H.—l6

4

and costs ; master of s.s. " Condor," for carrying too many passengers- -fined £3 and costs ; another master of this vessel was prosecuted for similar offence later, when case was dismissed ; R. G. Cochrane, B. Andrews, and W. Coxhead, for running launches without lights —convicted and ordered to pay costs. Waterside Work Regulations. In addition to the regulations regarding the duties of Inspectors of Machinery and Surveyors of Ships referred to under " Survey of Ships," the regulations which have been made regarding waterside work provide that when a ship is in dock or on a, slip the propeller is not to be turned until men working on planks or on the ship are clear of it; that when the boilers are being cleaned the stopvalve of the working boiler is to be locked while the work is being carried out; that the temperature of the boilers is not to exceed 100° Fahrenheit while men are employed in them ; that deck cargo on lighters is only to be carried in such quantity and positions as approved by a Surveyor ; that lighters and launches and steam or motor boats employed in roadsteads are to carry specified life-saving appliances ; that stages on which coal is discharged in baskets from a ship by means of a bull-rope are to be not less than 3 ft. 6 in. wide, and are to be properly supported ; that a T iron used for working a bull-rope is to be securely bolted to the hatch coaming and to be not less than 3 in. in diameter; that proper bridles are to be used for shipping and unshipping thwartship hatch-beams ; that wooden fore-and-aft hatch-beams are to be shod with iron ; that hooks for attaching to coal baskets and slings are to be approved by the Marine Department; that rope-manufacturers in New Zealand are to attach to each coil a certificate showing the breaking-strain ; that no load of a greater weight is to be put on any chain or rope than the weight given as a safe working-load in tables issued by the Marine Department ; that when cargo is worked at night electric light is to be used when available ; that when a vessel is in dock a proper and. securely fixed gangway-plank from the ship to the dock-head is to be provided ; that when men are working on stages outside a ship in dock or on a slip all latrines are to be kept kicked and discharge-pipes closed ; that when cargo is being shipped on or discharged from lighters sufficient spjace is to bo left below for the convenience of the men engaged on the work ; that a Surveyor or other duly appointed officer is to decide as to the number of gangs of men that should work in a hold in the event of a dispute arising ; that on complaint being made a Surveyor or other officer appointed for the purpose is to decide whether a man, through being under the influence of liquor, is unfit to work cargo, and if he is satisfied he is unfit he may prohibit his working ; that bunkers in which coal is being worked are to be lighted, by electricity if it is available ; that when coal is being discharged by means of trams stout planks are to be fixed alongside the tram-line; that on all ships registered in New Zealand hatch landings on coamings or beams are, after the ship's next annual overhaul which takes place after the expiration of six months from the date of the regulations, to be not less than 2| in. in width ; that on complaint of a person working cargo a Port Health Officer or other officer appointed for the purpose is to examine the sanitary condition of the hold and to see that the condition is remedied if necessary ; that a Surveyor or other officer appointed for the purpose may stop chipping being done on. the ship if satisfied that the safety of those working cargo requires it; that when persons are working on the outside of a ship the master is to keep a man on deck to prevent interference with ropes fastened to the deck, and to prevent anything being thrown overboard that might injure the persons so working ; and that when any obstruction prevents the person working the bull-rope being clearly seen by the winchman, the master is to employ an additional man to communicate, signals from the winchman to the bull-rope man. In order to see that these regulations are properly carried out it will be necessary to employ additional Surveyors of Ships, and the necessary steps are now being taken to appoint the officers required. Deceased Seamen's Estates. The estates of ninety-four seamen have been dealt with during the year. The amount received on account of them was £1,499 12s. 2d., and the amount paid to relatives and other claimants £624 Is. 2d. Last year's number of estates is larger than usual. This is mainly owing to the deaths which occurred during the influenza epidemic. Appended is a statement of the estates. Wrecks and Casualties. During the year sixty inquiries were held, fifty-three of them being preliminary inquiries and seven Magisterial. The appended return shows the casualties and an analysis thereof. Those on or near the coasts of the Dominion were fifty-six, of 28,659 tons register, as compared with seventy-one, of 39,864 tons, in the previous year. The number of lives lost was thirty-six, as compared with one in the previous year. Twenty-six were lost from the " Wimmera " when she was blown up by a German mine near the North Cape on the 26th June, 1918 ; two were lost from the oil-engine vessel " Mahoe " when she capsized in attempting to enter the Waitara River ; and eight from the barque " Aryan." The last-named vessel was on her way from Wellington to San Francisco, and when some distance off the Chatham Islands a fire was discovered, in the flax cargo which the master, officers, and crew were unable to extinguish. The vessel had to be abandoned, and tin! three boats made for the Chatham Islands. Two of them reached there, but the third, which was in charge of the chief officer and contained seven other members of the crew, has not been heard of since the other boats lost sight of her. Notices to Mariners. A return of the Notices to Mariners relating to New Zealand matters is appended. In addition to being published in the Gazette, these notices are circulated to the various ports in the Dominion and to marine authorities outside New Zealand, so that mariners may be advised (if their contents. A good many notices which have been received from other countries have also been published by the Department.