File No. 711.5921/4
Minister Egan to the Secretary of State
Copenhagen, June 3, 1916.
253. Referring Department’s circular April 1, 1916.6 Foreign Office accepts the arrangement, at the same time expresses the hope in applying section 4 of the Act of March 4, 1915, the courts of the United States, in conformity with ordinary international rules, will base as far as possible their decisions concerning the crews of Danish vessels upon the hiring contract (contract d’engagement), made in Denmark, and particularly in applying the said section 4 that they will take as a basis the rules of Danish maritime law relating to the penalty consisting in loss of wages (article 102 maritime law). Danish Government expresses the hope that the details relative to the execution of the prescriptions of Section 13 of the Act, which in [Page 39] the terms of the law will be fixed administratively by the authorities of the United States (the Secretary of Commerce), the conditions necessary for obtaining the qualifications of able seamen shall be, as far as Danish ships are concerned, validly fixed by the respective Danish authorities. This arrangement will be definitely concluded on the reception of a note of confirmation to the Danish Government on behalf of that of the United States.
- See above under Belgium.↩