ORDINANCE No. 6 of 1852.
Desertion of Seamen.
left his house on that day after being a lodger or boarder therein, and such other particulars as the Harbour Master may direct; and every keeper of a boarding-house shall, before ten o'clock in the morning of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in each week, send to the Harbour Master's office a list copied from his book of the seamen on that day boarding or lodging in his house, and of those seamen boarders or lodgers who left his house on any or either of the intermediate days, and shall also particularize in such list those seamen who wish for immediate employment, and place opposite to the names of those last named, the names of the ships from which they were last discharged; and the Harbour Master shall keep the lists so furnished to him constantly in view, and in a conspicuous part of his office for the convenience of masters of ships requiring men, and shall also post in a similar manner, if required so to do, such notices for the supply of men by masters of ships as the said masters shall furnish.
9. Provided always that nothing in this Ordinance contained shall prevent masters or mates of ships from boarding or lodging elsewhere than at licensed boarding-houses.
10. That no seaman who shall have been actually shipped by the Harbour Master or his deputy on board any vessel in compliance with this Ordinance, shall, during the time for which he is then shipped, be liable to be arrested on civil process, unless the debt or demand shall exceed the sum of five hundred dollars; provided always that by space of the term seaman in this section shall be meant only a person who has within the one year previously served on board a ship for wages as a seaman, and that the protection from arrest hereby granted shall not be held to extend to any person or persons not coming within such definition.
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Masters and mates may board and lodge elsewhere than in such houses.
No seaman shipped under this Ordinance shall, during the term for which he is shipped, be liable to arrest on civil process, in certain cases.
Harbour Master or deputy may granting a port clearance to a vessel, the master thereof to search for suspected deserters, and to make declaration of such search.
11. That the Harbour Master, or person deputed by the Harbour Master for that purpose, before granting a port clearance to any ship, may, if he have reasonable grounds for belief that any deserter from a merchant vessel be concealed on board of such vessel, proceed on board of such vessel and then and there require the master thereof to institute due and diligent search for such deserter, and further, if he deem it necessary, require the said master to make oath or solemn declaration that to the best of his knowledge and belief, after due and diligent search, no such deserter is concealed within or about his ship; and any master of a vessel refusing or unnecessarily delaying to comply with such requisition or requisitions of the Harbour Master, or such deputed person, shall be liable upon conviction before any Magistrate to a fine not exceeding forty pounds sterling, and to imprisonment until such fine be paid.
12. That any person who shall forge or alter any ticket, certificate, document, or matter or thing named in this Ordinance, shall be liable to be imprisoned for a term not exceeding three months with hard labour; and any seaman or other person shall give a false description of his services, or shew, or make, or procure to be made, any false character, or shall make false statements as to the name of the last ship in which he served, or as to any other information which may be required of him by any person having lawful authority to demand such information, shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding ten pounds sterling.
Penalty for not complying with such request.
Penalties for forging of documents, and for false descriptions and statements.