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Clauses 64 to 67 were passed without amendment. Clause 75 was amended by adding the words " and the Collector of Customs shall detain the final clearance of such ship until he is satisfied that the crew has been paid the current rate of wages ruling in the colony, or any difference between the agreed rate of such seamen's wages and the colonial rate of wages " after the word " payable " at the end of section (2). The clause as amended was then passed. Clauses 79 to 82 were passed without amendment. Clause 105 was amended by adding the words: " Provided that this section shall not apply at any port within the Australian Commonwealth in the case of men being absent from their ship at the time of sailing" at the end of clause (4). The clause as amended was then passed. Clause 297 was passed without amendment. A new clause was added after clause 297 : " 297 a. When any person takes, puts, or causes to be taken or put, on board any ship any gold, silver, diamonds, watches, jewels, or precious stones, he shall furnish to the owner or agent of the ship a list of such articles, with their value; and in the event of their being lost or destroyed the owner of the ship shall not be liable to pay a greater amount than such declared value. If the value of the articles is not declared at or before the time of shipment the owner of the ship shall not, in the event of their loss or destruction, be liable to pay more than fifty pounds. The owner of the ship may charge a special rate of freight for the carriage of such articles, whether they are put or taken on board as cargo or passengers' luggage." The Committee then adjourned till 10.30 a.m. on Friday, the 12th instant.

Friday, 12th September, 1902. Present : Mr. Fowlds (Chairman), Mr. E. G. Allen, Hon. Mr. Hall-Jones, Mr. Hutcheson, Mr. Laurenson, Mr. Millar, Mr. B. Thompson, and Mr. Willis. Mr. Allport, of the Marine Department, was also present. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. A letter was received from William Belcher, secretary, Dunedin Section Australasian Federated Seamen's Union, in favour of the amendments proposed by the union delegates being embodied in the Bill. A circular was also received from J. W. Williams, secretary, Shipmasters' Association of New Zealand, giving the views of his committee of management as to the alterations that should be made in the Bill. The Marine Department produced for the information of the Committee 50 copies of articles of steamers and sailing-vessels trading in restricted river limits ; also copy of telegram from Superintendent of Mercantile Marine at Auckland, giving wages paid in Auckland restricted river limits, and number of vessels on articles in said limits. Consideration of the Bill was then resumed:— Clauses 117 and 118 were passed without amendment. Clause 119. Section (3), subsection (j), was amended by striking out of the sixth line the 'words " one month," and substituting therefor the words " fourteen days." The clause as amended was then passed. Clause 121. Section (1), subsection (b), was amended by adding the words " mate and " after the word " each "in the first line of the subsection. The clause as amended was then passed. Clause 124. Section (1) was amended by adding the words "that incapacitates from work" after the word " accident " in the first line ; the words " the master thereof shall forwith report to " after the first word "ship" in the second line; and the words "who shall "after the word " colony "in the third line ; and by striking out the word " shall "in the second line. The clause as amended was then passed, subject to its being revised by the Law Draftsman. Clause 131. Section (1) was amended by adding the words "but shall as far as possible deliver them up to the Superintendent or Collector of Customs at the place of desertion, or at first port of arrival " after the word " board "at the end of the section. Section (2) was also amended by striking out all the words after " leave " in the eighth line down to " and " in the ninth line, and all the words after "pay" in the eleventh line down to " any " in the thirteenth line, and by adding the word "or " after the word " pay" in the eleventh line. The clause as amended was then passed. Clause 132. Section (1) was amended by adding the word " or " after the word "master" in the third line, and by striking out the words " owner, agent, or consignees " from the fourth line. Section (2) was amended by striking out all the words after " requires " in the second line, down to the word " convey "in the third line. Section (3) was amended by adding the word "or " after the word " master " in the third line, and by striking out all the words after " mate " in the third line. Section (4) was amended by striking out the word " Justice " in the fifth line, and substituting therefor " Stipendiary Magistrate, or where there is no Stipendiary Magistrate available, then two Justices of the Peace." The clause as amended was then passed. Clause 133 Section (1) was amended by striking out all words after " earned " in the eleventh line to the end of the section. Section (2) was amended by adding the words "of a foreign-going ship after signing articles " after the word " apprentice "in the first line. The clause as amended was then passed. The following definition of " deserter " was added to the interpretation clause of the Bill: " ' Deserter ' means any seaman or apprentice who is absent from his ship without leave for a period of forty-eight hours without lawful cause or excuse, or any unlawful departure or absence from his ship with the intention of not returning thereto." The Committee then adjourned till 10.30 a.m. on Tuesday next, the 16th instant.