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CONGRESS

,

APPRENTICESHIP IN COMMERCIAL MARINE.
[To accompany bill H. R. No. 529.]

FEBRUARY 23, 1955.

Mr. FENTON, from the Committee on Commerce, made the following REPORT.

The Committee on Commerce, to whom were referred several petitions of divers citizens of the United States, praying that a law may be passed providing for a system of apprenticeship in the merchant service of this country, having had the same under consideration, make the following report :

It has long been the favored policy of the United States to require the employment of American citizens, as well in the merchant service as in their vessels of war. More than forty years since, during the existence of the last war with Great Britain, the "act for the regulation of seamen on board the public and private vessels of the United States," (approved March 3, 1813,) declared, that from and after the termination of that war, it should "not be lawful to employ on board any of the public or private vessels of the United States, any person or persons except citizens of the United States, or persons of color, natives of the United States."

The requirements of this act of Congress, so far from having been complied with, have, of necessity, as it appears, been constantly disregarded. A sufficient number of seamen who are citizens of the United States cannot be found to man the vessels employed in our national commerce; but their crews are, for the most part, composed of foreigners.

The soundness of the policy which would require the employment of American citizens as seamen on board of American vessels cannot, in the opinion of your committee, be successfully disputed, and any proper measures which can be devised to promote so desirable a result deserve the favorable consideration of the national legislature.

The petitions which have been presented on this subject are not confined to any particular locality, nor do they originate with any single class of persons; they come from the various portions of our extended seaboard, from Maine to Georgia: from marine societies, chambers of commerce, merchants, ship-owners, ship-masters, underwriters, and others engaged or interested in navigation; and they specify, with clearness and accuracy, the evils which exist in the present state of affairs, and indicate the means to be adopted to remove them.

In addition to the advantages which it is believed would accrue to

the commerce and navigation of the country in general, from the passage of the bill accompanying this report, it may be observed, that it would tend to relieve our seaports from many unemployed youths, by affording them the means of acquiring a useful profession, and prevent them from becoming a burden upon the community from idle and vagrant habits.

The apprentices shipped by virtue of the proposed law, being supported and educated on board of the vessels to which they belong, would, when in a port, form a secure safeguard against depredations upon the property on board, and at the same time acquire a practical knowledge of seamanship, which would qualify them, when they became of age, to discharge, with credit to themselves and advantage to their employers, the duties of master and other officers.

The enlistment of boys for the navy, in pursuance of the act of March 2, 1837, has, it is understood, been productive of valuable results. The apprenticeship of boys in the merchant service would also, by increasing the number of American seamen, facilitate the recruiting of our navy in the event of future wars.

By all commercial nations it has been considered highly advantageous to their best interests to provide, by judicious legislation, institutions which should serve as nurseries for the training of seamen. Fishermen, colliers, and other classes engaged in maritime pursuits, have, for this reason, been peculiarly protected in the pursuit of their regular employments, and bounties granted to stimulate their enterprises and reward their efforts. Such uniformity in the views of what constitutes a wise policy on these subjects, entertained by various governments differing essentially in form and principles, affords a strong argument in favor of their soundness.

The unfavorable condition of things, as detailed in the petitions presented on this subject, and which it is hoped will be remedied by the bill accompanying this report, is, no doubt, in part attributable to the fact, that while provision has been made, to a greater or less extent, in other occupations, to train up those who are to follow them in the paths which lead to respectability and usefulness, no such wise forecast has been exercised in the case of the sailor. For him, from the commencement to the close of his life of vicissitude and hardship, no school is opened, no systematic means of improvement provided. It is true that the appeal which his neglected condition makes to the benevolent, has not been wholly unanswered, and "Homes" have been established and societies organized in our principal seaports for his benefit. Yet we do not depreciate the value of these agencies of good when we say, that they have hitherto been necessarily directed to the alleviation of evils rather than to the removal of the causes from which they flow. The provisions of the bill herewith reported will, in the opinion of your committee, not only assist and harmonize with the benevolent efforts of individuals for the benefit of the sailor, but remedy evils which lie beyond the reach of private associations, and secure advantages which nothing short of positive legislation on the subject can obtain.

The committee, therefore, report a bill in conformity to the relief prayed for by the petitions and the views presented in this report.

HENRY LITTLE AND JACOB FELCH.

[To accompany bill H. R. No. 756.]

FEBRUARY 23, 1855.

Mr. T. WENTWORTH, from the Committee on Commerce, made the

following

REPORT.

The petitioners, owners of land on Woodbridge island, in Merrimack river, allege that the United States, in the years 1829 and 1830, erected near the mouth of said river a breakwater; that in 1845, in consequence of the original imperfection of the work, or of its subsequent neglect by government, a breach was made in the breakwater by a storm, whereby the land of the petitioners was washed away, and a new channel for the river was made through the same, causing an injury to the petitioners of three hundred dollars

The evidence before the committee warrants the conclusion that the government is responsible for the damage, if the allegations in the petition be true.

The committee, therefore, report a bill appropriating three hundred dollars for the payment of the damages, if the petitioners can prove to the satisfaction of the Secretary of War that the government is liable for the injury sustained.

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33d CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. (REPORT, 2d Session.

DANIEL SEARLE & CO.

[To accompany bill H. R. 762.]

FEBRUARY 23, 1855.

Mr. D. T. JONES, from the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads, made the following

REPORT.

The Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads, to whom was referred the memorial of Daniel Searle & Co., report:

That they concur in and adopt the report of the Hon. Elisha Whittlesey, First Comptroller of the Treasury, hereto appended, by which it appears that the memorialist was required by the Postmaster General to carry the mail on the routes therein named four additional trips per week for two winters, and that he is legally entitled to pro rata pay for said extra services. The committee therefore report a bill for his relief.

THE CASE OF DANIEL SEARLE & CO.

This case is before me on an J. W. Farrelly, Auditor of the

ment.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, Comptroller's Office, March 4, 1852. appeal from the decision of the Hon. Treasury for the Post Office Depart

The facts are set forth in the decision of the Auditor, the argument of Charles G. Sherman, esq., and in an abstract of evidence offered by Daniel Searle & Co.

Daniel Searle, J. J. Ray, Miller Harton, John H. Avery, Richard C. Stockton, and William B. Stokes, composed the firm of Daniel Searle & Co. A. Morgan, Isaac Thompson, Richard C. Stockton, William B. Stokes, John H. Avery, and Erastus Hathaway composed the firm of A. Morgan & Co. Daniel Searle & Co., in 1835, contracted to carry the mail on route No. 956, from New York to Morristown, in New Jersey. Also, on route No. 979, from Morristown to Milford, in the State of Pennsylvania. Also, on route No. 1157, from Milford to Owego, New York. So that these three routes made a continuous line of communication from the city of New York to Owego. The mail, by these contracts, was to be carried tri-weekly on routes Nos. 956, 979, and 1157.

A. Morgan & Co. were contractors for transporting the mail daily on route No. 774, which extended from Newburg, on the Hudson river, Owego. As the navigation of the Hudson river was interrupted by

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