The Shipping Commissioners Act of 1872 was a United States law dealing with American mariners serving in the United States Merchant Marine.
Among other things, the act: was passed to combat crimps.Bauer, 1988:284. required that a sailor had to sign on to a ship in the presence of a federal shipping commissioner. required that a seaman be paid off in person.
The presence of a shipping commissioner was intended to ensure the sailor wasn't "forcibly or unknowingly signed on by a crimp."
The legislation was modeled on England’s Merchant Shipping Act 1854.
See also
Shanghaiing Maritime history of the United States Slave Trade Acts
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