
- (1)
- Sailing vessels bearing a national certificate of
admeasurement, and admeasured according to the Moorsom
system, are not to be read-measured in Norway, and the dues
to be collected are to be computed according to the net
capacity stated in the certificate of admeasurement issued
in the port of registry.
- (2)
- The same is the case with steamers belonging to the
following countries, in which the English rule is in force
with regard to the deduction for the engine, to wit: Great
Britain and Ireland, France, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and
Finland.
- (3)
- In the case of Danish steam vessels whose certificates of
admeasurement are followed by an addendum stating the
deduction for the engine, computed according to the English
rule, the computation of the dues must be based upon the net
capacity stated in the addendum.
- (4)
- Steam vessels belonging to other countries in which the
Moorsom system is adopted are to be readmeasured for the
purpose of ascertaining the deduction for the engine
according to the English rule, while the gross capacity, the
deduction for the compartments set apart for the crew, etc.,
are to be recognized as they are stated in the certificates
of admeasurement issued in the port of registry. However, in
the case of German vessels that have, in addition to the
German certificate of admeasurement, a special certificate
of admeasurement according to the English rule, the dues to
be collected are to be computed according to the net
capacity stated in the special certificate.
If the captain of a vessel provided with a certificate of
admeasurement prepared according to the German or Danube rule shall
not wish the vessel to be readmeasured, the dues may be computed
according to the certificate of admeasurement.
It is to be remarked that the new Norwegian certificates of
admeasurement, as appears from the forms of certificates of
admeasurement which are appended to the new instructions, are to
contain a statement of the volume of the spaces allowed to be
deducted, such as, for instance, the compartments set apart for the
use of the crew, etc. It will thus be possible, if this is
desired—by the aid of the figures given in the certificate of
admeasurement and without having recourse to readmeasurement—to
compute separately the deduction made for the so-called navigation
spaces, the cable stages, the sail rooms, and the compartments set
apart for the use of the captain.
