REGULATIONS FOR STEAM AND SAILING VESSELS.

West Coast Times, Issue 918, 1 September 1868, Page 4

REGULATIONS FOR STEAM AND SAILING VESSELS.

In the " New Zealand Gazette" of the 29th June, the following- regulations are published with' respect to steam tmd' sailing vessels, and •which 1 will come in' force on ? the Ist of September "next i —

• '■• * ' By-laws. " 1. No vessel, whether a steamer or sailing vessel, shall be so laden as to show less of her side : above 'water amidships, as measured from her Covering' boards, "than three inched for every foot of her draft bf water ; but paddlesteMflTSi - plying in rough water or at sea, shall in'- no ease be laden bo that their spdnsoris shall be less' than one-fourth of the diameter of the paddles above the surface of theTTiter.

"2. No sailing vessel, trading on the, coast of tlio 'colony! shall bo permitted to carry passengers unless she be, in the judgment of the Collector of Customs, or a surveyor appointed by him for the purpose, in good

order, properly laden or ballasted, and fit for the intended voyage, commanded by a sober and experienced master, manned by an efficient crew, and properly equipped, and fitted all round with sufficient bulwarks, rails, or stanchions with rope or chain, aud carries at least one life-buoy and one efficient boat in such manner that both shall bo immediately available in any emergency. "3. It shall be the duty of the Harbormaster or other port officer of any port to survey any sailing vessel for the purpose of ascertaining whether the regulations contained in these bye-laws havo been complied with, when called upon to do so, and to notify to the Collector of Customs, in writing, the result of such survey. ''4. No sailing vessel, the duration of whose voyage doea not exceed one day, reckoned as per schedule hereto shall be permitted to carry a greater number of passengers than one to each ton register, or one to every five feet of clear deck 6pace,free from all Incunibrances, and all such vessels shall be provided with at least two gallons of water for each adult on board. " 5. No decked sailing vessel, the duration of whose voyage exceeds one day, reckoned as per schedule hereto, shall be permitted to carry passengers, unless, in addition to the equipments and fittings specified in the second by-law, she be fitted with substantial and firmly secured booby-hatches over the passenger hatchway, so fixed as to be capable of being kept open in all weathers, and of affording the greatest possible amount of light, air, and protection from wet, or unless she has on board sufficient water for the intended voyage, to the satisfaction of the Collector of Customs or the surveyor, and nob less tlnui two gallons for each adult passenger for each day of the average duration of the voyage ; and no such vessel shall bo permitted to carry more passengers than at tho rate of one adult to every seventy-two cubic feet of clear spaco alloted to passenger accommodation below hatches, or a greater number of passengers than ono for every registered ton of her burden, or a greater number than one for every Eeven superficial feet of deck spaco, clear for exerciso. and properly protected by bulwark or rails as aforesaid. Tho number of passengers allowed to be carried shall in no case exceed the smallest, number ascertained by any one of the three alternative methods of measuring mentioned therein. "6. ''No vessel carrying passengers shall bo permitted to carry deck cargo unless it bo efficiently secured to tho satisfaction of the surveyor. " 7. Tho following penalties for breaches of these by-laws as hereinafter specified are J hereby imposed, and may be recovered according to the provisions of the said Act : — («) For breuch of any provision of these bye-laws or regulations framed for the purposo of preventing the overloading of steam or sailing vessels, any sum not exI ceeding five hundred pounds for any one I voyage or attempted voyage of any vessel. (&) For breach of any provision of these by-laws or regulations framed for the purpose of preventing .the overcrowding of sailing vessels with passengers, any sum not exceeding five hundred pounds for any one voyage or attempted voyage, to be computed at a rate not exceeding five pounds for every passenger carried by any sailing vessel in excess of the numbers by these by-laws authorised. (c) For breach of any other provisions of these bylaws or regulations, any sum not exceeding fifty pounds.