information, together with an account of all other official acts, is communicated to the supervising inspector in the form of a report at such times as may be directed. Assistant inspectors perform such duties of actual inspection as may be assigned to them under the direction, supervision, and control of the local inspectors, and may be detailed by the Supervising Inspector General, under the direction of the Secretary of Commerce, to inspect, at the mills where the same are manufactured, iron and steel plates to be used in the construction.of marine boilers, which plates, when properly stamped, are accepted by local inspectors as being in full compliance with the law. Whenever any local inspector or supervising inspector ascertains that any vessel subject to the provisions of the steamboat-inspection laws is being operated or navigated without complying with the provisions of such laws, the certificate of inspection issued to such vessel is immediately revoked, and no new certificate is issued until the law has been fully complied with. Any vessel operating or navigating, or attempting to operate or navigate, after the revocation of her certificate of inspection and before the issuance of a new certificate is subject to a fine, and may by proper order or action of any district court of the United States having jurisdiction be seized summarily by way of libel and held without privilege of release by bail or bond until a proper certificate of inspection shall have been issued to said vessel. Any master or owner of any vessel whose certificate shall have been revoked may, however, appeal to the Secretary of Commerce for a reexamination of the case, and upon such appeal the Secretary has power to revise or set aside the action of the local or supervising inspector and to direct the issuance of a certificate of inspection. The judicial process brought against the vessel shall thereupon be of no further force or effect, and the vessel shall be released. In addition to the annual report of the Supervising Inspector General and the list of officers licensed each year, the Service issues and distributes frequent editions of pilot rules for each of the three divisions into which the waters of the United States are divided, laws governing the Service, and general rules and regulations prescribed by the Board of Supervising Inspectors. LAW PERTAINING TO THE STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION SERVICE. Every vessel propelled in whole or in part by steam shall be deemed a steam-vessel within the meaning of this Title. [R. S., 4399-4500.] All steam vessels navigating any waters of the United States which are common highways of commerce or open to general or competitive navigation, excepting public vessels of the United States, vessels of other countries, and boats propelled in whole or in part by steam for navigating canals, shall be subject to the provisions of this title. [R. S., 4399-4500.] vessels. What are steam What vessels visions of this title. subject to the pro R. S., 4400. Provisions and as ger steam vessels. Mar. 1, 1895 (28 And all foreign private steam vessels carrying passen-requirements gers from any port of the United States to any other to foreign passenplace or country shall be subject to the provisions of sec- Aug. 7, 1882 (22 tions forty-four hundred and seventeen, forty-four hun-Stat., 346). dred and eighteen, forty-four hundred and twenty-one, Stat., 699). forty-four hundred and twenty-two, forty-four hundred and twenty-three, forty-four hundred and twenty-four, forty-four hundred and seventy, forty-four hundred and seventy-one, forty-four hundred and seventy-two, fortyfour hundred and seventy-three, forty-four hundred and seventy-nine, forty-four hundred and eighty-two, fortyfour hundred and eighty-eight, forty-four hundred and eighty-nine, forty-four hundred and ninety-six, fortyfour hundred and ninety-seven, forty-four hundred and ninety-nine, and forty-five hundred of this title, and shall be liable to visitation and inspection by the proper officer, in any of the ports of the United States, respecting any of the provisions of the sections aforesaid: Provided, Feb. 15, 1902 (32 however, That when such foreign passenger steamers belong to countries having inspection laws approximating those of the United States, and have unexpired certificates of inspection issued by the proper authorities in the respective countries to which they belong, they shall be subject to no other inspection than necessary to satisfy the local inspectors that the condition of the vessel, her boilers, and life-saving equipments are as stated in the current certificate of inspection; but no such certificate of inspection shall be accepted as evidence of lawful inspection except when presented by steam vessels of other countries which have by their laws accorded to the steam vessels of the United States visiting such countries the same privilege accorded herein to the steam vessels of such countries visiting the United States; it being further provided that there shall be collected and paid into the Treasury of the United States the same fees for the inspection of foreign passenger steamers carrying passengers from the United States that any foreign nation shall charge the merchant vessels of the United States trading to the ports of such nationality; it being further pro Stat., 68). vided that the Secretary of Commerce shall have the power to waive at any time the collection of such fees upon due notice of the proper authorities of any country concerned that the collection of fees for the inspection of American steam merchant vessels has been discontinued. Mar. 17, 1906 (34 It is further provided that the Secretary of Commerce may, in his discretion, permit any foreign passenger steamer coming within the provisions of this Act whose foreign certificate of inspection shall have expired at sea since last leaving the country to which said vessel belongs, or while said vessel shall have been in a port of the United States, to sail upon her regular route without undergoing any further inspection than would have been required had said foreign certificate of inspection been in force: Provided, however, That such discretion shall be exercised only with respect of vessels operated upon regularly established lines, and in cases where such foreign passenger steamers will be regularly inspected by the authorities of her home government before her next return to a port of the United States. Vessels navigating coastwise and the on Lakes. 1 All coastwise sea-going vessels, and vessels navigating Great the great lakes, shall be subject to the navigation laws of the United States, when navigating within the jurisdiction thereof; and all vessels, propelled in whole or in part by steam, and navigating as aforesaid, shall be subject to all the rules and regulations established in pursuance of law for the government of steam-vessels in passing, as provided by this Title; and every coastwise sea-going steam-vessel subject to the navigation laws of the United States, and to the rules and regulations aforesaid, not sailing under register, shall, when under way, except on the high seas, be under the control and direction of pilots licensed by the inspectors of steamboats.3 Supervising Inspector General. R. S., 4402. There shall be a supervising inspector-general, who shall be appointed from time to time by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and who shall be selected with reference to his fitness and ability to systematize and carry into effect all the provisions of law relating to the steamboat-inspection service, and who shall be entitled to a salary of three thousand five hundred dollars a year, and his actual and reasonable traveling expenses or mileage, at the rate of five cents a mile, incurred in the performance of his duties, together with his actual and reasonable expenses for transportation of instruments, which shall be certified and 1 Amended by section 5 of the act of Congress approved June 9, 1910, which provides that every vessel propelled by machinery and not more than 65 feet in length, except tugboats and towboats propelled by steam, shall not be required to carry licensed officers except a licensed operator on such vessels carrying passengers for hire. (See p. 210.) 2 See section 4412, page 171. 3 Modified by rules to prevent collisions, act of August 19, 1890. (See Navigation Laws of the United States, issued separately.) 4 Appropriation act now fixes salary at $4,000 per annum. sworn to under such instructions as shall be given by the Secretary of Commerce.1 2 R. S., 4403. The supervising inspector-general shall, under the Duties. direction of the Secretary of Commerce, superintend the administration of the steamboat-inspection laws, preside at the meetings of the board of supervising inspectors, receive all reports of inspectors, receive and examine all accounts of inspectors, report fully at stated periods to the Secretary of Commerce upon all matters pertaining to his official duties, and produce a correct and uniform administration of the inspection laws, rules, and regulations. There shall be ten supervising inspectors, who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Each of them shall be selected for his knowledge, skill, and practical experience in the uses of steam for navigation, and shall be a competent judge of the character and qualities of steam-vessels, and of all parts of the machinery employed in steaming. Each supervising inspector shall be entitled to a salary of three thousand dollars a year, and his actual and reasonable traveling expenses or mileage, at the rate of five cents a mile, incurred in the performance of his duties, together with his actual and reasonable expenses for transportation of instruments, which shall be certified and sworn to under such instructions as shall be given by the Secretary of Commerce.1 2 Supervising in- spectors. Hereafter in the case of the absence of any supervising Acting supervisinspector of steamboats from his official station the Sec- Mar. 4, 1911 (36 retary of Commerce may designate some officer of the Stat., 1229). Steamboat-Inspection Service to perform the duties of such officer during his absence. R. S.,4405. The supervising inspectors and the Supervising Inspec- Meeting and astor-General shall assemble as a board once in each year tricts. at the city of Washington, District of Columbia, on the Feb. 8, 1907 (34 third Wednesday in January, and at such other times Stat., 881). as the Secretary of Commerce shall prescribe, for joint consultation, and shall assign to each of the supervising inspectors the limits of territory within which he shall perform his duties. The board shall establish all necessary regulations required to carry out in the most effective manner the provisions of this title and also regulations, prohibiting useless and unnecessary whistling, and such regulations, when approved by the Secretary of Commerce, shall have the force of law. The supervising inspector for the district embracing the Pacific coast shall not be under obligation to attend the meetings of the board oftener than once in two years; but when he does not attend such meeting he shall make 1 As amended by acts of March 1, 1895, February 15, 1897, and April 9, 1906. (See sec. 4414, p. 172.). 2 The salaries of all officers and clerks of the Steamboat-Inspection Service are provided for in the annual appropriation acts of Congress, and appropriations for clerk hire are limited in the aggregate and to a salary not exceeding $1,500 a year to each person appointed as clerk. mittee. Stat., 1022). his communications thereto, in the way of a report, in Executive com-such manner as the board shall prescribe: Provided, Mar. 3, 1905 (83 That the Secretary of Commerce may at any time call in session, after reasonable public notice, a meeting of an executive committee, to be composed of the Supervising Inspector-General and any two supervising inspectors, which committee, with the approval of the said Secretary, shall have power to alter, amend, add to, or repeal any of the rules and regulations made, with the approval of the Secretary of Commerce, by the board of supervising inspectors, either by virtue of this section or under any power granted by this title, or any amendments thereof, such alteration, amendment, addition, or repeal, when approved by the said Secretary, to have the force of law and to continue in effect until thirty days after the adjournment of the next meeting of the board of supervising inspectors. The foregoing powers of such executive committee, acting with the said Secretary, shall also extend to the approval of the instruments, machines, and equipments referred to in section forty-four hundred and ninety-one of this title. Duties of supervising inspectors. R. S.,4406. To report violations of law. R. S., 4407. local boards. R. S.,4408. Each supervising inspector shall watch over all parts of the territory assigned to him, shall visit, confer with, and examine into the doings of the local boards of inspectors within his district, and shall instruct them in the proper performance of their duties; and shall, whenever he thinks it expedient, visit any vessels licensed, and examine into their condition, for the purpose of ascertaining whether the provisions of this Title have been observed and complied with, both by the board of inspectors and the master and owners. All masters, engineers, mates, and pilots of such vessels shall answer all reasonable inquiries, and shall give all the information in their power in regard to any such vessel so visited, and her machinery for steaming, and the manner of managing both. Whenever a supervising inspector ascertains to his satisfaction that any master, mate, engineer, pilot, or owner of any steam-vessel fails to perform his duties according to the provisions of this Title, he shall report the facts in writing to the board of local inspectors in the district where the vessel was inspected or belongs; and, if need be, he shall cause the negligent or offending party to be prosecuted; and if the supervising inspector has good reason to believe there has been, through negligence or any other cause, a failure of the board which inspected the vessel to do its duty, he shall report the facts in writing to the Secretary of Commerce; who shall cause immediate investigation into the truth of the complaint, and, if he deems the cause sufficient, shall remove any officer found delinquent. Supervision of The supervising inspectors shall see that the several boards of local inspectors within their respective districts execute their duties faithfully, promptly, and, as far as possible, uniformly in all places, by following out the pro |