Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 49 Part 1.djvu/2030

 74m C ONGRESS. SESS. II. CH. 858. J UNE 29, 1936 . 1985 [CHAPTER 858 .] AN ACT June 29, 1936 . To further the development and maintenance of an adequate and well-balanced 	[H. R. '8555 .] American mer cha nt ma rin e, to pr omo te the commerce of the United Sta te s, to [Public, No. 835.] aid in the national defense, to repeal certain former legislation, and for other purposes. Be it ena cted by the Senate a nd House of Represen tatives of the, mer ch ant Marine Un ited State s of Ameri ca in Cong ress assem bled, Act, 1936 . TI TLE I- DECL ARA TIO N OF POLICY Title I-Declaration of Policy. SECTION 101. It is necessary for the national defense and develop- Necessity for Bevel. oping an American went of its foreign and domestic commerce that the United States merchant marine de- shall have a merchant marine (a) sufficient to carry its domestic clared. water-borne commerce and a substantial portion of the water-borne export and import foreign commerce of the United States and to provide shipping service on all routes essential for maintaining the flow of such domestic and foreign water-borne commerce at all times, (b) capable of serving as a naval and military auxiliary in time of war or national emergency, (c) owned and operated under the Un ited Sta tes flag by citi zens of the Unit ed State s insofa r as may be practi cable, a nd (d) c omposed of the b est-equi pped, s afest, a nd most suitable types of vessels, constructed in the United States and manned with a trained and efficient citizen personnel. It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States to foster the develop- me nt and encourage the maintenance of such a merchant marine. TITLE II-UNITED STATES MARITIME COMMISSION SEO. 201 . (a) An agency is hereby created, to be known as the United States Maritime Commission (hereinafter referred to as the Commission). The Commission shall be composed of five persons, in this title referred to as members, to be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The President shall designate the member to act as chairman of the Commission, and the Commission may elect one of its members as vice chairman. The members of the Commission shall be appointed as soon as prac- ticable after the enactment of this Act and shall continue in office as designated by the President at the time of nomination, for terms of two, three, four, five, and six years, respectively, from the date upon which they qualify and take office ; but their successors shall be appointed for ter ms of si x years, except that any person chosen to fill a vacancy shall be appointed only for the unexpired term of the membe r whom he succeeds. The members shall be appointed with due regard to their special fitness for the efficient discharge of the duties imposed upon them by this Act. Not more than three of the mem- bers sh all be a ppointed from th e same p olitical party. A vacancy in the Commission shall be filled in the same manner as an original appointment. Any member may be removed by the President for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office. Vacancies in the Commis- sion, so long as ther e shall be three members in offi ce, shal l not impair the power of the Commission to execute its functions, and three of th e members in office shall c onstitute a q uorum for the trans- actio n of t he bu siness of the Commission. Each member shall receive a salary at the rate of $12,000 per annum. (b) No person shall hold office as a member of the Commission who, within three years prior to his appointment, shall have been employed by, or have had any pecuniary interest in, any carrier by wa ter or s ubstanti al pecun iary int erest in any oth er perso n who 104019o-36	125 Title II- United Sta tes Mar iti me Com- mis sion. Creation of; compo- sition, etc. Terms of offi ce. Qual ific ati ons, po liti - cal a ffiliations. Vacancies. Quorum. Compensation. Restriction on ap- pointments.