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Star (Christchurch), Issue 4276, 5 January 1882, Page 2

"It is a poweb that we have no power todo." Some suoh addition might the Harbour Board have made to their resolution the other day, relative to Excursion Bteamerß. On account of tbat sad mishap on Anniversary Day, when a seaman wae lost from the Penguin, the Board evidently felt it incumbent upon there totake cognizance of the state of unprepared** ness that hud been demonstrated to exist 1 . The Board resolved: That the Harbour Master be ordered to give instructions that all steamers carrying excursion partieß from Port, have at hast one boat in the davite swung out, ready for use in case of emergency." The Harbour Master is therebyplaced in an utterly false position, seeing that there is no provision whereby he may secure • compliance with tho givon instructions j and even if he were enabled to carry out the desire expressed by the Board, the wiedom of the arrangement may fairly be questiona»J,. Even excursion steamers cannot secure that the surface of the sea shall be of that millpond character which unpractised excursion" iets hope for; and in anything like rough weather a boat kept swung out on the davitß would have but a poor chance of being brought back in sound condition. What its imperatively needed, is that the regulations affecting all our excursion, coasting, and Intercolonial Bteamers shell be rigidly enforced ; aud that boat practice BhaU be made a matter of evory day routine. We offer, at our various holiday gatherings, prizes for agility and skill , and therein we speoially in- * elude our Fire Brigades. Life-saving boat exerciso might well be made a special item in all regatta programmes.