196.6/1102
The Norwegian Legation to the Department of State
Memorandum
On May 11, 1928, the Norwegian Legation delivered to the Department of State a Memorandum8 relative to a Bill No. “S. 2945” regarding the payment of advance wages and allotments in respect of seamen on foreign vessels and making further provisions for carrying out the purposes of the Seamen’s Act of March 4, 1915.
In the Memorandum mentioned, the following statement was i. a. made:
“The effect of this Bill as understood by the Legation, will be to make unlawful the advance payment of wages in foreign ports to seamen engaged on Norwegian or other foreign ships. The Legation has been instructed to draw the attention of the appropriate authorities of the United States of America to the fact that Norwegian seamen who in the exercise of their profession have got to live for years outside their native country, in frequent cases are under the necessity of demanding advance wages in order to be able to accept engagements for longer terms. Advance wages which, consequently, are perfectly lawful under the Norwegian Seaman’s Act, are a standing feature in the economy of families of Norwegian seamen and a change in this long ago established practice would contribute to the breaking up of family ties and to detach seamen from their homes in Norway. The provisions of the Bill, if enacted, would therefore be detrimental to the welfare and interests of seamen on board Norwegian ships engaged in the trade between the United States and foreign countries.
The Norwegian Government can therefore only look upon the measure contemplated in the bill with deep concern.
[Page 1008]Moreover it seems to the Norwegian Legation that the effect of the bill declaring unlawful provisions of contracts, valid under Norwegian law and made within Norwegian jurisdiction, would be contrary to the general recognized principles of international law.”
As, however, the Senate Bill No. “S. 2945” failed of consideration in the House of Representatives, it did not become law.
The Legation is now informed that Senator La Follette on April 22, 1929, introduced a Bill No. “S. 314”, which in fact is identical with the Bill No. “S. 2945”, introduced by him and passed by the Senate in April 1928. As the considerations set forth in the Legation’s Memorandum mentioned above, against the provisions of the Bill No. “S. 2945”, still hold good, the Legation takes the liberty to draw the renewed attention of the appropriate authorities of the United States to the detrimental consequences which the passing of the bill will have for seamen on board Norwegian ships.
- Not printed.↩