Mr. Uhl to Mr.
Bayard.
Department of State,
Washington, March 4,
1895.
No. 617.]
Sir: Referring to your dispatches No. 383 of
the 6th ultimo, and No. 385 of the 8th ultimo, relative to pending
questions as to the “Rules of the Road at Sea,” I inclose for your
information copies of an act of Congress approved February 23, 1895,
entitled “An act to postpone the enforcement of the act of August 19,
1890, entitled ‘An act to adopt regulations for preventing collisions at
sea;’” also copies of the President’s proclamation of the 25th ultimo,
issued in pursuance of said act.
In this connection I inclose for your further information a copy of a
letter of the Treasury Department of the 29th ultimo, asking at what
date Her Majesty’s Government will issue an order in council designating
the date upon which the revised international regulations will be put
into force by Great Britain. To enable the Department to answer this
inquiry I will thank you to ascertain, if possible, when that country
proposes to put the rules in question in operation.
I am, etc.,
Edwin F. Uhl, Acting
Secretary.
[Inclosure 1 in No.
617.]
[Public—No. 72.]
AN ACT to postpone the enforcement of the act of August
nineteenth, eighteen hundred and ninety, entitled “An act to adopt
regulations for preventing collisions at sea.”
Whereas the President, in accordance with the proposition of Great
Britain to enforce on March first, eighteen hundred and ninety-five,
the revised international regulations for preventing collisions at
sea, and on the representations of that Government that those
regulations had received the general approval of the several foreign
maritime powers, pursuant to section three of the act of August
nineteenth, eighteen hundred and ninety, entitled “An act to adopt
regulations for preventing collisions at sea,” issued on July
thirteenth, eighteen hundred and ninety-four, his proclamation
fixing March first, eighteen hundred and ninety-five, as the time
when the provisions of said act, as amended, embodying said revised
international regulations shall take effect; and
Whereas the Government of Great Britain has withdrawn from the
position, communicated to this Government on April twenty-fifth,
eighteen hundred and ninety-four, that no time should be lost in
carrying those regulations into effect, and on January sixteenth,
eighteen hundred and ninety-five, announced to this Government that
the Government of Great Britain now finds it impossible until
Parliament has been consulted to fix a date for bringing the
regulations into force, and earnestly requests this Government to
consent to a temporary postponement of the enforcement of said
regulations; and
Whereas it is desirable that the revised international regulations
for preventing collisions at sea shall be put into force
simultaneously by the maritime powers: Therefore,
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives of the United States of America
[Page 684]
in Congress assembled, That
said act of August nineteenth, eighteen hundred and ninety, take
effect not on March first, eighteen hundred and ninety-five, but at
a subsequent time, to be fixed by the President by proclamation
issued for that purpose.
Approved, February 23,
1895.
[Inclosure 2 in No.
617.]
collisions at sea.
By the President of the United
States of America.
A PROCLAMATION.
Whereas an act of Congress entitled “An act to postpone the
enforcement of the act of August nineteenth, eighteen hundred and
ninety, entitled ‘An act to adopt regulations for preventing
collisions at sea,’” was approved February 23, 1895:
Now, therefore, I, Grover Cleveland, President of the United States
of America, do hereby give notice that said act of August
nineteenth, eighteen hundred and ninety, as amended by the act of
May twenty-eighth, eighteen hundred and ninety-four, will not go
into force on March first, eighteen hundred and ninety-five, the
date fixed in my proclamation of July thirteenth, eighteen hundred
and ninety-four, but on such future date as may be designated in a
proclamation of the President to be issued for that purpose.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal
of the United States of America to be affixed.
Done at the city of
Washington
this
25th day of February, one thousand eight hundred and
ninety-five, and of the Independence of the United States
the one hundred and nineteenth.
[
seal.]
Grover Cleveland.
By the President:
W. Q. Gresham,
Secretary of State.
