196.6/1068
The British Embassy to the Secretary of State
Memorandum
The British Embassy understand that Senate Bill No. 2945 relating to the payment of advance wages and allotments in respect of seamen of foreign vessels, and making further provisions for carrying out the purposes of the Seamen’s Act, approved March 4th, 1915, was passed by the Senate on April 24th. It appears to the Embassy that the effect of this bill is to declare unlawful the payment of advance wages abroad to seamen engaged in British and other foreign ships outside the United States. The Bill therefore appears to seek to vary forcibly the provisions of a contract made within British jurisdiction, and in many cases between British subjects, which is perfectly valid under British law, and apparently purports to regulate the manner in which the master of a British ship may engage a British crew in a British port. The effect of the bill, therefore, appears to the Embassy to be contrary to the generally accepted principles of International Law. In view of the serious effect which such a measure would have upon the ocean borne commerce between Great Britain and the United States, the Embassy desire to draw attention to the difficulties which would appear to them to follow from its enactment.