national rules and regulations to determine the load line of merchant vessels engaged in international trade. On July 5, 1930, the international load line convention was signed by the representatives of the 30 countries which participated in the conference, namely: The convention will become effective July 1, 1932, between those Governments which ratify it by that date, provided five such ratifications are accomplished. At the opening session the United States delegation notified the conference that any international agreement that might be reached and signed by the United States delegation, could not be construed as a recognition of any government which had not otherwise been recognized by the Government of the United States. The act of Congress approved March 2, 1929, and effective September 2, 1930, requires load lines to be placed on all vessels of 250 gross tons and over engaged in foreign trade (the Great Lakes excepted). In anticipation of the passage of this act the then Secretary of Commerce on February 28, 1928, appointed a load line committee, representative of the various marine interests, to advise him. upon the subject of load lines for United States merchant vessels and legislation relative thereto, and also to suggest suitable regulations for the determination of such load lines when and if legislation should become effective. The United States Load Line Committee reported to the Secretary of Commerce under date of April 18, 1930, at which time there were submitted for the Secretary's action rules for determining the maximum load lines of merchant ships required. to be marked under the act of March 2, 1929. In formulating these rules the committee had in mind the forthcoming International Load Line Conference to which an invitation to attend had been received by the Secretary of State. On May 6, Congress authorized the representation of the United States at the International Load Line Conference. The personnel of the United States delegation, as appointed by the Secretary of State, was as follows: Delegates Mr. H. B. Walker, President, American Steamship Owners' Mr. David Arnott, Chief Surveyor, American Bureau of Mr. Laurens Prior, Technical Assistant to Commissioner of Mr. Howard C. Towle, Assistant to Vice President, Bethlehem Mr. Samuel D. McComb, Manager, Marine Office of America Mr. Robert F. Hand, Vice President and Assistant General Mr. James Kennedy, General Manager, Marine Department, Mr. H. W. Warley, Vice President, Ore Steamship Corporation Technical advisers Mr. David W. Dickie, Engineer and Naval Architect Captain P. C. Grening, Director for Europe, United States Mr. G. A. Smith, Surveyor, American Bureau of Shipping The rules proposed by the United States provided in general the same load lines for vessels of the ordinary merchant type as provided by the rules of the British Board of Trade and were also in conformity with the rules as established by the principal maritime nations. American ship owners, shipbuilders, and naval architects had developed, however, tank ships for the carriage of oil in bulk as well as efficient methods whereby lumber could safely be carried on the decks of general cargo vessels, and since operating experience over many years had demonstrated that American tankers and American cargo vessels with lumber deckloads could be safely loaded much deeper than would be permitted by the load line rules of the other maritime nations, the United States Load Line Committee made definite provisions in its proposed rules for the deeper immersion of tankers, lumber-carrying ships, and vessels of special type. The United States Load Line Committee also adopted the principle first expressed by the United States Load Line Committee of 1921 of defining seasonal zones for the whole world based upon average weather conditions and provided that in the loading of vessels account be taken of the weather likely to be experienced in the particular zones the vessels would traverse. The International Conference on Load Lines was cognizant of the reasonableness of the economic necessity of providing for the deepest loading consistent with safety, but it was a primary consideration in drafting the regulations that no loading should be permitted that would endanger the vessel or jeopardize her crew while performing the tasks involved in the navigation of the ship. The necessity of providing for a high standard of safety was never lost sight of by the conference or by any committee of the conference. The convention as agreed upon is divided into five chapters. There are also a final protocol, three annexes pertaining to technical matters, and a final act. The five chapters on administration provide for the international application of the rules in such a way as not to conflict with the established practice of maritime countries having load line regulation. The convention applies to all with vessels of 150 gross tons and over engaged in international trade, although the act of March 2, 1929, applies only to vessels of over 250 gross tons. Many of the countries represented required load lines for all seagoing vessels engaged in international trade while there was no other country whose limit was as high as that of the United States. The United States delegation agreed to this lower limit. It was felt that this limit would not materially affect the United States inasmuch as it possesses very few vessels of less than 250 gross tons engaged in international trade by sea. Provision has been made in chapter 2 for the treatment of existing ships already marked with load lines based on the 1906 rules of the British Board of Trade or other rules considered equally effective so that such ships can retain the present load line providing they comply in principle and in detail so far as is reasonable and practical with the provisions of the convention relative to the efficiency of (1) the protection of openings, (2) guard rails, (3) freeing ports, and (4) means of access to crew's quarters. Chapter 2, article 8, provides, in a general way, that ships of special types having constructional features similar to those of a tanker which afford extra-invulnerability against the sea may be loaded deeper than an ordinary cargo ship. It was not found practicable at the conference to formulate specific rules suitable for international application to determine the load lines in ships of special type, and it was agreed to leave each administration to deal with them on the merits of each individual case. In chapter 3 provision has been made to limit the life of any assignment of load line to a maximum period of five years, and it is also provided that the renewal of the marking will depend upon the owners maintaining the structural strength of the vessel and also maintaining in good condition those particular parts which afford protection to the crew and to the openings in the vessel. This chapter also defines the control which may be exercised by any of the contracting governments, and this control is limited to the purpose of securing that the ship is not overloaded beyond the limits allowed by the load line certificate and that a ship does not leave port in a manifestly unsafe condition. The conference agreed to exempt from its provisions ships engaged solely on voyages on the Great Lakes of North America and existing ships of the United States of America and France of the lumber-schooner type propelled by either power or sails or by sail alone, and further agreed that the United States could request at any time a conference of those governments signing the convention and owning tankers for a reconsideration of the rules which determine the load lines for tankers. The technical rules for determining load lines are contained in Annex I. The application of these rules, as compared with the proposals of the United States Load Line Committee, will result in the lowering of the load lines, i. e., increase the free board, of flush-deck vessels and of certain vessels defined in the rules which cross the North Atlantic in the winter months. The conference accepted and provided for in its rules essentially the proposals of the United States Load Line Committee in regard to tankers, lumber ships, and ships of special types. The determination of the zones and seasons for the control of ships loading and operating in all parts of the world was the subject of careful consideration by the conference. CONVENTION ON THE TONNAGE MEASUREMENT OF VESSELS USED IN INLAND NAVIGATION According to communiqué No. 4506, July 24, 1930, of the Information Section of the League of Nations, the Polish Government deposited the instrument of accession, on behalf of the Free City of Danzig, to the convention on the tonnage measurement of vessels used in inland navigation, and the protocol of signature, signed at Paris, November 27, 1925. China POSTAL UNIVERSAL POSTAL CONVENTION 5 By telegram of August 15, 1930, from the American Legation at Peiping the Secretary of State was informed that the universal postal convention, signed at London, June 28, 1929, was ratified by China through action of the State Council on August 9, 1930. Rumania By despatch of August 12, 1930, the American Minister at Bucharest informed the Secretary of State that the Monitorul Oficial No. 172 of August 4, 1930, published the law of the ratification by Rumania of the universal postal convention, signed at London, June 28, 1929. PARCEL POST CONVENTION BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND DUTCH GUIANA A convention regulating the exchange of parcel post between the United States and Dutch Guiana was signed at Paramaribo on July 9, 1930, and at Washington on August 18, 1930. RADIO INTERNATIONAL RADIOTELEGRAPH CONVENTION Guatemala The instruments of ratification by Guatemala of the international radiotelegraph convention and the general and supplementary regulations relating to the convention, signed at Washington, November 25, 1927, were deposited with the Secretary of State by the Guatemalan Minister at Washington on August 8, 1930. CHANGE TO BE NOTED IN THE LIST OF THE ECONOMIC TREATIES OF THE UNITED STATES On page 17 of the Third Supplement of the Bulletin of Treaty Information, August 31, 1929, there should be added the following: TREATY SIGNED BUT NOT IN FORCE International Load Line Convention 'See Bulletin No. 10, July, 1930, p. 17. |