AN ACT For the protection of emigrants arriving in the State of New-York. The People of the State of New-York, represented in Senate and Assembly do enact as follows : § 1. The commissioners of emigration are hereby authorized and empowered to lease or purchase suitable docks or piers, and to erect necessary enclosures thereon in the city of New-York, to be appropriated and set apart for the exclusive use of landing emigrant alien passengers; and they are hereby solely authorized to grant licences, and for cause revoke the same; to select such number of steamboats or lighters as they may deem necessary to receive alien passengers and their luggage from vessels arriving in this state, subject to quarantine, or from the passengers' docks at quarantine, to be landed at the emigrant piers or docks aforesaid. And every captain of a steamboat or lighter not properly licensed for such purpose, who shall convey any emigrant passengers from any vessel shall be liable to a penalty of one hundred dollars for each and every offence, to be recovered by the said commissioners of emigration. § 2. It shall be the duty of every ship-master owner or consignee bringing to this port any alien emigrants, steerage or second cabin passengers in vessels not subject to quarantine, to cause the same with their luggage to be landed on the emigrant piers aforesaid, either directly from the vessel or by means of some steamboat or lighter licensed as aforesaid; and the landing of them upon any other pier or wharf, shall be punished by a fine not less than two hundred dollars. The commissioners of emigration are hereby empowered to make all necessary regulations for the preservation of order, and the admission to or exclusion from said dock of any person, and any person violating any of such regulations shall be liable to a penalty of one hundred dollars for each and every offence, to be recovered by the said commissioners of emigration. § 3. All persons keeping houses in the city of New-York for the purpose of boarding emigrant passengers, shall be required to have a license from the mayor of said city for said purpose, and each person so licensed shall pay to the said city the sum of twenty-five dollars per annum, and shall give bonds satisfactory to said mayor, with one or more sureties, in the penal sum of five hundred dollars for their good behavior, and said mayor is hereby authorized to revoke said license for cause. Every keeper of such boarding house shall cause to be kept conspicuously posted in the public rooms of such house, in the English, German, Holland, French and Welsh languages, a list of the rates or prices which will be charged emigrants per day and week for boarding and lodging, and also the rates for separate meals; and the keeper of any emigrant boarding house who shall charge or receive, or permit or suffer to be charged or received for the use of such keeper, any greater sum than according to the rates or prices so posted, shall, upon conviction thereof, be deprived of his or her license, and be punished by a fine not less than fifty dollars, and not exceeding one hundred dollars, to be recovered by the commissioners of emigration. § 4. No keeper of any emigrant boarding house shall have any lien upon the baggage or effects of any emigrant for boarding, lodging, storage, or on any other account whatever, and upon complaint being made upon oath before the mayor or any police magistrate of the city of New-York, that the luggage or effects of any emigrant are detained by the keeper of any emigrant boarding house under pretence of any lien upon such luggage or effects, or on any claim or demand against the owner or owners thereof, it shall be the duty of the officer before whom such complaint is made, immediately to issue his warrant directed to any constable or policeman of said city, commanding him or them to bring before him the party against whom such complaint has been made, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not less than fifty dollars, and not exceeding one hundred dollars, and shall be committed to the city prison until paid over to the Commissioners of Emigration. § 5. No person shall exercise the vocation of runner in any city in this State, to solicit custom for emigrant boarding houses, passenger offices, forwarding or transportation lines, without the license of the mayor of such city, for which he shall pay the sum of twenty dollars per annum and give satisfactory bonds to said mayor in the penal sum of three hundred dollars as security for his good behaviour. Every person so licensed shall wear in a conspicuous place about his person a badge or plate with the words "Licensed emigrant runner" inscribed thereon, with the number of his license; no person who is not of approved good moral character shall be licensed as such runner. Every person who shall solicit alien emigrant passengers, or others for the benefit of boarding houses, passenger offices or forwarding lines, upon any street, lane or alley, or upon any dock, pier or public highway within the corporate bounds of any city in this State, or upon any waters adjacent thereto over which any of said cities may have jurisdiction, without such license, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be punished by imprisonment in the county prison or jail not less than three months nor exceeding one year. § 6. No person or company shall exercise the vocation of booking emigrant passengers, or taking money for their inland fare, or for the transportation of the luggage of such passengers, without keeping a public office for the transaction of such business, nor without the license of the mayor of the city in which such office shall be located, for which shall be paid the sum of twenty-five dollars per annum, and give satisfactory bonds in the penal sum of five hundred dollars to the mayor of said city, as security for the proper manner in which his or their business shall be conducted in forwarding said emigrant passengers or their luggage. And every such establishment shall have posted in a conspicuous manner at its place of business, a list of prices or rates of fare for the passage of emigrants, and aliens, and the price per hundred pounds for transportation of their luggage to the principal places to which the proprietors thereof undertake to convey such passengers, in the English, German, French and Welsh languages, and every person or company who shall charge or receive or allow to be charged or received by any person in his or their employment, a greater amount than there is specified in said list of prices, or who shall defraud any emigrant in the weight of his luggage, shall be punished by a fine not less than one hundred dollars, and not exceeding two hundred dollars, which money when collected shall be paid into the city treasury of such city, except in the city of New-York, where it shall be paid to the Commissioners of Emigration, and any person or company receiving money as aforesaid for the passage of emigrants, aliens, or for the transportation of their luggage without such license, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be punished with imprisonment in the county prison, for a period not less than three months, nor exceeding one year. § 7. Any emigrant passenger, who, after his or her arrival in the city of New-York, or any other city or port of this state, or whilst stopping in any of said cities or port when travelling to his or her place of destination, shall be defrauded by any person or company, or his or their agents, in relation to the fare, weight or transportation of the luggage of such passenger, or in the purchase of any passage tickets, may cause his or her deposition of the facts substantiating such charge of fraud to be taken in writing before the mayor or any judge, or any justice of the peace, or other officer authorized to take the examination of witnesses in criminal cases, which deposition when so taken, may be used before any grand jury or criminal court, against the person or persons so complained of in the absence of such complainant, in the same manner and with like effect, as if said deponent was present to testify in person. But no such deposition shall be so taken in the same city where the person or persons complained of shall reside, without notifying such person or persons personally, or in case of his absence, leaving a notice at his place of residence, office, or the place of his business. 8. No person holding office under the government of this state, or any of its cities, or who shall be in the employment of the commissioners of emigration, shall solicit custom for any transportation line, or shall be interested in any way directly or indirectly in the forwarding of emigrants, under a penalty of not less than one hundred dollars, and not exceeding five hundred dollars, to be sued for in the name of the people of this state, and which money when collected, shall be paid into the county treasury for the use of the poor of said county. § 9. The penalties and forfeitures prescribed by this act, except as is hereinbefore otherwise provided, shall be sued for and recovered in the name of the people of this state, and applied in the same manner specified in the foregoing section, except so far as this act applies to the city of New-York, where the same may be sued for and recovered with costs of suit, before any court having cognizance |