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Show FACING I FINEi May Have to Pay $2,400 Because Be-cause Captain Deserted Men on Shore Leave. San Francisco, Nov. 22. The Union Oil company of California, owners of the steamer Coalinga, faced the prospect pros-pect today of having to pay the government gov-ernment a fine of $2400 because the master of the tanker, Captain D. G. McKenzie, deserted six of his crew at Anlofagasta, Chile, last month. Tvnen the vessel returned here recently Captain Cap-tain McKenzie was said by port authorities au-thorities to have reported that the six men deserted the ship, but that he had not provided himself with an affidavit af-fidavit from the American consul at Antofagasta proving the desertions. It was Sunda3 he said, and the consulate con-sulate was closed. The matter was reported to the secretary sec-retary of commerce at Washington, who cabled the consul for the facts. The consul replied that the captain deserted the men while they were on shore leave. This is said to be the first time the government has levied fines to such an amount under the revised statutes which provide that the master of an American vessel on leaving a foreign port must return to the collector of costumes a certified crew list. If a sailor deserts in a foreign port the captain must make proper certification of the fact or he is held accountable for each seaman missing to the amount of $400. The collector of port has been levied the fine. oo |