The Acting Secretary of
State to the Italian
Chargé.a
Department of State,
Washington, March 7,
1906.
Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith, for
the information of your Government, a copy of an enactment by the
Philippine Commission providing for the arrest, examination, and return
of seamen deserting from foreign vessels.
Accept, etc.,
[Page 942]
[Inclosure.]
[No. 1439.]
AN ACT Providing a method of enabling masters of
ships in certain cases to secure the return to their ships of seamen
who have deserted therefrom in the Philippine Islands.
By authority of the United States, be it enacted by
the Philippine Commission that:
- Section 1. On application of a
consul or vice-consul of any foreign government having a
treaty with the United States stipulating for the
restoration of seamen deserting, made in writing, stating
that the person therein named has deserted from a vessel of
any such government while in any port of the Philippine
Islands, and on proof, by the exhibition of the register of
the vessel, ship’s roll, or other official document, that
the person named belonged at the time of desertion to the
crew of such vessel, it shall be the duty of the supreme
court, or of any court of first instance, or of any judge
thereof, or of any judge of a municipal court lawfully
established in the Philippine Islands, to issue warrants to
cause such person to be arrested for examination. If, on
examination, the facts stated are found to be true, the
person arrested, not being a citizen of the United States,
or of the Philippine Islands, shall be delivered up to the
consul or vice-consul, to be sent back to the dominions of
any such government, or, on the request and at the expense
of the consul or vice-consul, shall be detained until the
consul or vice-consul finds an opportunity to send him back
to the dominions of any such government. No persons so
arrested shall be detained more than two months after his
arrest, but at the end of that time shall be set at liberty,
and shall not be again molested for the same cause. If any
such deserter shall be found to have committed any crime or
offense, his surrender may be delayed until the tribunal
before which the case shall be pending, or may be
cognizable, shall have pronounced its sentence, and such
sentence shall have been carried into effect.
- Sec 2. The public good requiring
the speedy enactment of this bill, the passage of the same
is hereby expedited in accordance with section two of “An
act prescribing the order of procedure by the Commission in
the enactment of laws,” passed September twenty-sixth,
nineteen hundred.
- Sec. 3. This act shall take
effect on its passage.
Enacted January 16,
1906.
