Franklin D. Roosevelt

Proclamation 2052—Exemption of Virgin Islands from Coastwise Laws

August 10, 1933

By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

Whereas an act of Congress entitled "Merchant Marine Act, 1920 ", approved June 5, 1920 (41 Stat. 988), contained the following provisions:

"Sec. 21. That from and after February 1, 1922, the coastwise laws of the United States shall extend to the island Territories and possessions of the United States not now covered thereby, and the board is directed prior to the expiration of such year to have established adequate steamship service at reasonable rates to accommodate the commerce and the passenger travel of said islands and to maintain and operate such service until it can be taken over and operated and maintained upon satisfactory terms by private capital and enterprise: Provided, That if adequate shipping service is not established by February 1, 1922, the President shall extend the period herein allowed for the establishment of such service in the case of any island Territory or possession for such time as may be necessary for the establishment of adequate shipping facilities therefor."

And Whereas an adequate shipping service to accommodate the commerce and the passenger travel of the Virgin Islands had not been established as provided by section 21 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1920; and

Whereas the President of the United States, in accordance with the authority vested in him by section 21 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1920, has from time to time, to wit, on February 1, 1922, on May 18, 1922, on October 28, 1922, on October 25, 1923, on April 7, 1924, on October 23, 1924, on April 25, 1925, on November 24, 1925, on August 14, 1926, on August 9, 1927, on August 2, 1928, on July 26, 1929, on July 28, 1930, on August 19, 1931, and on August 18, 1932, issued proclamations extending the time for the establishment of such service and deferring the application of the coastwise laws to the Virgin Islands until September 30, 1933;

Now, Therefore, I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, acting under and by virtue of the authority conferred upon me by section 21 of the above-mentioned act, do hereby declare and proclaim that the period for the establishment of an adequate shipping service with the aforesaid Virgin Islands be further extended from September 30, 1933, to September 30, 1934.

And inasmuch as the extension of the coastwise laws of the United States to the Virgin Islands, as provided in section 21 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1920, is dependent upon the establishment of an adequate shipping service to such island possession, I do hereby further proclaim and declare that the extension of the coastwise laws of the United States to the Virgin Islands is deferred from September 30, 1933, to September 30, 1934.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington this 10 th day of August, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and thirty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and fifty-eighth.

Signature of Franklin D. Roosevelt
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

By the President:
CORDELL HULL
Secretary of State.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, Proclamation 2052—Exemption of Virgin Islands from Coastwise Laws Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/349409

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