Special Message to the House of Representatives Transmitting Conventions and Recommendations of the International Labor Conference.

To the House of Representatives of the United States:

In accordance with the obligations of the Government of the United States of America as a Member of the International Labor Organization, I transmit herewith the authentic texts of nine Conventions and four Recommendations with respect to maritime employment which were adopted at the Twenty-eighth (Maritime) Session of the International Labor Conference at Seattle, Washington, June 6 to 29, 1946.

The Constitution of the International Labor Organization provides in Article 19 thereof that each Member is obligated within a year after the closing of a session of the Conference to bring each Convention or Recommendation adopted at such session before the authority or authorities within whose competence the matter lies, for the enactment of legislation or other action. In the case of a Convention, the Member is obligated, upon obtaining the consent of the authority or authorities within whose competence the matter lies, to report the formal ratification and to take the necessary action to bring the provisions of such Convention into effect. The Member is obligated, in the case of a Recommendation, to report the action taken. It is required under Article 35 of the Constitution of the International Labor Organization that subject to certain exceptions, Members will apply Conventions which they have ratified to their colonies, protectorates, and possessions which are not self-governing. In the case of a federal government, the power of which to enter into Conventions on labor matters is subject to limitations, Article 19 provides also that a Convention to which such limitations apply may be treated as a Recommendation.

It is indicated by established practice that submission to the legislative body is essential to the full observance of the obligations of membership. Under the present Constitution of the Organization, no further action is required "if on a recommendation no legislative or other action is taken to make a recommendation effective, or if the draft convention fails to obtain the consent of the authority or authorities within whose competence the matter lies."

Accordingly, I am also transmitting the authentic texts of the Conventions and Recommendations adopted at the Twenty-eighth Session of the International Labor Conference to the Senate of the United States of America with a view to receiving the advice and consent of that body to ratification of certain of those Conventions and to obtaining legislative action by that body concurrently with the House of Representatives to give effect to certain of those Conventions and Recommendations.¹

^{1 See Item 123 and note.}

I ask that you consider legislative implementation of certain of those Conventions and Recommendations in the light of the comments contained in the report of the Secretary of State and the communications of the Secretary of Labor, the Acting Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Commerce, the Chairman of the United States Maritime Commission, the Federal Security Administrator, and the Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, copies of which are attached. Enclosures:

1. Authentic text of Conventions and Recommendations,

2. Report of Secretary of State,

3. Message to the Senate,

4. From Secretary of Labor,

5. From Acting Secretary of the Treasury,

6. From the Attorney General,

7. From Secretary of Commerce,

8. From Chairman of the United States Maritime Commission,

9. From the Federal Security Administrator,

10. From Assistant Secretary of Agriculture,

11. Memorandum from Shipping Division, Department of State.

HARRY S. TRUMAN