The Daily Telegraph. WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 1881.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3086, 18 May 1881, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 1881.

A Dunedin telegram informs us that in the enquiry being held into the causes of the Tararua disaster a Captain Cameron, ia his evidence, stated that the boats of the steamer were insufficient for the accommodation of the crew and passengers. Tbis is really a very important point, as it touches upon a subject of the gravest interest to every one liable to coastal travelling. And in a country such as New Zealand, in which communication from one part to tha other is mainly kept up by steamship service, nothing can be of more importance than that ample provision should be made for saving life at sea. The coasts of New Zealand are admittedly dangerous, and some one should be held responsible if, in the event of wreck, the boats of the vessel should be found inadequate for that which is demanded of them. In the case of the Tararua there were only two boats that were put to any use. But there is yet another point that suggests itself from this miserable disaster. Mention has been made from more than one pulpit, notably by the Rev. Mr Isett,,

of Auckland, as to the constant labor required by the Union Company of its employes. We do not suppose that the company actuilly compels its servants to work harder or more incessantly thin owners of any other coastal steamship service, but the fact remains that, from the very nature of the service, an immense strain is demanded from the officers and crew of tbe vessels. Running down the coast from Auckland there is not a lapse of twentyfour hours from port to port. From the time of arrival to the moment of leaving a port the first officer has to be on duty superintending the discharge and loading of cargo. He is the only officer on board who is held responsible for the cargo from the time it is shipped till it is discharged. He bas therefore extra hours of labor in port, while at pea he has to take his watch at the appointed time as though he had not been overworked. Every one knows tbe effect of such a strain on a man's physical capability. All sailors are more or less indifferent to danger. Worn out with fatigue and the want of sufficieut sleep, the overworked chief mate takes his I watch on deck we will say from midnight to four o'clock in the morning; the ship is steaming full speed down the coast, in sight of land ; the officer is too tired and indifferent to care for trifles ; he is not particular as to distance from the shore; he does not note by log that the vessel has not run her usual distance; he does not calculate the effect of currents ; he wants to be relieved from his watch. God forbid that we should say that this was the case with the Tararua. We are simply stating a suppositious case, for the purpose of pointing out that the safety of steamboat passengers so much depends upon the wakefulness and vigilance of the officers in charge of the vessel, that it is a matter of public importance that every care should be taken to ensure both vigilance and wakefulness. We think, then, that the duties required of chief officers in port are not, at all times, compatible with the vigorous exercise of their intelligence at sea. Sailors are no less human than their fellow creatures, and men, as a rule, cannot work day and night for any length of time without giving signs of weariness. W"e venture the suggestion that allcoastiug steamers should carry a super-cargo bo as to relieve the chief officer of all concern but tbe navigation of his vessel. The extra expense would be trifling, while the lessened risk to life and cargo might be incalculable.