Mr. CARTER (Hawaii). Mr. President, I should vote for the two lines, with the expectation that the rest will be added by the Conference; because I think the Conference will be obliged to add the rest. I think the position of the Conference would then be to carry out its intentions, to add the rest of the paragraph, and I would suggest to the gallant delegate from France that perhaps it would be the better way to take a vote on his proposition to strike out the last three lines, rather than to vote to accept the first two. If the last three lines are stricken out, then the Conference are at liberty to strike out the whole of this, which I think they will be obliged to do. But if the first two lines are accepted and the last three lines are not received, then we shall have to reconsider the two lines again.

Captain RICHARD (France). Mr. President, my intention is misunderstood by my honorable colleague from Hawaii. I asked that the article be divided, and that the two portions be voted upon, simply because I can accept only the first two lines, and that I have decided to vote against the last three. I have no objection to accept that every sailor should be examined for color-blindness. It is an advantage to know who is afflicted with it, and that the sailor in that case should have upon his service book a note stating that fact. When his captain knows that he will turn it to such advantage as he shall judge proper, and if he places him on the lookout forward he will know in advance that such a man can not distinguish colors. We can not give any advice as to the manner in which he should be employed. By making sailors undergo a test as to visual power you will thereby gain an additional clement of information, and you will be the better able to find out what each man is capable of.

Mr. CARTER (Hawaii). Mr. President, I would simply ask what is the use of an examination for color-blindness, if they are to be permitted to serve when they are found to be color-blind?

Mr. VERNEY (Siam). Mr. President, if a man is examined for colorblindness and is known to be color-blind, would any captain then employ him as a lookout? He would know that this man was color-blind and would never permit him to be put on a lookout. Therefore it would largely put the responsibility on the captain where I think it ought to be.

Captain SAMPSON (United States). Mr. President, it would be very embarrassing to the master of the ship if he always had to be acquainted with the men who were color-blind on board his ship, and had to be careful that they were not put on the lookout. This is simply a recommendation, and it is made as emphatic as a recommendation can be made. I think the circumstances of the case show the desirability of accomplishing this object and are sufficient to warrant the committee in making the recommendation as strongly as it has been made. Therefore, Mr. President, if it is perfectly proper to do so, I move to amend the motion of the gallant delegate from France, and move the adoption of the whole paragraph.

The PRESIDENT. The Conference has already decided to vote upon it separately.

Mr. HALL (Great Britain). Mr. President, I think that at present, unless we take your ruling upon this matter, that some of us will be in a difficulty to know how to vote. May I point out how that difficulty arises? If we vote for the first two lines and they are carried and then by chance the vote of the Conference should be to strike out the remaining three lines, we shall all of us be voting for what we don't want, because I think that these two lines by themselves certainly do not express the opinion of the committee, or what the most of us wish to see passed. On the other hand, if we vote against the first two lines because we wish to have the whole paragraph, it might be argued it was not open to us to have the whole paragraph, because we have voted against the adoption of the first two lines. So that we are now put in rather a fix by the gallant delegate from France. Might I suggest to him that it would be better if we should take the sense of the Conference upon his motion to strike out the last three lines? I have no doubt he will assist us under these circumstances.

Captain RICHARD (France). Mr. President, after the considerations which have been developed by the eminent delegate from Great Britain, I should state that the proposition which I have made was in conformity with my desire to adopt but a portion of the paragraph, divided as I have asked it. As the remarks which I have made are just, and as I, on the other hand, do not desire to take the Conference by surprise, I accept the proposition made by the learned delegate from Great Britain.

The PRESIDENT. The delegate from France moves to strike out the last three lines of paragraph 1 of the report of the Committee on Gen. eral Division 6, which is under consideration. The Secretary will read the last three lines, so that there will be no misunderstanding. The last three lines of paragraph 1 are as follows:

"And no man or boy should be permitted to serve on board any vessel in the capacity of seaman, or where he will have to stand lookout, whose visual power is below one-half normal, or who is red and green color-blind."

The PRESIDENT. Is the Conference ready for the question?

The question was put to the Conference upon the motion to strike out the last three lines of paragraph 1.

The PRESIDENT. The Chair is unable to decide.

Captain SHACKFORD (United States). Mr. President, I call for the yeas and nays.

The PRESIDENT. The yeas and nays are called for. The Secretary will please call the roll.

The PRESIDENT. The vote stands four in the affirmative and fourteen in the negative; so the motion is lost.

Commodore MONASTERIO (Mexico). Mr. President, I would ask the Secretary to change my vote. I vote for the affirmative.

The PRESIDENT. The delegate from Mexico has changed his vote from nay to yea, so that the vote now stands five in the affirmative and thirteen in the negative. The motion is lost.

The question now is upon paragraph 1, as it originally stood. Is the Conference ready for the question?

The question was put to the Conference upon the adoption of paragraph 1 of the report of the Committee on General Division 6, and it was adopted.

The PRESIDENT. The Secretary will please read paragraph 2.
Paragraph 2 is as follows:

"Every man who shall qualify as an officer of a registered vessel after the adoption of these rules, except engineer officers, shall be required to have a certificate that he has the necessary visual power and that he is not red and green blind. He shall also have a certificate that he is familiar with the regulations for preventing collisions at sea, and with the duties required of him in co-operating with a life-saving station in case his vessel is stranded."

Captain RICHARD (France). Mr. President, I now hope to present an amendment which will be more fortunate than its predecessors. I would like to introduce after the words "Every sailor who shall undergo an examination for officer"-I would like to add the word "pilot." I think that we will be all unanimous on this point that a pilot should not suffer from color-blindness.

Captain SAMPSON (United States). Mr. President, I am sure the committee would be very glad to accept the amendment of the gallant delegate from France to introduce the word "pilot," so that it will read: "Every man who shall qualify as an officer of a registered vessel, or as a pilot."

The PRESIDENT. The chairman of the committee accepts the suggestion of the delegate from France. The paragraph will be read as a amended.

The paragraph as amended is as follows:

"Every man who shall qualify as an officer of a registered vessel, or as a pilot, after the adoption of these rules, except engineer officers, shall be required to have a certificate that he has the necessary visual power and that he is not red and green blind. He shall also have a certificate that he is familiar with the regulations for preventing collisions at sea, and with the duties required of him in co-operating with a life-saving station in case his vessel is stranded."

The PRESIDENT. Is the Conference ready for the question?

The question was put to the Conference on the adoption of paragraph two of the report of the Committee on General Division 6, and it was adopted.

The PRESIDENT. The Secretary will please read the next paragraph of the report upon General Division 6.

Said paragraph is as follows:

"It is recommended that each country provide means which will enable any boy or man intending to go to sea to have his eyes examined for visual power and color-blindness, and to obtain a certificate of the result, also to enable the master of any vessel to have the eyes of any of his crew tested for the same purpose."

The PRESIDENT. Is the Conference ready for the question on this paragraph?

The question was put to the Conference upon the adoption of the third paragraph of the report of the Committee on General Division 6, and it was adopted.

The PRESIDENT. The Secretary will please read the next paragraph. Captain SAMPSON (United States). Mr. President, I do not think it is necessary to have a vote upon the next paragraph. I now move the adoption of the report.

The PRESIDENT. It is moved that the report as amended be now adopted as a whole.

The question was put to the Conference upon the adoption of the report of the committee as a whole, and the report was adopted.

Lieutenant BEAUGENCY (Chili). Mr. President, at the last meeting of the Conference I called your attention to the time taken up in the Conference. It is my case, and I think the case of many of the other delegates, who do not thoroughly understand the English language, that we have not had time to consider the report of the Collocation Committee, and I, therefore, think that we ought to adjourn at 4 o'clock and meet to-morrow at 11 o'clock and sit until 4.

Mr. HALL (Great Britain). Mr. President, I am most anxious, in making any proposal, to meet the views of the majority of the delegates. But I would point out that the next report we have to deal with is not a report in which there are any resolutions at all. It is a very interesting report; but it is a report which I apprehend will be adopted by the Conference. It will not be necessary to take it up sentence by sentence, there being no resolutions in it. Therefore, if we were to take that up now and finish it before 5 o'clock, we would not have to meet to-morrow at all. I would only suggest that we should

do whatever is most consonant with the views of the delegates. Of course, if they decide that we adjourn to-day at 4 o'clock and meet to-morrow at 11, be it so. I would only say this with regard to the hours, that several of the gentlemen have expressed to me the opinion that the hours from 10 to 5 will be too long, and have expressed the desire that we should revert to our original hours of from 11 to 4. Of course, if they think so, I shall vote for that proposal at once. As I say, on the part of Great Britain, we only want to meet the views of a majority of the delegates. We are ready to work from 10 to 5 if the rest of the delegates are willing; and if they wish to sit from 11 to 4, we shall support that proposal. But I would venture to suggest that, after to-day, we should sit our regular hours, from 11 to 4. Perhaps the Conference might now decide whether it is worth while to sit for an hour and finish this report.

Lieutenant BEAUGENCY (Chili). Mr. President, I will accept that. The PRESIDENT. The report of Committee No. 2, General Division 7, is now in order. The Secretary will please read the report:

The report of Committee No. 2, on Lanes for Steamers on Frequented Routes, General Division 7, is as follows:

"WASHINGTON, December 6, 1889.

"To Rear-Admiral S. R. FRANKLIN, U. S. NAVY,

"President of the International Marine Conference, etc.

"SIR: Committee No. 2 beg leave to report on General Division 7, entitled 'Lanes for Steamers on Frequented Routes, that after consideration of various routes they concluded to report only upon the North Atlantic route between ports of North America and ports of northern Europe as the route upon which there was apparently the greater demand for such lanes, if such could be advantageously laid down on any ocean or sea.

"It appears that the adherence of fast steam passenger vessels to certain southerly routes would tend to the avoidance of fog and ice, and the committee adopted a resolution to the effect that it was desirable during the spring and summer months that such vessels should follow a southern route which would clear the banks of Newfoundland, and be likely to be clear of fog and ice, but when it came to proposing any plan to make such ocean lanes compulsory the committee found the subject one of such difficulty that they do not recommend a proposition of that nature.

"The difficulty of enforcing the present rule providing for moderate speed in thick weather suggests what greater difficulties would be met with in enforcing lane routes if made compulsory, and it was not thought desirable to lay down routes by international agreement unless they were to be made compulsory for swift steamers.

"Routes that might be proposed would be in danger of invasion by ice during the spring and summer months, and at all times would be crossed by sailing vessels and steamers going north and south. If laid down on parallels of latitude which seemed to favor one sea-port at the expense of another, or the ports of one country at the expense of the ports of another country, they would arouse opposition that would probably prevent their adoption.