MARITIME AND MIGRATION PROBLEMS 91
Siam and South Africa, too, declared that they did not con-
remplate taking any action. Measures of application were
reported for Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Great
Britain, India and Netherlands, most of which were already
1 existence when the Convention was adopted.
QEAMEN’S ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT
The Draft Convention concerning Seamen’s Articles of
Agreement, adopted at Geneva in 1926, states that such
articles are to be signed by both the ship-owner or his rep-
resentative and by the seaman, after a reasonable oppor-
tunity for examination of the agreement has been given to
the seaman and to his adviser.
This Convention is to apply to all seagoing vessels regis-
tered in the country of any member nation which ratifies it, as
well as to the owners, masters and seamen of such vessels. It
is not to apply, however, to warships, government vessels not
engaged in trade, vessels engaged in coast trades, pleasure
yachts, “Indian country craft,” fishing vessels of less than
100 tons gross registered tonnage or 300 cubic meters, nor to
vessels engaged in the home trade below the tonnage limit
prescribed by national law for the special regulations of this
‘rade at the date when the Convention is passed.
The terms “vessel,” “seaman,” “master,” and “home
trade vessel” are defined as follows: The term “vessel”
includes any ship or boat of any nature whatsoever, publicly
or privately owned, ordinarily engaged in maritime naviga-
von. The term “seaman” includes every person employed
or engaged in any capacity on board any vessel and entered
on the ship’s articles, but it does not include masters, pilots,
cadets and pupils on training ships and duly indentured
apprentices, naval ratings, and other persons in the perma-
nent service of a government. The term “master” includes
every person except pilots having command and charge of a
vessel. The term “home trade vessel” specifies any vessel
engaged in trade between a country and the parts of a neigh-
boring country within geographical limits determined by
national law.
The seaman is to sign the agreement under conditions to be
