SHIP'S MANIFEST LATE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18019, 18 February 1922, Page 10

SHIP'S MANIFEST LATE.

BREACH OF CUSTOMS ACT.

MASTER FINED £25. A prosecution of considerable importance to shipping companies was heard in the Police Court 'yosterday, beforo Mr.,J. W. Poynton, S.M. The master of the Federal Company steamer Westmoreland, G. T. Deith (Mr. Bagnall), was chargod, on the information of the collector of customs, Mr. J. P. Ridings, with having failed to report his ship in

the correct manner as laid down by

section 31 of tho Customs Act, by pro-

during to tho customs a manifest within 24 hours of the vessel's arrival. Mr. 'Ridingß said that under the Act every master of a ship arriving from overseas must produco tj the a manifest within 24 hours. During tho war many ships arrived without papers, for various reason, and this had to be accepted. There had been some improvement sinco. but there was ample scope for a better compliance with tho Act The Wostmorelaiid could produce only about 200 bills of lading from her . last port, Liverpool, on arrival at Auckland, and it was about a fortnight later whon a further 900 bills of lading from ; that port were recoived. Later the • Somerset, which belonged! to the same' company, arrived from the same port without any papers at all. Then another steamer belonging to another lino arrived from Liverpool with all her papers, Tho ; Federal Company had been warned bo-1 fore. He did not presg for a heavy pen-1 alty as this was the first case and had been taken as a warning to shipping com-! panics that vessels should produce their papers on arrival. It was most important that tho customs should have a knowledge of the cargo. Mr. Bagnall said he had been .instructed ' that it wa s not tho custom for a vessel to carry her own papers, which took some time to make out, and wero sent on by I the noxt mail. The fault was with tho postal service. Mr. Poynton said delay in tho production of a ship's papers might easily lead to serious consequences and perhaps mean loss of revenue to tho customs. A penalty of £25 and costs' was imposed. Mr. Ridings withdrew a similar information against the master of tho Federal steamer Somorset, H. Barnctt, as the informations had been laid as a warning.