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Nelson Harbour: Exhibition of lights on extension of Railway Wharf. Wellington Harbour : Position of wreck of " Willie McLaren." Manukau Harbour : Signals for Main Channel. West Coast Sounds: Hock reported between Thompson Sound and Doubtful Sound (two notices). Nelson Harbour : Change of colour of lower leading beacon. Manukau Harbour : Construction of new upper beacon on South Head. Light-dues. —The sum of £15,330 15s. 2d. was received for light-dues for the year, as against £13,463 os. lid. in the preceding year. This includes the sum of £2,291 os. sd. paid by the Post and Telegraph Department in respect of dues remitted on the San Francisco, New Zealand Shipping, and Shaw-Savill and Albion Companies' steamers. A further sum of .-£637 7s. lid. was also received from the Post Office during the year, but is not included in the receipts for the current year, as it should have been paid in during the previous year, and it was included, for statistical purposes, in the receipts for that year. The light-dues include the sum of £3,657 15s. 10d. paid in respect of coasting-vessels. Government Steamers. —The "Stella" was laid up on the 13th May last. The new boilers manufactured for the " Hineinoa " -were placed on board and the whole of the machinery was overhauled, the total cost being £7,585 Bs. (id., and the vessel began to run at the end of April, last year. Since that date she has been employed on the general work of the department. She made two trips to the Antipodes, Bounty, Campbell, and Auckland Islands, the first in July and the second in January last, and also went to the Kermadecs in August. The various depots for the benefit of castaways were all examined. Since the "Hineinoa" has been running the piston-rings of the high-pressure cylinder have given way on two occasions, the first time necessitating the reboring of the cylinder. They are, however, now working well. During the year the vessel steamed 26,725 miles, was 3,106 hours under steam, burnt 1,589 tons of New Zealand coal, landed 2,101 tons of cargo, and cleaned and overhauled 161 buoys. The new intermediate shaft for the " Stella" was completed by the Eailway Department, and is now ready for putting in should she be required to run again. Examination of Masters, Mates, and Engineers. — One hundred and twenty-five candidates passed their examination for certificates of competency, and twenty-eight failed. Of those who passed, ninety-one were masters, mates, and engineers of seagoing vessels; and thirty-four were masters and engineers of river-steamers. Only one candidate failed to pass the colour-test examination as against three the previous year. Only one certificate of service was issued during the year, and that as a mate; in the foreign trade. Belief of Distressed Seamen. — During the past year the sum of £171 2s. 9d. lias been expended on account of the relief of distressed seamen. Of this amount, £9 9s. has been paid for passages of the crew of the " Ada C. Owen " from Tahiti, and £3 3s. for the crew of the " Daisy " from Haapai. A further sum of £20 has been expended in searching the Three Kings for castaways. In replenishing the depots for castaways on the Auckland, Campbell, and Antipodes Islands, and for the purpose of establishing depots on Macquarie Islands, a sum of £128 10s. has been spent; ami £10 os. 9d. on the depots in the Kermadee Group. £39 3s. has also been expended for the conveyance of the crew of the " Flying Venus," of Liverpool, from Samoa to Auckland ; but this amount has been refunded by the Board of Trade. Wages and Effects of Deceased Seamen. —During the year the estates of thirty-three dccci seamen have been dealt with : £87 Is. l()d. has been paid to relatives or creditors, and £59 10s. Bd. paid into the Public Account in accordance with the provisions of section 87 of "The Shipping and Seamen's Act, 1877." Ten new estates were received during the year. Survey of Steamers. —Certificates of survey under " The Shipping and Seamen's Act, 1877," have been issued to 193 steamers, of 31,595 aggregate tonnage and 10,627-horse power: as against 185 steamers, of 30,302 aggregate tonnage and 10,690-horse power, last year. A certificate of exemption from survey and from the employment of a certificated engineer was issued during the year for the s.s. "Taroa," under the provisions of section 201 of "The Shipping and Seamen's Act, 1877," and subsection (2) of section 2 of "The Shipping and Seamen's Act LS77 Amendment Act, 1885." " The Shipping and Seamen's Act Amendment Act, 1889," provided that steamers need only be surveyed once a year, and the schedule gave the maximum fees to be charged. The Minister has accordingly fixed a scale of fees to be charged in respect of a six or twelve months' certificate. The Governor has also made a regulation declaring that every steamer having non-condensing engines, which plies at any time in salt or brackish water, shall be surveyed at least once in everj six months. The Committee appointed by tlie Board of Trade, in pursuance of " The Merchant Shipping (Life-saving Appliances) Act, 1888," have reported to that Board, and have prepared rules for boats and other life-saving appliances to be carried by vessels, which rules have been made by the Board of Trade. As soon as a copy of the rules was received His Excellency the Governor was advised to make similar rules to apply to vessels trading in the colony, and this was done on the 10th December last. Steamers mid sailing-vessels are divided into various classes, according to the trade they are employed in, and whether they carry passengers or not, and the rules fix the boats, &c, to be carried by each class. In all cases the rules provide that a certain number of boats shall be kept under davits; that additional appliances must be kept to a certain fixed amount, proportionate to the tonnage of the vessel, but in no case is a vessel required to carry more boats, &c, than can accommodate her crew and passengers. The rules also provide that a life-jacket shall be carried for every person on board, in addition to a supply of life-buoys. Wrecks and Casualties. — The accompanying table shows an analysis of the casualties reported. Those on the coast of the colony number 39, representing 15,952 tons, as against 50 casualties, affecting 10,02-1 tons, in the previous year. There is again a decrease in the number of total