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[H. R. 12100.]

An Act To amend the Act approved September seventh, nineteen hundred and sixteen, entitled "An Act to establish a United States Shipping Board for the purpose of encouraging, developing, and creating a naval auxiliary and naval reserve and a merchant marine to meet the requirements of the commerce of the United States with its Territories and possessions and with foreign countries; to regulate carriers by water in the foreign and interstate commerce of the United States; and for other purposes."

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the first section of the Act approved September seventh, nineteen hundred and sixteen, entitled "An Act to establish a United States Shipping Board for the purpose of encouraging, developing, and creating a naval auxiliary and naval reserve and a merchant marine to meet the requirements of the commerce of the United States with its Territories and possessions and with foreign countries; to regulate carriers by water in the foreign and interstate commerce of the United States; and for other purposes," is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof two paragraphs, as follows:

"The term 'vessel' includes all water craft and other artificial contrivances of whatever description and at whatever stage of construction, whether on the stocks or launched, which are used or are capable of being or are intended to be used as a means of transportation on water.

"The term 'documented under the laws of the United States,' means 'registered, enrolled, or licensed under the laws of the United States.""

SEO. 2. That section two of said act is hereby amended by adding at the end of the first paragraph thereof a paragraph, as follows:

"The controlling interest in a corporation shall not be deemed to be owned by citizens of the United States (a) if the title to a majority of the stock thereof is not vested in such citizens free from any trust or fiduciary obligation in favor of any person not a citizen of the United States; or (b) if the majority of the voting power in such corporation is not vested in citizens of the United States; or (c) if through any contract or understanding it is so arranged that the majority of the voting power may be exercised, directly or indirectly, in behalf of any person who is not a citizen of the United States; or (d) if by any other means whatsoever control of the corporation is conferred upon or permitted to be exercised by any person who is not a citizen of the United States."

SEO. 3. That section nine of said act is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEO. 9. That any vessel purchased, chartered, or leased from the board may be registered or enrolled and licensed, or both registered and enrolled and licensed, as a vessel of the United States and entitled to the benefits and privileges appertaining thereto: Provided, That foreign-built vessels admitted to American registry or enrollment and license under this Act, and vessels owned, chartered, or leased by any

corporation in which the United States is a stockholder, and vessels sold, leased, or chartered to any person a citizen of the United States, as provided in this Act, may engage in the coastwise trade of the United States while owned, leased, or chartered by such a person. "Every vessel purchased, chartered, or leased from the board shall, unless otherwise authorized by the board, be operated only under such registry or enrollment and license. Such vessels while employed solely as merchant vessels shall be subject to all laws, regulations, and liabilities governing merchant vessels, whether the United States be interested therein as owner, in whole or in part, or hold any mortgage, lien, or other interest therein. No such vessel, without the approval of the board, shall be transferred to a foreign registry or flag, or sold; nor, except under regulations prescribed by the board, be chartered or leased.

"No vessel documented under the laws of the United States or owned by any person a citizen of the United States or by a corporation organized under the laws of the United States or of any State, Territory, District, or possession thereof, except one which the board is prohibited from purchasing, shall be sold to any person not a citizen of the United States or transferred to or placed under a foreign registry or flag, unless such vessel is first tendered to the board at the price in good faith offered by others, or, if no such offer, at a fair price to be determined in the manner provided in section ten.

"Any vessel sold, chartered, leased, transferred to or placed under a foreign registry or flag, or operated, in violation of any provision of this section shall be forfeited to the United States, and whoever violates any provision of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine of not more than $5,000 or to imprisonment for not more than five years, or both."

SEC. 4. That said Act is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof eight sections, as follows:

"SEO. 37. That when the United States is at war or during any national emergency, the existence of which is declared by proclamation of the President, it shall be unlawful, without first obtaining the approval of the board:

(a) To transfer to or place under any foreign registry or flag any vessel owned in whole or in part by any person a citizen of the United States or by a corporation organized under the laws of the United States, or of any State, Territory, District, or possession thereof; or "(b) To sell, mortgage, lease, charter, deliver, or in any manner transfer, or agree to sell, mortgage, lease, charter, deliver, or in any manner transfer, to any person not a citizen of the United States, (1) any such vessel or any interest therein, or (2) any vessel documented under the laws of the United States, or any interest therein, or (3) any shipyard, dry dock, ship-building or ship-repairing plant or facilities, or any interest therein; or

"(c) To enter into any contract, agreement, or understanding to construct a vessel within the United States for or to be delivered to any person not a citizen of the United States, without expressly stipulating that such construction shall not begin until after the war or emergency proclaimed by the President has ended; or

"(d) To make any agreement or effect any understanding whereby there is vested in or for the benefit of any person not a citizen of the United States, the controlling interest or a majority of the voting

power in a corporation which is organized under the laws of the United States, or of any State, Territory, District, or possession thereof, and which owns any vessel, shipyard, dry dock, or shipbuilding or ship-repairing plant or facilities; or

(e) To cause or procure any vessel constructed in whole or in part within the United States, which has never cleared for any foreign port, to depart from a port of the United States before it has been documented under the laws of the United States.

"Whoever violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 or by imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.

"Any vessel, shipyard, dry dock, ship-building or ship-repairing plant or facilities, or interest therein, sold, mortgaged, leased, chartered, delivered, transferred, or documented, or agreed to be sold, mortgaged, leased, chartered, delivered, transferred, or documented, in violation of any of the provisions of this section, and any stocks, bonds, or other securities sold or transferred, or agreed to be sold or transferred, in violation of any of such provisions, or any vessel departing in violation of the provisions of subdivision (e), shall be forfeited to the United States.

"Any such sale, mortgage, lease, charter, delivery, transfer, documentation, or agreement therefor shall be void, whether made within or without the United States, and any consideration paid therefor or deposited in connection therewith shall be recoverable at the suit of the person who has paid or deposited the same, or of his successors or assigns, after the tender of such vessel, shipyard, dry dock, ship building or ship-repairing plant or facilities, or interest therein, or of such stocks, bonds, or other securities, to the person entitled thereto, or after forfeiture thereof to the United States, unless the person to whom the consideration was paid, or in whose interest it was deposited, entered into the transaction in the honest belief that the person who paid or deposited such consideration was a citizen of the United States.

"SEC. 38. That all forfeitures incurred under the provisions of this Act may be prosecuted in the same court, and may be disposed of in the same manner, as forfeitures incurred for offenses against the law relating to the collection of duties.

"SEC. 39. That in any action or proceeding under the provisions of this Act to enforce a forfeiture the conviction in a court of criminal jurisdiction of any person for a violation thereof with respect to the subject of the forfeiture shall constitute prima facie evidence of such violation against the person so convicted.

"SEC. 40. That whenever any bill of sale, mortgage, hypothecation, or conveyance of any vessel, or part thereof, or interest therein, is presented to any collector of the customs to be recorded, the vendee, mortgagee, or transferee shall file therewith a written declaration in such form as the board may by regulation prescribe, setting forth the facts relating to his citizenship, and such other facts as the board requires, showing that the transaction does not involve a violation of any of the provisions of section nine or thirtyseven. Unless the board, before such presentation, has failed to prescribe such form, no such bill of sale, mortgage, hypothecation,

such declaration has been filed. Any declaration filed by or in behalf of a corporation shall be signed by the president, secretary, or treasurer thereof.

"Whoever knowingly makes any false statement of a material fact in any such declaration shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine of not more than $5,000, or to imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.

"SEO. 41. That whenever by said section nine or thirty-seven the approval of the board is required to render any act or transaction lawful, such approval may be accorded either absolutely or upon such conditions as the board prescribes. Whenever the approval of the board is accorded upon any condition a statement of such condition shall be entered upon its records and incorporated in the same document or paper which notifies the applicant of such approval. A violation of such condition so incorporated shall constitute a misdemeanor and shall be punishable by fine and imprisonment in the same manner, and shall subject the vessel, stocks, bonds, or other subject matter of the application conditionally approved to forfeiture in the same manner, as though the act conditionally approved had been done without the approval of the board, but the offense shall be deemed to have been committed at the time of the violation of the condition.

"Whenever by this Act the approval of the board is required to render any act or transaction lawful, whoever knowingly makes any false statement of a material fact to the board, or to any member thereof, or to any officer, attorney, or agent thereof, for the purpose of securing such approval, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine of not more than $5,000 or to imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.

"SEC. 42. That any vessel registered, enrolled, or licensed under the laws of the United States shall be deemed to continue to be documented under the laws of the United States within the meaning of subdivision (b) of section thirty-seven, until such registry, enrollment, or license is surrendered with the approval of the board, the provisions of any other Act of Congress to the contrary notwithstanding.

"SEO. 43. That the fact that a war or emergency has ended shall, for the purposes of this Act, be evidenced by a proclamation of the President.

"SEC. 44. That this Act may be cited as 'Shipping Act, 1916.' ”

[PUBLIC-No. 233-65TH CONGRESS]

SHIPPING BOARD.

EMERGENCY SHIPPING FUND.

1. The emergency shipping fund provision of the urgent deficiency appropriation Act of June 15, 1917, as amended by the Act of April 22, 1918 (Public Act No. 138 of the Sixty-fifth Congress), is hereby amended as follows:

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(I) In subdivision (d) of paragraph one, to begin said subdivision and to precede the words to requisition," are now inserted the words: To acquire, construct, establish, or extend any plant, and in pursuance thereof, to purchase, requisition, or otherwise acquire title to or use of land improved or unimproved or interest therein; and ". (II) In subdivision (f) of said paragraph one, after the words 66 or assume control of," are now inserted the words or to extend, improve, or increase, or cause to be extended, improved, or increased ". (III) After said subdivision (f) in said paragraph one, a new subdivision is now inserted as follows:

"(g) In pursuance of the foregoing powers, or any of them, to make advance payments or loans of such amounts and upon such terms as the President may deem necessary and proper.'

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(IV) In paragraph eight of said provisions, after the word "shipyard," are now inserted the words "dry-dock, marine railway, pier." In said paragraph the words "or other facilities connected therewith" are stricken out and there are now inserted after the word "terminal," the following words: "and any facilities or improvements connected with any of the foregoing descriptions of property." 2. For the acquisition or establishment of plants suitable for shipbuilding or ship maintenance or repair, or of materials essential thereto, and for the enlargement or extension of such plants as are now or may be hereafter acquired or established, authority is granted to enter into contracts or otherwise to incur obligations for not to exceed $34,662,500 in addition to the amounts heretofore appropriated: Provided, That obligations incurred hereunder may be met from appropriations made or to be made for the construction of ships.

3. The United States Shipping Board shall not require payment from the War Department for the charter hire of vessels furnished or to be furnished from July 1, 1918, to June 30, 1919, inclusive, for the use of that department when such vessels are owned by the United States Government.

Approved, Nov. 4, 1918.

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