MARINE DEPARTMENT SCANDALS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 8424, 24 January 1899, Page 3

MARINE DEPARTMENT SCANDALS.

THE CHARGE AGAINST CAPT. ALLMAN. [Pek Pkkss .Association. J WkixinotoN, to-day. 1 In the Magistrate's Court to-day Capt. 1 Allman, Nautical Adviser to the Govern--1 merit and Chief Examiner of Masters and Mates, was charged with a broach of the 1 ">2\h\ section of the Shipping and Seamen's Act 1577, which provides for security in granting certificates to mariners, i The oflence is one of indictable misdemeanour, and accused is charged willi as- ! sisting one James Jones, in charge of the i s.s. Diico, to wrongfully secure a certificate i of mastership. i It appears that Jones presented himself i for examination on July 19th, 1597, Capt. Allman and Capt. Edwin being the examiners. After the sight and color tests were concluded, Jones was provided with the usual set of questions in arithmetic, charts, etc. Mr Gully, who appeared for the Marine Department, said it was clear from Captain Allman's own statement to the Depart - , ment after the question was brought up in i Parliament that accused accepted as set questions certain questions and answers which Captain Jones brought with him, and which it would be proved were in the handwriting of Captain Von Schoen, at whose school Jones was preparing for examination. Captain Edwin was present when the papers were brought by Jones, and advised Allman to destroy them, and the latter proceeded to do so when Jones exclaimed: "For God's sake don't do so. I give you my word I prepared them myself. I shall lose my billut, and my wife and family will suffer." Captain Allman admitted to the Department that in a weak moment he gave way. Captain Edwin was absent from the room, and a portion of the already prepared papers were accepted as genuine. The questions written by Captain Von Sclioen were copied by Captain Allman, and the papers must then have been taken away, as the answers Herein Von Schoen's handwriting. Sehoen's originals were detained by Capt. Allman, and when requested by the Department for an explanation as to his conduct in the examination, these were attached to his statement. Captain Allman admitted that Captain Edwin had no knowledge of the matter. The prepared papers had not been destroyed. The case will probably last all day.

Mr J. Hutcheson made his charges in the House on August 26th last, when ho said :— " Is it not within the knowledge of the present Ministry — I do not say of the present Minister for Marine, but it is certainly of the Premier — that a clear case was shown to a Minister where a certain examiner of masters and mates was also a teacher of navigation ; and he used to teach pupils, and in his other capacity of examiner submit them to examination for certificates of competency as officers '! Was that not highly improper ? . . . Coming back to the question of examiners of masters and mates: Some year. or two ago the Government were fully aware of the rottenness of the system. It was nothing short of a public scandal, and the Government became fully convinced of it, and swept every one of these half-paid examiners away. It was at that time disclosed to the Government that certificates were obtained by shamefully wrong means, and the whole 'business was a standing scandal to the Marine Department. It was made known then to the Minister for Marine of the day that candidates could abstract their papers from the examination rooms and adjourn with them to an adjoining hotel, where, with the assistance of their coaches or instructors they could hare their papers filled up and certificates of competency got. It was disclosed to the Minister fur Marine of the day that in one case, the man who coached the candidates also examined them — truly a bad state of affairs;. And a not very much better condition of affairs now obtains. I am informed by a responsible citizen that there is at the present time a captain in command of a passenger-carrying coastal steamer who was allowed to fill in his examination papers in a private house. My informant also informed me, on his word of honor, that the candidate's hand was guided in the formation of every letter and figure in the examination papers. And, sir, this captain is in command of a vessel carrying living souls every day on the coast of New Zealand, and that is how he obtained his certificate of competency.