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Calendar No. 1009
68TH CONGRESS SENATE REPORT
2d Ses8ion No. 941
AUTHORIZING SUITS AGAINST THE UNITED STATES IN
ADMIRALTY
JANUIRY 26 (calendar day, JANUARY 30), 1925.-Ordered to be printed
Mr. BAYARD, from the Committee on Claims, submitted the following
REPORT
[To accompany H. R. 9535]
The Committee on Claims, to whom was referred the bill (H. R.
9535) authorizing suits against the United States in admiralty for
damage caused by and salvage services rendered to public vessels
belonging to the United States, and for other purposes, having con-
sidered the same, report favorably thereon with the recommenaation
that the bill do pass with the following amendment:
On page 1, line 9, strike out 1920 and insert 1917.
The facts are fully set forth in House Report No. 913, Sixty-
eighth Congress, first session, which is appended hereto and made
a part of this report.
[House Report No. 913, Sixty-eighth Congress, first session]
The Committee on Claims, to whom was referred the bill (H. R.
9535) authorizing suits against the United States in admiralty for
damage caused by and salvage services rendered to public vessels
belonging tothe United States, and for other purposes, having con-
sidered the same, report thereon with a recommendation that it do
pass.
STATEMENT OF FACTS
H. R. 9535 is a substitute for H. R. 6989. The chief purpose of
this bill is to grant private owners of vessels and of merchandise a
right of action when their vessels or goods have been damaged as the
result of a collision with any Government-owned vessel, though en-
gaged in public service, without requiring an application to Congress
in each particular instance for the passage of a special enabling act.
The bill, in principle, is simply a substitute for the practice, long
established, of passing special bills, under which private owners have
been allowed to submit to our admiralty courts admiralty claims of
this character.
Shipowners, whose vessels have suffered a collision with any Gov-
ernment-owned ship in the public service and who have a cause of
action under existing procedure, must apply to Congress for the
passage of a special enabling act before suit can be brought in the
admiralty courts. This situation naturally causes great delay as
well as expense in the collection of claims against the Government,
and very frequently wor, s great injustice and sometimes bankruptcy
to the vessel owners. With the enormous increase of Government-](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.beal/susa0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)