Merchant Shipping Act 1894

Seamen's Money Orders and Savings Banks.

145 Remittance of seamen's wages, &c. by seamen's money orders.

(1) Facilities shall be given for remitting the wages and other money of seamen and. apprentices to the sea service to their relatives or other persons by means of seamen's money orders, issued by superintendents in accordance with this Act.

(2) The Board of Trade may make regulations concerning seamen's money orders, and in particular may specify in those regulations the time and mode of payment, and the persons by or to whom the same are to be paid; and all such regulations, while in force, shall be binding upon all persons interested or claiming to be interested in the orders as well as upon the officers employed in issuing or paying the same.

146 Power to pay when order is lost.

The Board of Trade may, if they think tit, cause the amount of any seaman's money order to be paid to the person to whom or in whose favour the same has been granted, or to the personal representative, or any legatee, or next-of-kin of such person, notwithstanding that the order may not be in his possession; and, from and after the payment, the Board of Trade, and every superintendent and officer of the Board of Trade shall be freed from all liability in respect of the money order.

147 Penalty for issuing money orders with fraudulent intent.

If any superintendent or officer grants or issues a seaman's money order with a fraudulent intent he shall be guilty of felony, and shall for each offence be liable to penal servitude for a term not exceeding five and not less than three years.

148 Power for Board of Trade to establish savings banks.

(1) The Board of Trade may maintain a central seamen's savings bank in London, and may establish and maintain branch seamen's savings banks at such ports and places in the United Kingdom as they think expedient, and may receive at those banks deposits from or on account of seamen (whether of the Royal Navy, merchant service or other sea service) or the wives, widows, and children of such seamen, so that the aggregate amount of deposits standing at any one time in the name of any one depositor do not exceed two hundred pounds.

(2) The Board of Trade may constitute any mercantile marine office a branch savings bank for seamen, and, if so required, any superintendent of that office shall act as agent of the Board of Trade in executing the provisions of this Act relative to savings banks.

(3) The Board of Trade may make regulations with respect to the persons entitled to become depositors in seamen's savings banks, the making and withdrawal of deposits, the amount of deposits, the rate and payment of interest, the rights, claims, and obligations of depositors, and all other matters incidental to carrying into execution the provisions of this Act with respect to seamen's savings banks, and those regulations while in force shall have effect as if enacted in this Act.

149 National Debt Commissioners to receive deposits, &c.

(1) The National Debt Commissioners, on the request of the Board of Trade, may receive from and repay to the account of the Board the money paid as deposits in seamen's savings banks.

(2) The Commissioners shall invest money so received in the like manner as money received from trustee savings banks, and shall pay to the account of the Board of Trade, interest on the money while in their hands, at the same rate as on the money received from trustee savings banks.

150 Application of deposits of deceased depositor.

All sums due from the Board of Trade to the estate of any deceased person on account of any deposit in a seamen's savings bank shall be paid and applied by the Board of Trade as if they were the property of a deceased seaman received by the Board under this Act, and the provisions of this Act respecting that property shall apply accordingly.

151 Expenses of savings banks.

The Board of Trade may, out of the interest received by them from the National Debt Commissioners under this Act, pay any expenses incurred by them in relation to seamen's savings banks.

152 Accounts and copy of regulations to be laid before Parliament.

An annual account of all deposits received and repaid on account of seamen's savings banks by the Board of Trade under this Act, and of the interest thereon, and a copy of all regulations made by the Board of Trade with respect to seamen's savings banks shall be laid before both Houses of Parliament.

153 Public officers to be exempt from legal proceedings, except in case of wilful default.

Legal proceedings shall not be instituted against the Board of Trade, or against any superintendent or officer employed in or about any seamen's savings bank or about any seamen's money order, on account of any regulations made by the Board of Trade with reference to those banks or orders, or on account of any act done or left undone in pursuance thereof, or on account of any refusal, neglect, or omission to pay any order or any deposit or interest thereon, unless that refusal, neglect, or omission arises from fraud or wilful misconduct on the part of the person against whom proceedings are instituted.

154 Forgery of documents, &c. for purpose of obtaining money in seamen's savings bank.

If any person, for the purpose of obtaining, either for himself or for any other person, any money deposited in a seamen's savings bank or any interest thereon—

(a) forges or fraudulently alters, assists in forging or fraudulently altering, or procures to be forged or fraudulently altered, any document purporting to show or assist in showing any right to any such money or interest; or

(b) makes use of any document which has been so forged or fraudulently altered as aforesaid ; or

(c) gives, assists in giving, or procures to be given, any false evidence, knowing the same to be false ; or

(d) makes, assists in making, or procures to be made, any false representation, knowing the same to be false ; or

(e) assists in procuring any false evidence or representation to be given or made, knowing the same to be false;

that person shall for each offence be liable to penal servitude for a term not exceeding five years, or to imprisonment for any term not exceeding two years with or without hard labour, or on summary conviction to imprisonment with or without hard labour for any period not exceeding six months.