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[H. R. 7238]

AN ACT

To amend section 5 of the Suits in Admiralty Act, approved March 9, 1920.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Suits in Admiralty Act (41 Stat. 525; U. S. C., title 46, secs. 741-745), approved March 9, 1920, is amended to read as follows:

SEC. 5. That suits as herein authorized may be brought only on causes of action arising since April 6, 1917: Provided, That suits based on causes of action arising prior to the taking effect of this Act shall be brought within one year after this Act goes into effiect1; and all other suits hereunder shall be brought within two years after the cause of action arises: Provided further, That the limitations in this section contained for the commencement of suits hereunder shall not bar any suit against the United States or the United States Shipping Board Merchant Fleet Corporation, formerly known as the United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation, brought hereunder on or before December 31, 1932, if such suit is based upon a cause of action whereon a prior suit in admiralty or an action at law or an action under the Tucker Act of March 3, 1887 (24 Stat. 505; U. S. C., title 28, sec. 250, subdiv. 1), was commenced prior to January 6, 1930, and was or may hereafter be dismissed because not commenced within the time or in the manner prescribed in this Act, or otherwise not commenced or prosecuted in accordance with its provisions: Provided further, That such prior suit must have been commenced within the statutory period of limitation for common-law actions against the United States cognizable in the Court of Claims: Provided further, That there shall not be revived hereby any suit at law, in admiralty, or under the Tucker Act heretofore or hereafter dismissed for lack of prosecution after filing of suit: And provided further, That no interest shall be allowed on any claim prior to the time when suit on such claim is brought as authorized hereunder."

Approved, June 30, 1932.

1 So in original.

[H. R. 7980]

AN ACT

To protect the revenue of the United States and provide measures for the more effective enforcement of the laws respecting the revenue, to prevent smuggling, to authorize customs-enforcement areas, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

TITLE I

SECTION 1. (a) Whenever the President finds and declares that at any place or within any area on the high seas adjacent to but outside customs waters any vessel or vessels hover or are being kept off the coast of the United States and that, by virtue of the presence of any such vessel or vessels at such place or within such area, the unlawful introduction or removal into or from the United States of any merchandise or person is being or may be occasioned, promoted, or threatened, the place or area so found and declared shall constitute a customs-enforcement area for the purposes of this Act. Only such waters on the high seas shall be within a customs-enforcement area as the President finds and declares are in such proximity to such vessel or vessels that such unlawful introduction or removal of merchandise or persons may be carried on by or to or from such vessel or vessels. No customs-enforcement area shall include any waters more than one hundred nautical miles from the place or immediate area where the President declares such vessel or vessels are hovering or are being kept and, notwithstanding the foregoing provision, shall not include any waters more than fifty nautical miles outwards from the outer limit of customs waters. Whenever the President finds that, within any customs-enforcement area, the circumstances no longer exist which gave rise to the declaration of such area as a customs-enforcement area, he shall so declare, and thereafter, and until a further finding and declaration is made under this subsection with respect to waters within such area, no waters within such area shall constitute a part of such customs-enforcement area. The provisions of law applying to the high seas adjacent to customs waters of the United States shall be enforced in a customsenforcement area upon any vessel, merchandise, or person found therein.

(b) At any place within a customs-enforcement area the several officers of the customs may go on board of any vessel and examine the vessel and any merchandise or person on board, and bring the same into port, and, subject to regulations of the Secretary of the Treasury, it shall be their duty to pursue and seize or arrest and otherwise enforce upon such vessel, merchandise, or person, the provisions of law which are made effective thereto in pursuance of subsection (a) in the same manner as such officers are or may be authorized or required to do in like case at any place in the United States

by virtue of any law respecting the revenue: Provided, That nothing contained in this section or in any other provision of law respecting the revenue shall be construed to authorize or to require any officer of the United States to enforce any law thereof upon the high seas upon a foreign vessel in contravention of any treaty with a foreign government enabling or permitting the authorities of the United States to board, examine, search, seize, or otherwise to enforce upon such vessel upon the high seas the laws of the United States except as such authorities are or may otherwise be enabled or permitted under special arrangement with such foreign government: Provided further, That none of the provisions of this Act shall be construed to relieve the Secretary of Commerce of any authority, responsibility, or jurisdiction now vested in or imposed on that officer.

SEC. 2. (a) Any person owning in whole or in part any vessel of the United States who employs, or participates in, or allows the employment of, such vessel for the purpose of smuggling, or attempting to smuggle, or assisting in smuggling, any merchandise into the territory of any foreign government in violation of the laws there in force, if under the laws of such foreign government any penalty or forfeiture is provided for violation of the laws of the United States respecting the customs revenue, and any citizen of, or person domiciled in, or any corporation incorporated in, the United States, controlling or substantially participating in the control of any such vessel, directly or indirectly, whether through ownership of corporate shares or otherwise, and allowing the employment of said vessel for any such purpose, and any person found, or discovered to have been, on board of any such vessel so employed and participating or assisting in any such purpose, shall be liable to a fine of not more than $5,000 or to imprisonment for not more than two years, or to both such fine and imprisonment.

(b) It shall constitute an offense under this section to hire out or charter a vessel if the lessor or charterer has knowledge that, or if such vessel is leased or chartered under circumstances which would give rise to a reasonable belief that, the lessee or person chartering the vessel intends to employ such vessel for any of the purposes described in subsection (a) and if such vessel is, during the time such lease or charter is in effect, employed for any such purpose.

SEC. 3. (a) Whenever any vessel which shall have been built, purchased, fitted out in whole or in part, or held, in the United States or elsewhere, for the purpose of being employed to defraud the revenue or to smuggle any merchandise into the United States, or to smuggle any merchandise into the territory of any foreign government in violation of the laws there in force, if under the laws of such foreign government any penalty or forfeiture is provided for violation of the laws of the United States respecting the customs revenue, or whenever any vessel which shall be found, or discovered to have been, employed, or attempted to be employed, within the United States for any such purpose, or in anywise in assistance thereof, or whenever any vessel of the United States which shall be found, or discovered to have been, employed, or attempted to be employed at any place, for any such purpose, or in anywise in assistance thereof, if not subsequently forfeited to the United States or to a foreign government, is found at any place at which any such vessel may be

examined by an officer of the customs in the enforcement of any law respecting the revenue, the said vessel and its cargo shall be seized and forfeited.

(b) Every vessel which is documented, owned, or controlled in the United States, and every vessel of foreign registry which is, directly or indirectly, substantially owned or controlled by any citizen of, or corporation incorporated, owned, or controlled in, the United States, shall, for the purposes of this section, be deemed a vessel of the United States.

(c) For the purposes of this section, the fact that a vessel has become subject to pursuit as provided in section 581 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, or is a hovering vessel, or that a vessel fails, at any place within the customs waters of the United States or within a customs-enforcement area, to display lights as required by law, shall be prima facie evidence that such vessel is being, or has been, or is attempted to be employed to defraud the revenue of the United States.

SEC. 4. Subject to appeal to the Secretary of Commerce and under such regulations as he may prescribe, whenever the collector of customs of the district in which any vessel is, or is sought to be, registered, enrolled, licensed, or numbered, is shown upon evidence which he deems sufficient that such vessel is being, or is intended to be, employed to smuggle, transport, or otherwise assist in the unlawful introduction or importation into the United States of any merchandise or person, or to smuggle any merchandise into the territory of any foreign government in violation of the laws there in force, if under the laws of such foreign government any penalty or forfeiture is provided for violation of the laws of the United States respecting the customs revenue, or whenever, from the design or fittings of any vessel or the nature of any repairs made thereon, is apparent to such collector that such vessel has been built or adapted for the purpose of smuggling merchandise, the said collector shall revoke the registry, enrollment, license, or number of said vessel or refuse the same if application be made therefor, as the case may be. Such collector and all persons acting by or under his direction shall be indemnified from any penalties or actions for damages for carrying out the provisions of this section.

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SEC. 5. Any vessel or vehicle forfeited to the United States, whether summarily or by a decree of any court, for violation of any law respecting the revenue, may, in the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury, if he deems it necessary to protect the revenue of the United States, be destroyed in lieu of the sale thereof under existing law.

SEC. 6. Except into the districts adjoining to the Dominion of Canada, or into the districts adjacent to Mexico, no merchandise of foreign growth or manufacture subject to the payment of duties shall be brought into the United States from any foreign port or place, or from any hovering vessel, in any vessel of less than thirty net tons burden without special license granted by the Secretary of the Treasury under such conditions as he may prescribe, nor in any other manner than by sea, except by aircraft duly licensed in accordance with law, or landed or unladen at any other port than is directed by law, under the penalty of seizure and forfeiture of all

such unlicensed vessels or aircraft and of the merchandise imported therein, landed or unladen in any manner. Marks, labels, brands, or stamps, indicative of foreign origin, upon or accompanying merchandise or containers of merchandise found upon any such vessel or aircraft, shall be prima facie evidence of the foreign origin of such merchandise.

SEC. 7. In addition to any other requirement of law, every vessel, not exceeding five hundred net tons, from a foreign port or place. or which has visited a hovering vessel, shall carry a certificate for the importation into the United States of any spirits, wines, or other alcoholic liquors on board thereof (sea stores excepted), destined to the United States, said certificate to be issued by a consular officer of the United States or other authorized person pursuant to such regulations as the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury may jointly prescribe. Any spirits, wines, or other alcoholic liquors (sea stores excepted) found, or discovered to have been, upon any such vessel at any place in the United States, or within the customs waters, without said certificate on board, which are not shown to have a bona fide destination without the United States, shall be seized and forfeited and, in the case of any such merchandise so destined to a foreign port or place, a bond shall be required in double the amount of the duties to which such merchandise would be subject if imported into the United States, conditioned upon the delivery of said merchandise at such foreign port or place as may be certified by a consular officer of the United States or otherwise as provided in said regulations: Provided, That if the collector shall be satisfied that the certificate required for the importation of any spirits, wines, or other alcoholic liquors was issued and was lost or mislaid without fraud, or was defaced by accident, or is incorrect by reason of clerical error or other mistake, said penalties shall not be incurred nor shall such bond be required. This section shall take effect on the sixtieth day following the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 8. (a) If the master of any vessel of the United States, not exceeding five hundred net tons, allows such vessel to be laden at any foreign port or other place without the United States with any merchandise destined to the United States and consisting of any spirits, wines, or other alcoholic liquors (sea stores excepted), which facts may be evidenced by the testimony or depositions of foreign administrative officials or certified copies of their records or by other sufficient evidence, without certificate issued for the importation of such merchandise into the United States as required by section 7, the master of such vessel shall, in addition to any other penalties provided by law, be liable to a penalty equal to the value of the said merchandise but not less than $1,000 and such vessel and such merchandise shall be seized and forfeited.

(b) Whoever, being a citizen of the United States or a master or a member of the crew of a vessel of the United States, if such vessel does not exceed five hundred net tons, shall, with intent to defraud the revenue of the United States, procure, or aid or assist in procuring, any merchandise destined to the United States and consisting of any spirits, wines, or other alcoholic liquors, without certificate issued for the importation thereof into the United States as required by section 7, to be laden upon such vessel at any foreign

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