824
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 41

SPECIAL ORDER.

That a rate of a farthing in the pound on the rateable
value be levied on all rateable property in the Wallingford
Road Board District for the year commencing on the 1st day
of April, 1885, and ending on the 31st day of March, 1886.

The said rate to be payable in one sum on the 5th day of
January, 1886.

I hereby certify that the above special resolution has been
duly passed in conformity with clauses 74 and 75 of "The
Road Boards Act, 1882."

GEORGE HUNTER,
Chairman, Wallingford Road Board.
Porangahau, 20th June, 1885.

Special Order made by Porangahau Road Board, County
of Wairawa.

Colonial Secretary's Office,
Wellington, 27th June, 1885.

THE following special order, made by the Porangahau
Road Board, County of Wairawa, is published in
accordance with the provisions of "The Road Boards Act,
1882."

P. A. BUCKLEY.

SPECIAL ORDER.

That a rate of a farthing in the pound on the rateable
value be levied on all rateable property in the Porangahau
Road Board District for the year commencing on the 1st day
of April, 1885, and ending on the 31st day of March, 1886.

The said rate to be payable in one sum on the 5th day of
January, 1886.

I hereby certify that the above special resolution has been
duly passed in conformity with clauses 74 and 75 of "The
Road Boards Act, 1882."

GEORGE HUNTER,
Chairman, Porangahau Road Board.
Porangahau, 20th June, 1885.

Bonus for Kerosene.

Colonial Secretary's Office,
Wellington, 18th February, 1885.

NOTICE is hereby given that a bonus will be paid for
the production of kerosene under the following con-
ditions:—

A bonus of sixpence per gallon will be paid on kerosene
produced within the colony to an extent not exceeding
50,000 gallons, in quantities of not less than 10,000 gallons
at a time; the kerosene to be of a quality approved of by
Government, and to be sold at a fair average market price.

Conditions.

1. Notice of intention to claim the above bonus must be
   given in writing to the Colonial Secretary not later than the
   31st December, 1885.

2. The claim must be made before the 30th June, 1886.

3. The first claimant who proves to the satisfaction of the
   Government that he has fulfilled all the conditions to be the
   recipient of the bonus.

4. The other conditions as to quantity, priority, quality,
   and value to be fulfilled to the satisfaction of an officer
   appointed for the purpose by the Government.

P. A. BUCKLEY.

Appointment of Examination Shed.

CUSTOMS.—In exercise of the powers in me for this
purpose vested by "The Customs Laws Consolidation
Act, 1882," I, the Commissioner of Trade and Customs, do
hereby appoint the under-mentioned building to be a place
where goods may be deposited for examination on the land-
ing thereof, viz.:—

Port of Thames.

A building constructed of iron, situated at the lower end
of Burke Street Wharf, Thames.

Given under my hand at Wellington, this twenty-
ninth day of June, one thousand eight hundred
and eighty-five.

JULIUS VOGEL,
Commissioner of Trade and Customs.
Commissioner's Order No. 226.]

Approving and appointing a Bonding Warehouse.

CUSTOMS.—In exercise of the powers in me for this
purpose vested by "The Customs Laws Consolidation
Act, 1882," I, the Commissioner of Trade and Customs, do
hereby approve and appoint the under-mentioned warehouse
to be a warehouse for the reception of goods under bond,
namely:—

Port of Wairau.

A building constructed of iron, situate on part of Section
No. 28, Wynec Street, Blenheim, to be known as the
MARLBOROUGH BOND.

Given under my hand at Wellington, this twenty-
ninth day of June, one thousand eight hundred
and eighty-five.

JULIUS VOGEL,
Commissioner of Trade and Customs.
Commissioner's Order No. 227.]

Inquiry into Collision between Steamers "Wellington" and
"Macgregor" confirmed.

Marine Department,
Wellington, 20th June, 1885.

HIS Excellency the Governor has been pleased, in pur-
suance of the provisions of section 244 of "The
Shipping and Seamen's Act, 1877," to confirm the report of
the Court of Inquiry into the collision between the steamers
"Wellington" and "Macgregor," by which the New Zealand
Certificate of Competency as Master, Home Trade No. 5199,
held by Samuel Stephenson, the mate of the former vessel,
is suspended for three months, from the 10th instant. The
collision occurred off Kawau Island, at 9.45 p.m. on the 4th
ultimo.

W. J. M. LARNACH.

I AM of opinion that the masters of both ships are free from
blame, and their certificates will be returned. I am also
of opinion that the mate of the "Macgregor" followed the
rule of the road, and therefore is to be exonerated from blame.
I think he ought to have been able to see the masthead-light
of the "Wellington" at an earlier period than after passing
the Nelson Rock, but his failing to do so in no way con-
tributed to the casualty. He appears to have seen the
"Wellington's" side-lights in ample time, and was fully
justified in porting his helm. I think also that no blame
can be attached to the engineers of the "Macgregor," and,
in my opinion, a telegraph to the engine-room would not
have given any additional assistance in avoiding a collision.
The evidence of the witnesses from the "Macgregor" seems
to me to be substantially accurate. It appears that the
"Macgregor," after steering a S. 3/4 E. course towards the
Nelson Rock, altered her course to S. 3/4 W. on rounding the
rock, it being a quarter of a mile distant, and soon after to
S. by W. From this position a vessel steering N. or N. 1/2 W.,
as the "Wellington" was, would show both side-lights to the
"Macgregor," and the porting of the helm would be a proper
action on the part of the "Macgregor." I think the esti-
mate of distance (about half a mile) given by the mate and
master of the "Macgregor" as the distance between the two
vessels, when the order was given to port, is more in accord-
ance with the other ascertained facts of the case than the
smaller estimate—six or seven ships' lengths, i.e., something
less than quarter of a mile—given by the mate of the
"Wellington." The effect of porting the "Macgregor's"
helm, as seen from the "Wellington," would be ultimately
to show the "Macgregor's" red light, though I think her red
light must have been visible to the "Wellington" at an
earlier period, and therefore at a greater distance than is
alleged by the mate of the "Wellington." If the mate is
correct in stating that he continued to see the green light of
the "Macgregor" until the vessels were less than a quarter
of a mile apart, the "Wellington's" lights must have been
visible to the "Macgregor" on the starboard bow, or else one
or both of the vessels must have been considerably out of her
course. I see no reason, however, for rejecting the evidence
of the "Macgregor" that the "Wellington" was on her port
bow, and therefore come to the conclusion that at some time
both of the "Macgregor's" lights were visible to the "Wel-
lington," and ultimately the red light alone, and that in all
probability at a distance sufficient to avoid all danger if the
"Wellington" had been properly handled. One of the Nautical
Assessors has prepared a diagram showing the relative posi-
tions of the vessels according to the different statements of
the witnesses, which leads inevitably, to my mind, to this
conclusion. I am of opinion that the mate of the "Wel-
lington" is substantially accurate in his evidence as to the
order of events, viz., that he saw first the masthead-light of
the "Macgregor," then the green light—whether so much on
the starboard bow as he alleges seems doubtful (if it were
one and a half points on the bow, it is difficult to see any
reason for starboarding half a point), and ultimately the red
light, and that he then, or soon after, put his helm hard-a-
starboard; but I place no value upon his estimate of time.
I think starboarding his helm, in the circumstances, was an
error on his part. It seems to me, in fact, the one course of
conduct most likely to bring about a collision. Even assum-
ing his estimate of the distance between the two vessels when
the "Macgregor" showed her red-light to be correct, I think
a collision might have been avoided by proper precautions.