Ост. 4.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1427

COASTING SERVICE.

Section 12 of the regulations for the examination of masters
and mates for certificates of competency provides that service in
the coasting trade may be allowed to count as service in order
to qualify a candidate for examination for a certificate of
competency for foreign-going vessels.

The service required by the regulations is service at sea, and,
as vessels engaged in the coasting and home trades must
necessarily spend a large proportion of time in port, it has been
decided that the same rule shall apply to masters and mates as
to engineers. Notice is accordingly given that, in cases where
the whole or any part of the service of a candidate for a master's
or mate's certificate of competency for foreign-going vessels has
been performed in the home or coasting trade, such service will
only be accepted in the proportion of half as much again as
that required by the regulations—i.e., eighteen months of such
service will only be considered as equal to twelve months in the
foreign trade.

SERVICE AS THIRD AND FOURTH MATE.

Attention has been called to the position of young officers
serving as third and fourth mates in the ships of the Peninsula
and Oriental and other large companies, who, under present
regulations, cannot be examined for certificates of competency
as first mate until they have served twelve months at sea in the
capacity of second mate or some higher rank. It has therefore
been decided to accept such service as third or fourth mate to
the same extent as second mate's service is accepted to qualify
candidates for examination for certificate of competency as first
mate. Before, however, a candidate can be allowed to be
examined he must produce satisfactory proofs that he has had
charge of a watch for not less than twelve months while serving
as such third or fourth mate, and that during the whole of that
time he has been in possession of a second mate's certificate of
competency.

Such service may, under the same conditions, be accepted to
qualify a candidate to be examined for a master's certificate
of competency, provided the candidate has also served at sea at
least twelve months in a position not lower than that of second
mate while in possession of a first mate's certificate of com-
petency.

If a candidate has had no service as first mate, he must have
been six and a half years at sea, of which two and a half years
must have been as mate of a lower grade under the above-named
conditions. It will also be noted that occasional service in
charge of a watch in the day time will not be accepted as
mate's service under the regulations.

RIVER AND SMOOTH WATER SERVICE.

It is thought to be necessary to point out that the service
required to qualify candidates for masters' and mates' certificates
of competency is sea service, and that service performed on
rivers, no matter of what size, or within smooth water or
partially smooth water limits, cannot be accepted.

Public Libraries.

Education Department,
Wellington, 20th September, 1883.

NOTICE is hereby given that the sum of £6,000 has
been voted by Parliament for distribution to public
libraries.

The distribution will take place on the 31st January, 1884,
and no claim will be considered that shall not have been sent
in in due form and received by the Secretary for Education,
Wellington, before the 22nd January, 1884.

Every public library maintained by rates will be entitled
to share in the distribution according to its income from
rates; and every library maintained by subscriptions and
voluntary contributions will be entitled to share according to
its income from subscriptions and voluntary contributions:
Provided in either case that the income for the year has not
been less than £2; and that admission to the library, if within
a borough, is open to the public free of charge.

The income of each library may be stated either for the
year ending 31st December, 1883, or for the year ending with
that day in the year 1883 on which the annual accounts of
the library were made up.

The distribution will not be in proportion to the several
incomes of the libraries; but a nominal addition of £25 will
be made to the amount of each income, and the vote of
£6,000 will be divided in proportion to the amounts as thus
augmented, but so as that no institution shall receive more
than £50, and that no payment shall be made in respect of
income derived from endowments or grants from Borough or
County Councils, or of moneys received for building purposes
and not simply for the library itself.

Application to share in the distribution must be made in
the form of a statutory declaration by the Chairman, or
Secretary, or Treasurer of the institution on behalf of which
it is made; and such declaration shall be in the following
form:—

DECLARATION.

I [Name], of [Place of abode], [Occupation], do solemnly
and sincerely declare that I am Chairman [or Secretary, or
Treasurer] of the [Name of institution]; that during the year
ending the day of , 1883, the income of the
aforesaid institution for the purposes of a library only was as
follows:—From rates levied by a local governing body under
"The Public Libraries Act, 1869," pounds
shillings and pence; and from the subscriptions of
members, pounds shillings and pence; and from voluntary contributions other than mem-
bers' subscriptions, pounds shillings and
pence; and that the attached statement is a true
copy of the audited statement of the accounts of the insti-
tution for the year herein specified; and that by the rules of
the institution admission to the reading-room is open to the
public free of charge.

And I make this solemn declaration conscientiously be-
lieving the same to be true, and by virtue of an Act of the
General Assembly of New Zealand intituled "The Justices
of the Peace Act, 1882."

[Here affix and
cancel a stamp
at 2s. 6d.]

Signature:
Declared at , this
day of , 188 , before
me—
Justice of the Peace
[or Solicitor, or Notary Public].

[NOTE.—The words relating to free admission may be
struck out if the library is not in a borough. The words in
brackets are not part of the form, but indicate matter to be
inserted or substituted.]

Copies of the form of statutory declaration may be
obtained on application to the Secretary for Education,
Wellington, or to the Secretary of any Education Board.

THOMAS DICK.

Post-offices opened.

General Post-office,
Wellington, 27th September, 1883.

THE following list of additional post-offices which have
been opened in the colony is published for general
information.

RICHARD OLIVER,
Postmaster-General.

Post-offices closed.

General Post-office,
Wellington, 27th September, 1883.

THE following list of post-offices within the colony which
have been closed is published for general information.

RICHARD OLIVER,
Postmaster-General.