Dec. 13.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1881

sary, the Examiner should see that it is made in both forms, otherwise delay in the issue of the certificate may be caused.

11. If after a candidate has passed his examination it is discovered on further investigation—e.g., by verification on the part of the Marine Department—that his services are insufficient to entitle him to receive a certificate of the grade for which he has passed, such certificate will not be granted to him; but, if the Marine Department is satisfied that the error in the calculation of the candidate’s services did not occur through any fault or wilful misrepresentation on his part, he may be granted a certificate of such lower grade as his service entitles him to. The difference, if any, between the fee paid by him for the superior certificate and the fee payable for the inferior certificate will be placed to his credit. A certificate for the higher grade will not be granted until the candidate has performed the amount of service in which he was deficient, and has been re-examined in all the subjects.

SUSPENSION OR CANCELLATION OF CERTIFICATES.

12. Certificates are liable to suspension or cancellation—
    (1.) On an investigation, ordered by the Minister of Marine under section 119 of “The Shipping and Seamen’s Act, 1877,” into the incompetency or misconduct of the possessors.
    (2.) By Courts of inquiry into shipping casualties under section 244 of “The Shipping and Seamen’s Act, 1877.”
    (3.) By the Governor, under section 121 of “The Shipping and Seamen’s Act, 1877,” upon conviction for any offence.

13. No certificate which has been cancelled will be re-issued or renewed without the express sanction of the Marine Department.

REGULATIONS AS REGARDS SEA SERVICE AND OTHER QUALIFICATIONS FOR EXAMINATION.

14. For foreign-going certificates the term “sea service” means, unless otherwise stated, service performed in foreign-going vessels.

15. For home-trade passenger-ship certificates service in the home or coasting trade is regarded as equivalent to service in the foreign trade; but for foreign-going certificates it is regarded as only equivalent to two-thirds of the same time served in the foreign trade.

16. CERTIFICATE.—By “certificate” is meant a certificate granted by the Board of Trade under the Merchant Shipping Acts or by the Government of a British possession under an Order in Council issued in pursuance of “The Merchant Shipping (Colonial) Act, 1869.”

17. Officer’s service, to be recognised as such, must be performed with the requisite certificate as specified in pars. 57, 60, and 82. The officer’s service performed by men who have been duly promoted during the course of a voyage (see par. 23), or who in consequence of serving in vessels plying between ports abroad have been unable to obtain the necessary certificate, may, however, be recognised, provided that it is in other respects satisfactory.

18. Testimonials to character, and to sobriety, experience, ability, and good conduct on board ship for at least the twelve months of service immediately preceding the date of application to be examined, will be required of all applicants, and without producing them no person will be examined.

19. Candidates who have neglected to join their vessels after having signed articles, or who have deserted their vessels after having joined, or who have been found guilty of gross misconduct on board, will be required to produce satisfactory proofs of two years’ subsequent service and good conduct at sea, unless the Marine Department, after having investigated the matter, should see fit to reduce the time.

20. The testimonials of service of foreigners and of British officers and seamen serving in foreign vessels, which cannot be verified, must be confirmed either by the Consul of the country to which the ship in which the candidate served belonged, or by some other recognised official authority of that country, or by the testimony of some credible person on the spot having personal knowledge of the facts required to be established. The production, however, of such proofs will not of necessity be deemed sufficient. Each case will be decided on its own merits, and if the sufficiency of the proofs given appears to be at all doubtful it must be referred to the Marine Department for decision.

21. The time for which length of service as seaman or officer in the mercantile marine is to be reckoned in all cases referred to in the following paragraphs is from the commencement to the termination of the voyage. The certificates of discharge will generally be accepted as proof of service. Great care must be exercised by the Superintendents and Examiners so as to detect any tampering with the information contained in these discharges; any suspicious cases must be reported at once to the Marine Department.

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22. Services which cannot be verified by proper entries in the articles of the ships in which the candidates have served cannot be counted. For instance, a man will state his service to have been as second or only mate, and to support his assertion will produce a certificate of discharge or of employment by the master to the effect that he served as mate, when on reference to the articles it appears that he had actually been rated as boatswain. The service in such a case will not be regarded as having been in the capacity of mate.

23. Whenever a man has, from any cause, been regularly promoted, on the occurrence of a vacancy in the course of the voyage, from the rank in which he first shipped, and such promotion, with the ground on which it has been made, is properly entered in the articles and in the official log-book, he will receive credit for his service in the higher grade for the period subsequent to his promotion.

24. Service performed exclusively in trawlers and other deep-sea fishing-vessels will not qualify a candidate for examination. He must, in addition, prove the following service:—

(1.) For a foreign-going certificate, service for at least eighteen months in an ordinary trading-vessel in the foreign trade, or the equivalent period (twenty-seven months) in the home or coasting trade.

(2.) For a home-trade passenger-ship certificate, service for at least twelve months in an ordinary trading-vessel in the foreign, home, or coasting trade.

25. Service in pleasure-yachts will be accepted as qualifying service under the following conditions:—

(a.) Service in pleasure-yachts must in all cases be verified by satisfactory proofs, which must set forth clearly and in detail the nature and duration of the service claimed; and it must be distinctly understood that only actual sea service will be accepted, service in harbour or port being inadmissible.

(b.) Service in foreign-going yachts will be accepted in full; and service performed within home-trade limits in sailing-yachts of not less than 50 tons net register or in steam-yachts of not less than 80 tons gross register will be accepted in the proportion stated in paragraph 15; but candidates must also show—(1) For a foreign-going certificate, service for at least eighteen months in an ordinary trading-vessel in the foreign trade, or for the equivalent period (twenty-seven months) in an ordinary trading-vessel in the home or coasting trade; (2) for a home-trade passenger-ship certificate, service for at least twelve months in an ordinary trading-vessel in the foreign, home, or coasting trade.

(c.) Service within home-trade limits in sailing-yachts of under 50 tons and not less than 20 tons net register, or in steam-yachts of under 80 tons and not less than 40 tons gross register, will be accepted towards qualifying a candidate for a foreign-going certificate as equivalent to half the same time served in the foreign trade; but no amount of such service shall count as more than two years’ service in the foreign trade, and no such service shall count as officers’ service to qualify candidates for foreign-going certificates.

(d.) Service within home-trade limits in sailing-yachts of not less than 20 tons net register, or in steam-yachts of not less than 40 tons gross register, will be accepted at the ordinary rate as qualifying service for home-trade passenger-ship certificates; but candidates must prove that they have, in addition, served for at least twelve months in an ordinary trading-vessel in the foreign, home, or coasting trade.

(e.) Service within home-trade limits in sailing-yachts of less than 20 tons net register, or in steam-yachts of less than 40 tons gross register, will not be accepted as qualifying service for any class of certificate.

26. Service performed in tug-boats employed outside partially-smooth-water limits may be accepted as sea service for qualifying for a mate’s or master’s certificate for home-trade passenger-ships.

27. Service in steam hopper-barges may (subject to par. 29) be allowed to count towards qualifying a candidate for a mate’s certificate of competency for home-trade passenger-ships, provided he can prove at least two years’ service in an ordinary trading-vessel in either the home, coasting, or foreign trade. Service in these steam-hoppers will not be accepted as officer’s service towards qualifying a candidate for a master’s certificate.

28. Service in light-ships or in an engine-room will not be accepted as sea service.