Index
 
Allotments of Wages by Seamen for the Maintenance of their Wives and Families, &c.

� 32. Every boatswain, gunner, carpenter, petty officer (not entitled to draw bills for pay), seaman, landman (boys excepted), and non-commissioned officer and private of marines, being part of the complement of a ship, or borne on the books as a supernumerary, for wages and victuals, may make an allotment of a certain portion, not exceeding one moiety, of his monthly wages, in favour or for the maintenance of the following relatives only (that is to say), wife, father, mother, child or children being under the age of fourteen years, or labouring under any bodily infirmity; and all the monies hereafter allotted shall, at the expiration of every calendar month (the first payment to be reckoned from the first day of the month subsequent to the date of the declaration of allotment, and not to include the period between that date and the first of the ensuing month), be paid to the I parties entitled to receive the same; but no payment shall J be made at any one time for a shorter period than a calendar j month, and whenever any increase or decrease shall take place in the rate of allotment by promotion, disrating, or otherwise, payment of the same shall commence from the' ending of the last preceding payment.

By the 4 & 5 Wm. 4. c. 25. � 4. allotments are extended to a brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother, mother-in-law, and child or children of the age of eighteen years or upwards, and to trustees for the support of any child under that age; and the next clause empowers the admiralty to fix from time to time the amount of the allotment, but which is never to exceed one moiety of the monthly wages. By � 6, allotments may be stopped until debts due to the public on the ship's books are cleared.

By 11 Geo. 4. and 1 Wm. 4. c. 20. � 33. [Wm. 4 = 1834] whenever any person entitled to make an allotment shall declare his intention so to do, the captain shall cause such person to subscribe his name or mark to a declaration or to a list of declarations for that purpose, which shall be transmitted to the commissioners of the navy, in order that they may take the necessary measures for causing allotment bills to be made out thereon, and payment to be made of the portion of wages so allotted.

� 34. specifies how allotment bills are to be made out and paid.

By � 35. if the wife of any person by whom an allotment has been made, shall die, or desert her family, &c. payment may be stopped, or made to some other person.

� 3G. Allotments may be revoked by the person making the same, if the commissioners of the navy are satisfied with his reasons.

� 37. Or by commissioners in cases of death or desertion.

By � 38. so soon as it shall come to the knowledge of the minister or of any churchwarden or elder of the parish, that any person resident therein, and entitled to receive payment of an allotment bill, is dead, such minister, &c. shall immediately give notice thereof, by letter, to the commissioners of the navy, or to the officer of the revenue, or clerk to the treasurer of the navy, by whom such allotment is payable, who shall immediately indorse the date of the receipt of such notice upon such allotment bill, and transmit the same to the navy office, and from that time all payments thereunder shall be discontinued.

� 39. Payments of allotments made by collectors of customs and excise, to be refunded every three months.

� 44. The party to whom allotment bills are payable, is to appear personally, and may be required to take an oath.

� 45. If payment of allotment is not demanded within six months, the bill to be returned; but it may be renewed.

Source : The Law Dictionary by Sir Thomas Edlyne Tomlins, Knt., (1835) available in Google Books.


An Order in Council dated 12 Apr 1859
With the view of preventing Seamen and Royal Marines from allotting their wages to persons who have no natural claim upon them, we recommend that such allotments be restricted in future to the wife, the father or mother, the grandfather or grandmother, the child or grandchild, the brother or sister of the Seamen, or to a trustee or trustees on behalf of a child or children or brother or sister under the age of eighteen years.


An Order in Council dated 6 Jun 1859
Allotments�Cancelling the Provisions of the Order dated 12th April, 1859, regulating Seamen's Allotments.
Whereas Your Majesty was graciously pleased by Your Order in Council of the 12th April last, to approve of the measures regulating Seamen's Allotments which were contained in our Memorial of the 31st March, in the words following, viz.:�

"With a view of preventing Seamen and Marines from allotting their wages to persons who have no natural claim upon them, we recommend that such allotments be restricted in future to the wife, the father or mother, the grandfather or grandmother, the child or grandchild, the brother or sister of the Seamen, or to a trustee or trustees on behalf of a child or children, or brother or sister under the age of eighteen years."

And whereas we are of opinion that it will be for the benefit of Your Majesty's Service that the above regulations be cancelled and the former system be re-established, we beg leave most humbly to recommend to Your Majesty that the same be cancelled, and that the former system of allotments be re-established accordingly.


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