3

H.—l9a

ties appear in our returns because New Zealand was the first British port to which either the damaged vessel or the crews arrived at. 5. Marine Surveys. —The only marine surveying done during the year was the searching for a sunken rock reported to exist off the entrance to Akaroa Harbour, and taking soundings near Waipapapa Point, in Foveaux Strait, while searching for a sunken rock reported to be near that locality but of which no trace could be found. The bar and the channel of the Patea River, as far up as the present ferry, have also beon sounded; a chart showing the soundings has been prepared, and is now in the hands of the lithographer. 6. Examinations of Masters, Mates, and Engineers. —The Certificates issued in this Colony are, by the Queen's Order in Council of the 9th August, 1872, now declared to be of the same force as those issued by the Board of Trade in the United Kingdom. A great boon has thus been conferred on the sea-faring population of this Colony, as ships' officers can obtain Certificates on the spot which will be recognized all over the world, and which could only formerly be procured in the United Kingdom, so that any Colonial youth heretofore who took to the sea for a profession, had to proceed to England to be examined before he could assume the command of a foreign-going vessel. One of the conditions imposed by the Board of Trade with regard to these Certificates is, that candidates who apply for them must have ueen domiciled in New Zealand or have served in ships registered therein for a period of, or for periods amounting to, lit least three years, immediately proceeding their application for Certificates. The necessity for this condition is pointed out in the following extract from a memorandum issued by the Board of Trade for the information and guidance of the authorities in the British Possessions abroad, for carrying into effect the provisions of Section 8 of " The Merchant Shipping (Colonial) Act, 1869." " As regards the persons who are to be entitled to be examined in a British possession, it is obvious that the conditions and qualifications mentioned in the pamphlet marked A enclosed, must be insisted on, and it is equally obvious that a Colonial Government can have in many eases no means of ascertaining whether all these conditions are complied with. Experience as shewn by previous service is one of the most important of these conditions, and in some cases Colonial Governments will not be in a position to test this qualification, e.g., a Colonial Government can have no means of verifying the statement of services given in by an officer who has served in British ships hailing from some other Colony or from the United Kingdom. "In the United Kingdom the records in the General Registrar and Record Office of Seamen, contain accounts of the voyages of all British ships which sail from this country, and means therefore exist here for verifying the statement of services of all applicants foi Certificates of Competency, but the like means do not exist in the Colonies. " The importance of some regulation to meet this case will be obvious when it is considered that the Certificates granted by the Government of any Colony will have the full force of Imperial Certificates, and will entitle the holder to act as an officer in or take command of British ships all over the world. And secondly, that it is necessary to prevent applicants who from want of necessary service or from incompetency or misconduct have failed in obtaining Certificates in one Colony or in the United Kingdom, from applying to the Government of another Colony and there obtaining Certificates. The Board of Trade therefore propose that in each Colony Certificates under the Act of 1869 shall be granted to persons who have been domiciled in that possession for at least three years, and to those persons only. " Service in ships registered in any British possession will be accepted as domicile in that possession for the purpose of obtaining Certificates under the Act." In the same memorandum the following passage occurs with regard to rendering it compulsory on British vessels to carry certificated officers : — " Some enactment will be necessary in each Colony availing itself of the Act, to prevent British ships without certificated officers from trading to or from such Colony, after a date to be fixed by the Government of such Colony." As soon as the Order in Council recognising the New Zealand Certificates was received in the Colony the requisite steps were taken for bringing into force the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1854, referred to by the Board of Trade. Those provisions took effect on the Ist March last. Difficulties, which I think probably had not been contemplated by the Board of Trade, soon afterwards arose with regard to the three .years' domicile qualification. It was found that the officers of English vessels, when vacancies occurred by death or otherwise, could not present themselves for examination for Certificates for want of the requisite domicile. In order to overcome this difficulty new regulations were issued by the Governor by virtue of the authority he has under " The Merchant Shipping Acts Adoption Act, 1869," identical in all respects with the regulations approved of by the Board of Trade, excepting as to domicile, under which candidates can be examined and have certificates issued to them, which certificates allow the holders to clear from New Zealand for the United Kingdom, where they can be examined for a Board of Trade Certificate; or in cases where persons have settled in the Colony, of filling the position of masters or mates, until by residence they qualify themselves for passing for a Certificate that will be recognised by the Board of Trade. It was at first intended that the examiners at Wellington, Captains Johnson and Edwin, should periodically visit the principal ports to hold examinations, and they were accordingly instructed to