Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1894, With the Annual Message of the President, Transmitted to Congress, December 3, 1894

Mr. Gresham to Mr. Grip.

Department of State,
Washington, July 9, 1894.

Sir: Referring to your note of December 22, 1893, in regard to the rules adopted by Norway for the admeasurement of vessels, I have the honor to inclose herewith, for your information, copy of a circular issued by the Treasury Department, on the 30th ultimo, to collectors of customs, revoking regulations which authorized the acceptance in the United States of certificates of admeasurement in the case of Norwegian vessels. The reason for this action is indicated in the circular and is, in brief, that the rules concerning the measurement for tonnage of vessels of the United States prescribed by Congress do not appear to be substantially adopted by Norway, so far as concerns vessels of this country.

In view of this fact, the Secretary of the Treasury states that the request made in your note for the acceptance in ports of the United States of certificates of the admeasurement of Norwegian vessels, issued subsequently to October 1, 1893, can not well be granted; but adds that, should it appear, at any time, that the rules concerning the admeasurement of vessels for tonnage in the United States have been substantially adopted by Norway, so that they will apply to vessels of the United States whether sail or steam, his department will direct that the vessels of Norway shall be deemed to be of the tonnage denoted “in their certificates of register or other national papers,” in accordance with the provisions of section 4154, of the Revised Statutes of the United States, and the amendment thereof, by section 2, of the act of August 5, 1882, with the addition of the amount of the deductions and omissions made under the laws of the foreign country, and not authorized by the admeasurement laws of the United States.

Accept, etc.,

W. Q. Gresham.

[Inclosure.—Circular.]

Treasury Department, Bureau of Navigation,
Washington, June 30, 1894.

To collector of customs and others:

The Norwegian Government by royal decree of September 14, 1893, modified the laws previously in force in Norway relating to the admeasurement of vessels there, so as to reduce the recorded tonnage of vessels of Norway in certain cases below that which would be ascertained and recorded under the laws of the United States, and also below the tonnage on which tax must be assessed in this country.

The Norwegian circular of September 21, 1893, directed customs offices to recognize national certificates of steam vessels of Great Britain and of certain other countries, but the list did not include steam vessels of the United States. As it does not appear that the rules concerning the measurement for tonnage of vessels of the United States, prescribed by Congress, are substantially adopted by the Government of Norway, so far as concerns vessels of this country, the circular of June 29, 1883, authorizing the acceptance, under the act of August 5, 1882, of Norwegian certificates of admeasurement, is hereby revoked. Norwegian vessels therefore, will be admeasured hereafter on their entry in the United States in the same manner as other vessels not specially exempted from admeasurement by instructions from this Department.

Eugene T. Chamberlain,
Commissioner.

Approved:

S. Wike,
Acting Secretary.