A.—2

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Enclosure. Circular 1594. Board of Trade, Marine Department, July, 1918. Examinations of Engineers.—lnstructions to Examiners and Notice to Candidates. Day-work; and Service in the Army. Day-work, —With reference to paragraph 26 (a) (dealing with the qualifying service of secondclass engineers) of the regulations relating to the examination of engineers in the mercantile marine, the Board of Trade have decided to accept time spent on day-work at sea on board a foreign-going steamship of not less than GO nominal horse-power to make up any deficiency in the period of workshop service required by the regulations. Time spent on day-work will be counted as equivalent to two-thirds of service as apprentice engineer or as journeyman; but only such service as has been performed after reaching the age of twenty-one will be accepted for this purpose. This does not involve the acceptance of day-work at sea as equivalent to any portion of the watch-keeping service required by paragraph 2G (//) of Ihe regulations. The whole of the period of sea service required by paragraph 25 (b) must, as heretofore, have been performed on regular watch on the main engines and boilers. Service in the Army. —The Board have decided to accept one-half of any time spent by a candidate for an engineer's certificate in serving in His Majesty's Forces in lieu of a portion not exceeding twelve months of the workshop service required for a second-class certificate, or, alternatively, to accept, one-fourth of the time spent with the Forces in lieu of a portion not exceeding six mouths of the sea service required by the Board's regulations for either a first-class or a second-class certificate. A candidate who has served for a sufficient time in the Army may obtain a reduction of the required period of workshop service in respect of a part of his service in the Army, and also a reduction of the required period of sea service in respect of the remainder of his Army service, the respective allowances being calculated in accordance with the rule indicated above. A candidate who has served for four years in the Army will therefore be able to present himself for examination for a second-class engineer's certificate after completing three, instead of four, years' qualifying workshop service, and after completing twelve months' instead of eighteen months' qualifying sea service, provided that in other respects he complies with the regulations. The allowances indicated above are the minimum allowances that, will be made. Where the nature of a candidate's service in the Army is such that it may be regarded as useful training for a marine engineer the allowance made in respect of such service may be greater than that indicated. Every such case will be considered on its merits, and no hard-and-fast rule can be formulated. C. HIPWOOD, Assistant Secretary.

No. 39. New Zealand, Honours. My Lord, — Downing Street, 26th August, 1918. I have the honour to transmit to Your Excellency, for the information of your Ministers, a copy of the revised Statute's of the Distinguished Service Order, dated the Ist April, 1918. I have, &c, WALTER H. LONG. Governor-General His Excellency the Right lion, the Earl of Liverpool, P.0., G.C.M.G., M.V.0., &c. Enclosure. Statutes of the Distinguished Service Order. George R.I. George the Fifth, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India, to all to whom these presents shall come: Greeting. Whehkas Her late Majesty our beloved Grandmother Queen Victoria by a Warrant dated the 6th day of September, 1886, did institute and create a new Naval and Military Order of Distinction, designated the Distinguished Service Order, for the purpose of rewarding individual instances of meritorious or distinguished service in war : And whereas the said Royal Warrant was subsequently amended by Royal Warrants dated 24th July, 1902, 2nd July, 1903, 15th October, 1903, and 23rd August, 1916.' And whereas it is our Royal will and pleasure that the officers of our recently constituted Air Force shall be eligible for appointment to our said Distinguished Service Order : And whereas We deem it expedient that all amendments to the statutes of our said order heretofore promulgated, or now to be promulgated, shall be incorporated in a Royal Warrant under our Sign-manual :