32 INTERNATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATION
recovering such indemnities as they have for recovering
arrears of wages earned during service.!
Action Taken by Member Nations?
Only eleven nations have ratified this Convention, and one
of these, Latvia, has done so on condition that it will be
effective only when ratified by the principal maritime nations.
Of the countries whose merchant marines are of substantial
importance, only Great Britain, Italy and Spain have
registered ratification and France and the Netherlands have
authorized it. In regard to the other important maritime
nations it may be noted that Germany has recommended
ratification, Norway postponed it, while Denmark, Japan
and Sweden have not defined their positions. Certain na-
sions, such as Austria, Czechoslovakia, India, Siam and
Switzerland, which have no merchant marine or one of very
small size, have definitely declined to take any action. In
addition to Germany, four Latin-American countries have
recommended ratification. These recommendations, how-
ever, were made several years ago and nothing has been done
since then.
Legislation embodying the provisions of the Convention,
already in effect when the Convention was adopted by the
Conference or adopted subsequently, either as entirely new
acts or by bringing existing legislation in harmony with the
terms of the Convention, has been passed in about eleven
countries. This list includes most of the countries which
nave ratified the Convention.® Belgium has not yet passed
egislation but is said to have signified its intention to apply
the provisions of the Convention. Bills for the same purpose
nave been, or are being, prepared in France, Germany and
:he Netherlands, making a total of nine countries which have
egislation in progress or preparation.
Moreover, in several countries which have not ratified the
Convention, legislation is in effect wholly or partially apply-
ing its provisions. In Germany, for example. the spirit of
International Labor Conference, Second Session, 1920, pp. 579-582. }
‘For references to specific countries see footnotes to Table 14, Appendix I.
For two countries no information was given.
