§ 97. Miscellaneous provisions. 1. All actions and proceedings by the board of commissioners to enforce any liability or to recover any fines, penalties or forfeitures given by law to such officers, or to the board of commissioners, may be brought and prosecuted by such officers in the name of the board. Whenever, by law, any notice is required to be given by such officers, or board, a notice signed by the president of the board for the time being, and containing a copy of the provisions under or pursuant to which such notice is given, shall be a sufficient compliance with the requirements of the law in respect to the giving of such notice, provided the commissioners ratify and adopt the same by a majority vote, within twenty days after the giving of such notice. This subdivision shall not apply to any notice required to be given in the progress of any action or special legal proceedings.

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2. It shall be the duty of the commissioners, out of any funds which they may obtain to provide rewards to encourage the prompt relief of disabled vessels and the speedy report of the same, and generally to encourage not only the performance of duty, but efforts to relieve vessels and passengers from distress or suffering.

3. The master of every vessel boarded by a pilot shall give such pilot on boarding, an account of the draught of such vessel. If the draught given is less than the actual draught, the master shall forfeit the sum of twenty-five dollars, which may be sued for and recovered in an action commenced in the name of the board of commissioners.

4. It shall be the duty of every branch and deputy pilot belonging to the port to use his utmost endeavors to hail and to interrogate the master of every vessel he shall discover entering the port in reference to all matters necessary to enable such pilot to determine whether such vessel is subject to quarantine.

5. If from the answers obtained from such inquiries it shall appear that such vessel came from a port where any quarantinable disease existed at the time of her departure, or that any case of such disease shall have occurred on board during the passage, the pilot shall immediately direct the master of the vessel to proceed to and anchor at the quarantine anchorage. In other cases of vessels liable to quarantine, he shall direct the masters thereof to proceed and anchor at such point as shall be assigned by the federal health officer as an anchorage for such vessels.

6. The fees for the piloting of vessels over intermediate distances within the waters subject to pilotage regulations under this article and the amounts to be paid for detention of said pilots shall be established by the board of commissioners.

7. A pilot who is carried to sea on a vessel by reason of heavy weather or any other cause shall receive compensation of two hundred dollars a day, his expenses shall be paid, and he shall be provided with first class return transportation at the earliest possible time. The compensation and costs shall be paid by the vessel, its owner, master, charterer or agent.

8. The master, owner, or consignee of any ship, or vessel, to whom any pilot shall have rendered, upon the master's request any extra service for the preservation of such ship or vessel while in distress shall pay such pilot, in addition to the pilotage fees provided by this article, such amount for extra services as the board of commissioners shall determine to be a reasonable reward.

9. Pilotage fees as provided in this article shall be payable by the master, owner, consignee, or agent entering or clearing the vessel at the port of New York, who shall be jointly and severally liable therefor.