Merchant Shipping Act 1894

Destitute Seamen.

184 Penalty on masters of ships leaving certain seamen in distress in the United Kingdom.

(1) If any person being a native of any country in Asia or Africa, or of any island in the South Sea or the Pacific Ocean, or of any other country not having a consular officer in the United Kingdom, is brought to the United Kingdom in a ship, British or foreign, as a seaman, and is left in the United Kingdom, and within six months of his being so left becomes chargeable upon the poor rate, or commits any act by reason whereof he is liable to be convicted as an idle and disorderly person, or any other act of vagrancy, the master or owner of the ship, or in case of a foreign ship the person who is consignee of the ship at the time of the seaman being so left as aforesaid, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding thirty pounds, unless he can show that the person left as aforesaid quitted the ship without the consent of the master, or that the master, owner, or consignee, has afforded him due means of returning to his native country, or to the country in which he was shipped.

(2) The court inflicting the fine may order the whole or any part of the fine to be applied towards the relief or sending home of the person left.

185 Relief of destitute lascars.

(1) It shall be the duty of the Secretary of State in Council of India to take charge of and send home or otherwise provide for all lascars or other natives of India who are found destitute in the United Kingdom.

(2) If any such destitute person is relieved and maintained by a board of guardians in a poor law union in England or Ireland, or by the inspector of the poor in any parish in Scotland, the board or inspector may give notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of State in Council of India specifying, so far as is practicable, the following particulars; namely,—

(a) The name of the person relieved or maintained ; and

(b) The part of India of which he professes to be a native ; and

(c) The name of the ship in which he was brought to the United Kingdom; and

(d) The port abroad from which the ship sailed, and the port in the United Kingdom at which the ship arrived when he was so brought to the United Kingdom, and the time of the arrival.

(3) [4 Geo. c. 80. s. 34.] [3 & 4 Will. 4. c. 93.] The Secretary of State in Council of India shall repay to the board of guardians or inspector out of the revenues of India all moneys duly expended by them or him in relieving or maintaining the destitute person after the time at which the notice is given, and any money so paid or otherwise paid by the said Secretary of State, on account of the relief or maintenance or passage home of the destitute person, shall be a joint and several debt due to the said Secretary of State from the master and owner of the ship by which the destitute person was brought to the United Kingdom.

(4) This section shall apply only to such lascars or other natives of India as have been brought to the United Kingdom either as seamen, or for employment as seamen, or for employment by the owner of the ship bringing them.