Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

CRIMP (possibly connected with " crim...

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V07, Page 466 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

CRIMP (possibly connected with " crimp," to draw together, or See also:fold in parallel lines, in the sense of " confine "; the See also:primary meaning, however, seems to be that of " See also:agent," and the word may be a distinct one, of which the origin is lost)  , an See also:agent for the supplying of soldiers and sailors, by See also:kidnapping, drugging, decoying or other illegal means . Crimps were'formerly regularly employed in the days of See also:impressment (q.v.) . Now the See also:term is used, first of any one who engages to See also:supply See also:merchant See also:seamen without a See also:licence from the See also:Board of See also:Trade, and is not either the owner, See also:master or See also:mate of the See also:ship, or is not See also:bona fide the servant, and in the See also:constant employment of the owner, or is not a See also:superintendent (Merchant See also:Shipping See also:Act 1894, § III); and, with a wide application, of the extortionate lodging or boarding-See also:house keepers, who are generally in See also:league with the " See also:crimp " proper . Sections 212 to 219 inclusive of the above act provide for the See also:protection of merchant seamen in the See also:United See also:Kingdom from See also:imposition . See also:Local authorities at seaports have See also:power to make by-See also:laws for the licensing and regulating of lodging-houses for sailors, and to inflict penalties for the infringement thereof . If this power be not exercised, the Board of Trade may do so . Penalties are also imposed by the act for overcharging by lodging-house keepers, for detaining of seamen's effects, and for soliciting . Unauthorized persons are prohibited from boarding a ship in See also:port without leave . The Board of Trade officer at a port may provide See also:money for sending a See also:seaman to his See also:home on See also:discharge, and may forward his See also:wages after deducting the expenses . Facilities are also given for having wages sent home from See also:foreign ports at a small See also:charge . These provisions have practically killed "crimping" in the United Kingdom . In the ports of the United States of See also:America crimping was See also:long prevalent, especially on the Pacific See also:coast, and its prevention was very difficult, but See also:state regulations as to the licensing of boarding-houses, and the See also:limitation of the amount of so-called " See also:blood-money " paid by masters of vessels to the suppliers of crews to See also:ships denuded by desertions, have reduced the abuse materially .

The term " to See also:

shanghai " is used of a more serious offence . Literally meaning " to ship to Shanghai," in See also:China, it is applied to the drugging or rendering unconscious by violence or other means of persons, whether sailors or not, and shipping them to distant ports, in See also:order fraudulently to obtain money in advance of wages, or for the See also:sake of the See also:premium paid for supplying crews .

End of Article: CRIMP (possibly connected with " crimp," to draw together, or fold in parallel lines, in the sense of " confine "; the primary meaning, however, seems to be that of " agent," and the word may be a distinct one, of which the origin is lost)
[back]
CRIMMITZSCHAU, or KRIMMITSCHAU
[next]
CRIMSON

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click and select "copy." Paste it into a website, email, or other HTML document.