JUNE 7.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1449

The point on which information is sought should be clearly stated, and certificates, discharges, testimonials, &c., should be forwarded when they are material to the inquiry.

6. 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 may state that his service has been as second or only mate, and to support his assertion may produce a certificate of discharge or of employment from the master, to the effect that he served as mate, when on reference to the articles it appears that he has actually been rated as boatswain: the service in such a case will not be regarded as having been in the capacity of mate.

7. Should any doubt exist as to the age of a candidate, he will be required to produce a certificate of birth.

8. It is provided by section 32 of “The Shipping and Seamen Act, 1903,” that any person who makes, assists in making, or procures to be made, any false representation for the purpose of procuring, either for himself or for any other person, a certificate of competency or service or the grant of any such certificate shall in respect of each offence be guilty of a crime the punishment for which is imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or a fine not exceeding £100.

9. Testimonials to character, including sobriety, and to experience and ability, 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 candidates, and without producing them no person will be examined.

10. 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.

11. Every candidate for a certificate of competency of any grade must pass the three sight-tests before he can proceed to the examination in navigation and seamanship.

(i.) The sight-tests are open to all persons serving or intending to serve in the mercantile marine, and all such persons are recommended to take the earliest opportunity of ascertaining by means of these tests whether their vision is such as to qualify them for service in that profession.

(ii.) The three tests are:—
(a) form-vision test (see Appendix A);
(b) colour-vision test (see Appendix A);
(c) colour-ignorance test (see Appendix A).

No candidate will be examined in the colour-vision test until he has passed the form-vision test, or in the colour-ignorance test until he has passed the colour-vision test.

This rule must be observed whether the candidate has or has not on any previous occasion passed the sight-tests.

(iii.) Any person serving or intending to serve in the mercantile marine, if desirous of undergoing the form-vision, colour-vision, and colour-ignorance tests only, must make application to the Superintendent of a Mercantile Marine Office on the Form Exn. 2b, and must pay a fee of 2s. 6d.

This fee will be payable on each occasion upon which a candidate is examined in form-vision and colour-tests.

(iv.) Candidates who fail to pass the form-vision test or colour-ignorance test can be re-examined at intervals of three months; but candidates who fail to pass the colour-vision test cannot be re-examined. It is open, however, to any candidate who has failed to pass the colour-vision test to appeal to the Marine Department, who may, if they think fit, remit the case to a special examiner, or body of examiners, for final decision.

(v.) The expenses of candidates who are examined by the special examiner or body of examiners, and are reported by them to have passed will, under certain circumstances, be paid by the Marine Department, at a rate which will be notified to the candidate; but no payment whatever will be made towards the expenses of candidates who upon their own application are examined by the special examiners, and are reported by them to have failed, unless the Marine Department consider that the particular circumstances of the case justify such payment. The special examinations will be held in Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton (or Christchurch), and Dunedin.

(vi.) When a candidate fails to pass the colour-vision test the Examiner will point out to him the conditions under which he can appeal. Appeals are to be made through the Examiner, and forwarded to the Marine Department, with the Examiner’s remarks.

(vii.) The fee paid for examination for a certificate of competency includes the fee of 2s. 6d. for examination in form-vision, colour-vision, and colour-ignorance; and if the candidate fails to pass those tests this fee will, with the exception of 2s. 6d., be returned to him.

(viii.) Only Examiners who have themselves passed the colour-vision test are to undertake these examinations.

(ix.) Whenever the holder of a certificate of competency fails to pass any of the three tests, there is reason to believe that he is from incompetency unfit to discharge his duties, and in the public interest the Marine Department may cause an inquiry to be held by a Court having jurisdiction to cancel or suspend such certificate; but, in the alternative, the Marine Department may accept the voluntary surrender of the certificate until such time as the applicant succeeds in passing the test in which he failed.

12. Foreigners being British subjects must prove to the satisfaction of the Examiners that they can speak and write the English language sufficiently well to perform the duties required of them on board a British vessel. (See par. 20.)

13. If the candidate passes he will receive a form (Form Exn. 16) authorising the Superintendent of the Mercantile Marine Office to whom it is addressed to issue the certificate. The candidate’s testimonials