Merchant Shipping Act 1894

Emigrant Runners.

347 Emigrant runner.

If any person other than a licensed passage broker or his bona fide salaried clerk, in or within five miles of the outer boundaries of any port, for hire or reward or the expectation thereof directly or indirectly conducts, solicits, influences, or recommends any intending emigrant to or on behalf of any passage broker, or any owner charterer or master of a ship, or any keeper of a lodging-house tavern or shop, or any money changer or other dealer or chapman, for any purpose connected with the preparations or arrangements for a passage, or gives or pretends to give to any intending emigrant any information or assistance in any way relating to emigration, that person shall for the purposes of this Part of this Act be an emigrant runner.

348 Emigrant runner's licence.

(1) The licensing authority for passage brokers for the place in which a person wishes to act as an emigrant runner, and to carry on his business, may, upon his application and on the recommendation in writing of an emigration officer, or of the chief constable or other head officer of police in such place (but not otherwise), grant, if they think fit, to the applicant a licence to act as emigrant runner.

(2) The emigrant runner shall, within forty-eight hours after his licence is granted lodge the same with the nearest emigration officer, and that officer shall—

(a) register the name and abode of the emigrant runner in a book to be kept for the purpose, and number each name in arithmetical order; and

(b) upon receipt of a fee, not exceeding seven shillings, supply to the emigrant runner a badge of such form and description as the Board of Trade approve,

but in case of a renewed licence, the officer need only note the renewal and its date in his registry book against the original entry of the emigrant runner's name.

(3) An emigrant runner's licence shall remain in force until the thirty-first day of December in the year in which it is granted, unless sooner revoked by any justice for any offence against this Act or for any other misconduct committed by the holder of such licence, or unless forfeited under the provisions herein-after contained.

(4) When an emigrant runner changes his abode, the emigration officer shall register the change in his registry book.

349 Renewal of badge.

Where an emigrant runner, either satisfies the emigration officer for the port in which he is licensed to act that his badge is lost, or delivers his badge up to such officer in a mutilated or defaced state, and in either case pays such officer five shillings, the officer may, if he thinks fit, supply him with a new badge.

350 Penalties on persons acting without licence or badge, using badge not lawfully issued, or employing unlicensed person.

(1) A person shall not—

(a) act as an emigrant runner without being duly licensed and registered; or

(b) retain or use any emigrant runner's badge not issued to him in manner by this A ct required ; or

(c) counterfeit or forge any emigrant runner's badge ; or

(d) employ as an emigrant runner any person not duly licensed and registered.

(2) If any person acts in contravention of this section, he shall for each offence be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds.

351 Penalties on emigrant runners for certain acts of misconduct.

(1) An emigrant runner—

(a) shall while acting as an emigrant runner wear his badge conspicuously on his breast; and

(b) shall lodge his licence with the emigration officer as required by this Act; and

(c) on changing his abode, shall within forty-eight hours give notice of the change to the emigration officer of the port in which he is licensed to act; and

(d) on losing his badge shall within forty-eight hours give notice to such emigration officer of the loss; and

(e) shall produce on demand his badge for inspection, or permit any person to take the number thereof ; and

(f) shall not mutilate or deface his badge; and

(g) shall not wear his badge while unlicensed ; and

(h) shall not wear any other badge than that delivered to him by the emigration officer; and

(i) shall not permit any other person to use his badge.

(2) If an emigrant runner fails to comply with any requirement of this section, he shall for each offence be liable to a fine not exceeding forty shillings, and, if the court think fit, to the forfeiture of his licence.

352 Emigrant runners commission and fees.

(1) An emigrant runner shall not be entitled to recover from a passage broker any fee commission or reward for or in consideration of any service connected with emigration, unless he is acting under the written authority of that passage broker.

(2) An emigrant runner shall not take or demand from any person about to emigrate any fee or reward for procuring his steerage passage, or in any way relating thereto, and if he does so he shall for each offence be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds.