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396 Ship Registry Act An act to provide for the admission of foreign-built ships to American regis- try for the foreign trade, and for other purposes. Be it Enacted, Etc., That the words "not more than five years old at the time they apply for registry" in section five of the Act entitled "An Act to pro- vide for the opening, maintainance, pro- tection, and operation of the Panama canal and the sanitation and government of the Canal zone," are hereby repealed. Sec. 2.--That the President of the United States is hereby authorized whenever in his discretion the needs of foreign commerce may require, to sus- pend by order, so far and for such length of time as he may deem desir- able, the provisions of law prescribing that all the watch officers of vessels of the United States registered for foreign trade shall be citizens of the United States. Under like conditions, in like manner, THE MARINE REVIEW and to like extent the President of the United States is also hereby authorized to suspend the provisions of the law re- quiring survey, inspection, and meastre- ment by officers of the United States of foreign. vessels admitted to American registry under this act. Sec. 3.--This Act shall take effect im- mediately. The President's Order The following executive order in respect to the ship registry act has been issued by the President under date of Sent. 4, 1914: In pursuance of the authority con- ferred upon the President of the Unit- ed States by section 2 of the act ap- proved Aug. 18, 1914, entitled "An act to provide for the admission of foreign-built ships to American reg- istry for the foreign trade, and for other purposes", it is hereby ordered: 1. That the provisions of the law prescribing that the watch officers of A SIGHT NOT USUALLY SEEN THE STEAMER L. C. WALDO ON THE BOTTOM OF THE 4 fc LORAIN HE. DRY DOCK AT "urement, October, 1914 ve sels of the United States registered for foreign trade shall be citizens of the United States, are hereby sus- pended so far and for such length of time as is herein provided, namely: All foreign-built ships which shall be admitted to United States registry under said act may retain the watch officers employed thereon, without re- gard to citizenship, for seven years from this date, and such watch of- ficers shall be eligible for promotion. Any vacancy occurring among such watch officers within two years from this date may be filled without regard to citizenship; but any vacancies which may, occur thereafter shall be filled by a watch officer. who is a citizen of: the United States. 2. That the provisions of law re- quiring survey, inspection and meas- by officers of the United States, of foreign-built ships admit- ted to United States registry under said act are hereby suspended for two years from this date. WOODROW WILSON. Will Not' Remeasure Vessels At the request of the Department of Commerce, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Peters sent a letter to the collectors of customs directing them not to re-measure vessels built in certain foreign nations when pre-' sented for registry under foreign laws. The general letter is as follows: "Merchant vessels of Great Britain, Belgium, Denmark, Austria-Hungary, the German Empire, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Spain, the Netherlands, Rus- sia, Finland, Portugal, Japan and France will be deemed to be of the tonnage denoted in their certificates of register or other national papers, and it shall not be necessary for such vessels to be remeasured at any ports of the United States, the measure- ment laws of those countries being substantially similar to the laws. of the United States. CAct of Ang. <5, 1882). "This regulation supersedes the de- partment's regulations included in article 85, customs regulations, 1908, and so much of article 87 as may con- flict with this order." Measures to Preserve American Neutrality Corrected regulations have been sent to collectors of customs to enforce the neutrality of the United States in ship- ments to belligerent European countries. The amended regulations are as fol- lows: "e Yr . . e . 1, You will permit foreign bound vessels to clear only after they have