H.—ls.

arrangements have now been made for the daily tidal predictions for that port to be introduced into the 1928 and subsequent editions. A portion of the book is used for conveying much other useful and necessary information to shipping, and the book is much used among those upon whom the responsibility of navigating ships rests. It also contains sunrise and sunset times for the main centres. Wireless Telegraphy on Ships. Resulting from this Department's legislation of 1924, comprehensive power was provided for the purpose of regulating wireless-telegraph installations to be placed on ships. Regulations, primarily on the lines of those issued by the Imperial Board of Trade but secondarily extending requirements, were drawn up and issued on the 25th June, 1925, and came into force on the Ist January, 1926. The main features which distinguish our regulations from those of other countries are that we require wireless to be fitted on any seagoing ship of which the number of persons carried exceed twenty-five, thus providing that wireless shall be carried on ships of smaller class than is required elsewhere ; also in providing for the operation of wireless on such small ships, and on home-trade ships in general, by deck officers, who are required to pass a special examination for that purpose. The result of this has been that since the regulations were issued a total number of 114 certificated deck officers passed a prescribed examination in wireless and became certificated as wireless signallers for this purpose. The regulations, in their application to foreign-going ships, are substantially the same as those of the Imperial Board of Trade. As far as can be observed, the regulations are working in a satisfactory manner. The only occasion which has arisen, since the regulations came into operation, of testing the efficiency of their provisions in the case of a marine casualty was in connection with the wreck of the s.s. " Manaia "on Slipper Rock. The vessel was equipped with wireless and was able to establish communication with the s.s. "Ngapuhi," which immediately came to her aid and took off passengers and crew. This happening reveals an advantage of our regulations over the Imperial Regulations. Under the latter the ship would have had a separate operator who, in this zone, would have been off duty from 9.30 p.m. to 7.30 a.m., whereas under our regulations a listening watch is performed every four hours. Whaling in Ross Dependency. The floating factory " Sir James Clark Ross," together with her five whale-catchers, made her third expedition to the waters of Ross Dependency, leaving New Zealand on the 29th October, 1925, and returning on the 28th February, 1926. The record of this season's operations shows that 531 whales were captured, yielding 1,508,100 gallons of whale-oil, as against 1,286,000 obtained during the previous season. The expedition, although it started from New Zealand about three weeks earlier than on the previous year, encountered bad ice-conditions, which seriously retarded its progress and caused much unforeseen coal-consumption, this latter necessitating the expedition's return a little earlier than was expected. The bad ice-conditions caused extensive damage to the five whale-catchers, and it is expected the cost of reconditioning these vessels will approximate £16,000. The reconditioning is being carried out at Port Chalmers, so that the vessels will be in readiness for next year's operations. The licensees, in terms of the agreement entered into with the Imperial Government prior to control of Ross Sea Dependency being vested in the Dominion, are entitled to operate two floating factories ; and it was intended to introduce the second floating factory during the past season. However, this was found impracticable, but the licensees have now obtained a ship of 12,093 tons gross, which they have renamed "C. A. Larsen," in memory of their late manager, who died in Ross Sea in 1924. This ship is being fitted in readiness for next season's operations, and she, together with her whalecatchers, is expected to arrive here about mid-October next. Last season's operations produced a revenue to this Department of £2,212 10s., which, added to the annual license fee of £200, makes a total of £2,412 10s. for the season's operations. From observations taken, and from records available to this Department, it does not appear that the number of whales in Ross Sea is appreciably less than when whaling operations commenced there three years ago. There is nothing to show that any person other than the servants of the licensees have visited Ross Sea for whaling purposes since the creation of Ross Dependency; but it has been suggested that some whaling enterprise intends to pursue whaling without interference by this Government by carrying out their work outside of the territorial waters of Ross Dependency. The attention of the Imperial authorities has been drawn to this. Survey of Ships ; Inspection of Machinery and Boilers. The ever-increasing volume of work, especially in respect of land machinery-inspections, has been very marked within this period, and has called for the utmost effort on the part of the staff, the numerical strength of which had been for a considerable period unequal to the task set, to such extent that it had been found difficult in some districts and impossible in others to grant annual leave to officers. The appointment, however, of three additional such officers who joined the service during December and January has brought considerable relief. Survey of Ships. There is a reduction of four in the total number of survey certificates issued for vessels during the year as compared with the previous year. The numbers of certificates of survey issued during the year are as follows : Seagoing steamships and auxiliary-powered vessels, 201 ; steamships and auxiliary-powered vessels plying within restricted limits, 572 ; sailing-vessels, 21 ; making a total

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