MASTERS' TICKETS UNDER SHIPPING ACT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9726, 23 January 1895, Page 6

MASTERS' TICKETS UNDER SHIPPING ACT.

TO THE EDITOR. * Sir,— you kindly oblige a colonial seaman and insert the following in your journal. I wish to call the attention of all colonial seamen to the very unfair Act that) has come into force, re the new ticket. Is it fair that our colonial seamen should be put out of the coasters because they have not had charge of a boat for the last four years, but-who have sailed on the coast as mate for ten or fifteen years ? Why are they not to be granted a service ticked as well as foreigners and Dutchmen, who can neither read, write, or box the compass? This is against all rules of the merchant service. Some of these men cannot tell what their tickets say unless they get a colonial seaman to read ib bo them. I

cannot tell how some have secured their tickets, as they have only had a little over two years put in. I am sure there is something very wrong somewhere which ought to be looked into. If ticketed men were wanted, why nob send them up to pass" a certain amount of examination, the game as

on any other coast in the world, and then see how many would - have gob their socalled masters tickets." It is a great mistake that this was nob looked into better before the Abb was passed.' am, etc.', ~> »-: W. H. Benjamin", a colonial seaman. r \ \ Auckland; January 22,' 1895. - '" ? .