Registry and Naturalization of Immigrants.

The designation of the Bureau of Immigration in the Department of Labor is hereby changed to the "Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization," which said Bureau, under the direction and control of the Secretary of Labor, in addition to the duties now provided by law, shall have charge of all matters concerning the naturalization of aliens. That it shall be the duty of the said Bureau to provide, for use at the various immigration stations throughout the United States, books of record, wherein the commissioners of immigration shall cause a registry to be made in the case of each alien arriving in the United States from and after the passage of this Act of the name, age, occupation, personal description (including height, complexion, color of hair and eyes), the place of birth, the last residence, the intended place of residence in the United States, and the date of arrival of said alien, and, if entered through a port, the name of the vessel in which he comes. And it shall be the duty of said commissioners of immigration to cause to be granted to such alien a certificate of such registry, with the particulars thereof. (June 29, 1906.)

The Postmaster-General is hereby authorized and empowered to enter into contracts for a term not less than five nor more than ten years in duration, with American citizens for the carrying of mails on American steamships, between ports of the United States and such ports in foreign countries, the Dominion of Canada excepted, as in his judgment will best subserve and promote the postal and commercial interests of the United States, the mail service on such lines to be equitably distributed among the Atlantic, Mexican Gulf and Pacific ports. Said contracts shall be made with the lowest responsible bidder for the performance of said service on each route, and the Postmaster-General shall have the right to reject all bids not in his opinion reasonable for the attaining of the purposes named. (Sec. 1.)

Before making any contracts for carrying ocean mails in accordance with this act the Postmaster-General shall give public notice by advertising once a week, for three months, in such daily papers as he shall select in each of the cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, Saint Louis, Charleston, Norfolk, Savannah, Galveston and Mobile, and when the proposed service is to be on the Pacific Ocean, then in San Francisco, Tacoma and Portland. Such notice shall describe the route, the time when such contract will be made, the duration of the same, the size of the steamers to be used, the number of trips a year, the times of sailing, and the time when the service shall commence, which shall not be more than three years after the contract shall be let. The details of the mode of advertising and letting such contracts shall be conducted in the manner prescribed in chapter eight of title [R. S., 2941-2963] fortysix of the Revised Statutes for the letting of inland mail contracts so far as the same shall be applicable to the ocean mail service. (Mar. 3, 1891, sec. 2. See secs. 7 and 24, merchant marine act, 1920, pp. 469, 475.)

The vessels employed in the mail service under the provisions of this Act shall be steamships, owned and officered by American citizens, in conformity with the existing laws, or so owned and officered and registered according to law, and upon each departure from the United States the following proportion of the crew shall be citizens of the United States, to wit: During the first two years of such contract for carrying the mails, one-fourth thereof; during the next three succeeding years, one-third thereof; and during the remaining time of the continuance of such contract at least one-half thereof; and shall be constructed after the latest and most approved

types, with all the modern improvements and appliances for ocean steamers.

They shall be divided into four classes. The first shall be iron or steel screw steamships, capable of maintaining a speed of twenty knots an hour at sea in ordinary weather, and of a gross registered tonnage of not less than eight thousand tons. No vessel except of said first class shall be accepted for said mail service under the provisions of this act between the United States and Great Britain. The second class shall be iron or steel steamships, capable of maintaining a speed of sixteen knots an hour at sea in ordinary weather, and of a gross registered tonnage of not less than five thousand tons. The third class shall be iron or steel steamships, capable of maintaining a speed of fourteen knots an hour at sea in ordinary weather, and of a gross registered tonnage of not less than two thousand five hundred tons. The fourth class shall be iron or steel or wooden steam-ships, capable of maintaining a speed of twelve knots an hour at sea in ordinary weather, and of a gross registered tonnage of not less than fifteen hundred tons. It shall be stipulated in the contract or contracts to be entered into for the said mail service that said vessels may carry passengers with their baggage in addition to said mails and may do all ordinary business done by steam-ships. (R. S. 4132; Mar. 3, 1891, sec. 3; Aug. 24, 1912, sec. 5; Aug. 18, 1914.)

All steamships of the first, second, and third classes employed as above and hereafter built shall be constructed with particular reference to prompt and economical conversion into auxiliary naval cruisers, and according to plans and specifications to be agreed upon by and between the owners and the Secretary of the Navy, and they shall be of sufficient strength and stability to carry and sustain the working and operation of at least four effective rifled cannon of a caliber of not less than six inches, and shall be of the highest rating known to maritime commerce. And all vessels of said three classes heretofore built and so employed shall, before they are accepted for the mail service herein provided for, be thoroughly inspected by a competent naval officer or constructor detailed for that service by the Secretary of the Navy; and such officer shall report, in writing, to the Secretary of the Navy, who shall transmit said report to the Postmaster-General; and no such vessel not approved by the Secretary of the Navy as suitable for the service required shall be employed by the Postmaster-General as provided for in this act. (Sec. 4.)

The rate of compensation to be paid for such ocean mail service of the said first-class ships shall not exceed the sum of four dollars a mile, and for the second-class ships two dollars a mile, by the shortest practicable route, for each outward voyage; for the thirdclass ships not to exceed one dollar a mile, and for the fourth-class ships two-thirds of one dollar a mile, for the actual number of miles required by the Post Office Department to be traveled on each outward bound voyage: Provided, That in the case of failure from any cause to perform the regular voyages stipulated for in said contracts or any of them, a pro rata deduction shall be made from the compensation on account of such omitted voyage or voyages; and that suitable fines and penalties may be imposed for delays or irreg

ularities in the due performance of service according to the contract, to be determined by the Postmaster-General: Provided further, That no steamship so employed and so paid for carrying the United States mails shall receive any other bounty or subsidy from the Treasury of the United States. (Sec. 5.)

Upon each of said vessels the United States shall be entitled to have transported, free of charge, a mail-messenger, whose duty it shall be to receive, sort, take in charge and deliver the mails to and from the United States, and who shall be provided with suitable room for the accommodation of himself and the mails. (Sec. 6.)

The officers of the United States Navy may volunteer for service on said mail vessels, and when accepted by the contractor or contractors, may be assigned to such duty by the Secretary of the Navy whenever in his opinion such assignment can be made without detriment to the service, and while in said employment they shall receive furlough pay from the Government, and such other compensation from the contractor or contractors as may be agreed upon by the parties: Provided, That they shall only be required to perform such duties as appertain to the merchant service. (Sec. 7.)

Said vessels shall take, as cadets or apprentices, one Americanborn boy, under twenty-one years of age for each one thousand tons gross register, and one for each majority fraction thereof, who shall be educated in the duties of seamanship, rank as petty officers, and receive such pay for their services as may be reasonable. (Sec. 8.)

Such steamers may be taken and used by the United States as transports or cruisers, upon payment to the owners of the fair actual value of the same at the time of the taking, and if there shall be a disagreement as to the fair actual value of the same at the time of the taking, and if there shall be a disagreement as to the fair actual value between the United States and the owners, then the same shall be determined by two impartial appraisers, one to be appointed by each of said parties, they at the same time selecting a third, who shall act in said appraisement in case the two shall fail to agree. (Mar. 3, 1891, sec. 9.)

General Ocean Mail Service.

For transportation of foreign mails by steamship, aircraft, or otherwise, $7,000,000: Provided, That not to exceed $150,000 of this sum may be expended for carrying foreign mail by aircraft: Provided further, That the Postmaster General shall be authorized to expend such sums as may be necessary, not to exceed $150,000, to cover the cost to the United States for maintaining sea post service on ocean steamships conveying the mails to and from the United States. (Feb. 14, 1923.)

The Postmaster-General may cause the mail to be carried in any steamboat or other vessel used as a packet on any of the waters of the United States. (R. S., 3969.)

The Postmaster-General may, if he deem it for the public interest, make contracts for any period not exceeding one year, for carrying the mails in steamships between any of the ports of the United States. (R. S., 3970.)

Upon the entry of every such vessel returning from any foreign port, the master thereof shall make oath that he has promptly delivered all the mail placed on board said vessel before clearance from

sixty-one to eighty-five persons, the minimum number of certificated lifeboat men shall be four; if the boat or raft carries from eightysix to one hundred and ten persons, the minimum number of certificated lifeboat men shall be five; if the boat or raft carries from one hundred and eleven to one hundred and sixty persons, the minimum number of certificated lifeboat men shall be six; if the boat or raft carries from one hundred and sixty-one to two hundred and ten persons, the minimum number of certificated lifeboat men shall be seven; and, thereafter, one additional certificated lifeboat man for each additional fifty persons: Provided, That if the raft carries fifteen persons or less a licensed officer or able seaman need not be placed in charge of such raft: Provided further, That one-half the number of rafts carried shall have a capacity of exceeding fifteen persons.

The allocation of the certificated lifeboat men to each boat and raft remains within the discretion of the master, according to the circumstances.

By "certificated lifeboat man "is meant any member of the crew who holds a certificate of efficiency issued under the authority of the Secretary of Commerce, who is hereby directed to provide for the issue of such certificates.

In order to obtain the special lifeboat man's certificate the applicant must prove to the satisfaction of an officer designated by the Secretary of Commerce that he has been trained in all the operations connected with launching lifeboats and the use of oars; that he is acquainted with the practical handling of the boats themselves; and, further, that he is capable of understanding and answering the orders relative to lifeboat service.

Section forty-four hundred and sixty-three of the Revised Statutes as amended is hereby amended by adding the words "including certificated lifeboat men, separately stated," to the word crew wherever it occurs.

MANNING OF BOATS.

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A licensed officer or able seaman shall be placed in charge of each boat or pontoon raft; he shall have a list of its lifeboat men, and other members of its crew which shall be sufficient for her safe management, and shall see that the men placed under his orders are acquainted with their several duties and stations.

A man capable of working the motor shall be assigned to each motor boat.

The duty of seeing that the boats, pontoon rafts, and other lifesaving appliances are at all times ready for use shall be assigned to one or more officers.

MUSTER ROLL AND DRILLS.

Special duties for the event of an emergency shall be allotted to each member of the crew.

The muster list shows all these special duties, and indicates, in particular, the station to which each man must go, and the duties that he has to perform.

Before the vessel sails the muster list shall be drawn up and exhibited, and the proper authority, to be designated by the Secretary