My Wikipedia article can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_for_the_Better_Regulation_and_Government_of_Seamen_in_the_Merchants_Service

Brief introduction to source

The source I've posted below is a copy of the Act for the Better Regulation and Government of Seamen in the Merchants Service. This piece of British legislation, passed in 1729, mandated a formalized wage contract between merchants and the seamen they employed. As I describe in my article, formalized wage contracts provided various protections to both parties, either of whom could take contract disputes to Admiralty courts. The Act signalled a shift towards a free wage system in an industry that traditionally lacked formalized labor relationships. A reliance on oral agreements and customary practices of the sea had led to various inefficiencies and captain-sailor tensions in merchant voyages.

The Act can be found here (note: you will need to enter your Columbia uni/password to access it): https://www1.columbia.edu/pamacea/login.shtml?target=/sec-cgi-bin/cul/prox/ezpwebserv-ezproxy.cgi%3furl=ezp.2aHR0cDovL2dhbGVuZXQuZ2FsZWdyb3VwLmNvbS9zZXJ2bGV0L0VDQ08.Yz0xJnN0cD1BdXRob3Imc3RlPTExJmFmPUJOJmFlPVQyMjQ0NDUmdGlQRz0xJmRkPTAmZGM9ZmxjJmRvY051bT1DVzEyNDk2NjYxNiZ2cnNuPTEuMCZzcmNodHA9YSZkND0wLjMzJm49MTAmU1U9MExSSiZsb2NJRD1jb2x1bWJpYXU-&pamservice=krb&userfile=

-- DanielLennard - 10 Mar 2013