Extra Wages Collected for American Seamen.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 44, 5 April 1884, Page 3

Extra Wages Collected for American Seamen.

With reference to the complaint made in connection with the discharge of seamen belonging to the Sarah Hunt, to which allusion was made in an extract from a Canterbury paper published last night, an idea appears to prevail amongst those not acquainted with the laws of the United States that the three months' extra wages collected by the American Consul for every seaman ordered to be discharged by him belong to the seaman. According to section 4,580 of the Revised Statutes ot the United States, one month's extra wages is the property of the United States Government, and is credited to the Relief Fund. The remaining two months' extra wages belong to the seaman, provided he is not a charge on the Consulate. In the event of his remaining at the Consulate, or desiring transportation home, the extra wages are applied toward the maintenance and passage of the seamen. The statute reads : " The three months' extra wages are to be credited in the proper consular account; the two-thirds thereof are not to be paid to the seaman until . he shall have engaged on board some vessel, and is about to sail, and then they should be paid in full only when no disbursement shall have been made on his account. Expenses incurred for his board or other necessaries for transportation, including passage paid on consular certificate at the Treasury, are first to be paid,and the residue only of two months' extra wages, if there be any, is to be delivered to him." if the seaman is detained at the Consulate either through illness or for the purpose of awaiting transportation home, the Consul is empowered to pay all necessary expenses incurred on account of the seaman, even after the extra wages are exhausted. The principle is to return the seaman safely to his home. In countries where opportunities seldom occur for sending seamen home by American vessels, the destitute seaman is often a very heavy expense to the United States, as, for instance, in the crew of the Sarah W. Hunt. The Consul has no power to assess damages in lieu of wages, as on whalers, where the men are shipped by ths day, or receiv© compensation by a certain interest in the catch. Even if the voyage should terminate unfortunately, the Consul's duty in that case is to collect the three months' extra wages, and to provide for the seaman as hereinbefore described. Should the seaman have an interest in the catch, an order is given him on the owners for said interest, provided that the order is duly signed by the master and authenticated! by the Consul,