Mr. Grip to Mr. Gresham.
Washington, July 16, 1894.
Mr. Secretary of State:
By a royal decision of the 18th of May last, certain modifications were introduced into the rules in force in Sweden with regard to the admeasurement of vessels, which rules were established by the royal ordinance of November 12, 1880. The new provisions were to take effect on the 1st instant.
These modifications bear upon the following points:
- (1)
- The contents of the spaces for water ballast (tanks for water ballast) are not to be included in the total capacity of double-bottomed vessels.
- (2)
- The total capacity is to be increased by the contents of the domes and skylights belonging to the engine which are above the deck, if the owner or captain of the vessel desires it, in order to secure a larger deduction for the motive apparatus in the appendix indicating the tonnage calculated according to the English rule or the Danube rule.
- (3)
- The following spaces, which have hitherto not been deducted, are to be deducted from the gross tonnage: (a) Compartments set apart for the exclusive use of the captain; (b) compartments specially reserved for the donkey boiler and engine, even when these are below the deck (these compartments were formerly deducted only when they were on deck); (c)boatswain’s stores; (d) compartment for the capstan; (e) sail rooms (the deduction shall, however, not exceed 2½ per cent of the total capacity of the vessel).
As your excellency will see, the modifications made in the aforesaid royal ordinance of November 12, 1880, make no changes in the method now in use in Sweden for ascertaining the deduction to be made for the engine room; this deduction is still ascertained by the so-called German rule.
There is, therefore, no objection on our part to the continuance in force of the arrangement established in 1883 by an exchange of ministerial notes relative to the reciprocal recognition of Swedish and American certificates of admeasurement.
If, however, in case some of the spaces above specified, deduction for which has just been granted in Sweden, are not exempted by the American regulations, the United States Government wishes to subject the aforesaid arrangement to a revision, it (the arrangement) may be completed by resorting to the following methods, to wit:
- (1)
- When the dues are computed which are to be collected from Swedish vessels in American ports the contents of the spaces shown by the Swedish certificate of admeasurement, but for which no deduction is allowed by the regulations in force in the United States, may be added to the net capacity, which, according to the present arrangement, would serve as the basis for the collection of the dues.
- (2)
- Captains of American vessels may demand in Swedish ports, for the obtainment of a diminution of the net capacity of their vessels, a partial readmeasurement of those spaces which, although exempted in Sweden, are not so by the regulations of the United States, but such readmeasurement shall be confined to the spaces whose contents are not stated in the American certificate of admeasurement.
As regards Swedish vessels that have not yet been admeasured according to the new rules, and whose certificates were consequently [Page 641] issued prior to July 1, 1894, we hope that the United States Government will not object to continuing the usage agreed upon by the arrangement of 1882. It is proper to add, in this connection, that the old certificates of admeasurement will be withdrawn according as the vessels are read-measured.
In order to reach an understanding on these different points, the Government of the King thinks that all that would be necessary would be an exchange of notes defining the modifications to be made in the arrangement of 1882, and followed on both sides by the necessary instructions to collectors of customs.
Begging your excellency to enable me to inform my Government with regard to the views of that of the United States in relation to the questions which I have herein had the honor to set forth,
I avail, etc.,