В статье рассматривается проблема нормативно-правовой деятельности портовых присутствий и начальников портов в Российской империи в начале ХХ века. Указывается, что с введением в некоторых портах империи в действие Положения о местном управлении приморскими торговыми портами, началом их работы возникла острая необходимость упорядочения всего комплекса вопросов жизнедеятельности портов, возложенных на их руководство. В первую очередь это касалось проблем прихода и отхода судов, их выгрузки и нагрузки, стоянки, охраны, найма рабочей силы, обеспечение безопасности и т. д. Подобные положения были разработаны в каждом порту и вводились в действие с 1902 г., впоследствии совершенствуясь и дополняясь по мере накопления опыта и развития отраслевого законодательства.

The article considers the problem of normative-legal activities of the port presences and captains of ports in the Russian Empire in the beginning of twentieth century. Indicated, that with the introduction in some ports of the Empire the Regulations on the local management of maritime commercial ports, and the beginning of their work, had arised an urgent need to streamline the whole complex of issues of vital ports, assigned to their leadership. First of all it concerned the problem of arrival and departure of the boats, their unloading and loading, parking, security, employment, providing safety, etc. Similar provisions have been developed in each port and introduced since 1902, subsequently improving and while being supplemented with the accumulation of experience and development of the industry legislation. During the preparation of the work a variety of mandatory provisions for the port of Feodosia, Yalta, Poti, Arkhangelsk, Azov, Pernov, Odessa, Narva, Reni, Novorossiysk, Berdyansk, Revel, Kherson, Taganrog, Baku and others, as well as the documents, found during the work in the State Archives in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea were used. Indicates, that the Main Department of commercial shipping and ports, 25 November 1903 pointed to the captains of ports to devise the rules for the time of the parking of ships in the ports, as was done abroad. The circular had «Sampling of some compulsory resolutions of foreign ports» in Marseilles, Le Havre, Liverpool, Antwerp. It was found out that the least resolved questions in mandatory regulations, developed and used in the port of the Russian Empire during this period, were the questions, related with the regulating the relations of the port workers and employers, which led to frequent conflict and, in some cases, to the attraction for port works the foreign workers.