3064
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 74

(g.) If the ship is a sailing-ship of over 5 tons and up
to 25 tons register, carrying passengers within
such restricted limits as may be approved by
the Minister, then with a duly certified
master whose certificate shall be of a grade pre-
scribed by the Minister.

(h.) If the ship is a fishing-boat exclusively employed
in fishing on the coast of the colony, whether
sea-going or running within river or extended
river limits, then with a duly certified
master whose certificate shall be of a grade pre-
scribed by the Minister.

An officer is not duly certified unless he is the
holder for the time being of a valid certificate of com-
petency (or service) under the Shipping and Seamen Act
of a grade appropriate to his station in the ship or of
a higher grade.

If any person, having been engaged as one of the
above-mentioned officers goes to sea as such officer with-
out being duly certified, or employs a person as an
officer in contravention of this section without ascertain-
ing that the person so serving is duly certified, that
person shall be liable for each offence to a fine not ex-
ceeding £50.

2. Certificates of competency will be granted to those
   persons being British subjects who pass the requisite
   examination and otherwise comply with the requisite
   conditions. For this purpose Examiners have been ap-
   pointed, and arrangements have been made for holding
   examinations. The time and places at which these ex-
   aminations are held are shown in Appendix B.

3. Candidates for examination must fill up a form of
   application (Form Exn. 2) at a Mercantile Marine Office.
   The form, properly filled in, together with the candi-
   date’s testimonials and discharges, must be lodged with
   the local Examiner not later than the day before the day
   of examination, and the candidate must conform to any
   regulations in this respect which may be laid down
   by the Marine Department. As discharges and testi-
   monials may require verification, it is desirable that they
   should be handed in, together with the form of appli-
   cation, as many days as possible before the date of the
   examination which the candidate desires to attend. In
   the absence of the necessary verification the candidate
   cannot be examined.

The Examiner should be particularly careful to ascer-
tain that there are no gaps in the candidate’s service
which are not properly accounted for before he is al-
lowed up for examination.

4. In cases where the services of a candidate require
   verification, or where he is in doubt whether his service
   complies with the regulations, and wishes to submit his
   case for special consideration, all certificates, discharges,
   and testimonials, together with the form of applica-
   tion (Form Exn. 2, which can be obtained at any Mer-
   cantile Marine Office), properly filled in, should be
   submitted to the Examiner of Masters and Mates or
   to the Superintendent of the Mercantile Marine. If
   necessary, the officer will, after seeing that all the re-
   quired information is clearly set forth in the papers,
   forward them, with his observations, to the Marine
   Department, who will deal with the case.

5. All other inquiries regarding examinations should
   be made and dealt with in the same way. 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. Sea service cannot be regarded as qualifying for
   examination for certificates of competency unless it can
   be verified by reference to the articles of the ship on
   which it was performed—e.g., service claimed by testi-
   monial or otherwise to have been as mate when the actual
   rating as shown by the articles was only that of boat-
   swain or other petty officer will not be accepted where
   officer’s service is required. Where service as first (or
   second) mate is required to qualify for examination
   the candidate must actually have held the executive
   position next (or next but one) to the master.

Candidates who represent themselves as having served
in a higher capacity than that actually held in the ship
render themselves liable to prosecution under section 32
of “The Shipping and Seamen Act, 1908.” (See par. 8.)
In this connection Examiners should remember that it
is a common practice for officers to be rated on ships’
articles as “second mate” although in reality they were
only third or fourth mates, and acted in one of those
positions on board ship.

In every case where a candidate for a master’s certifi-
cate of competency claims service as second mate, he
should be requested to make a declaration in Divn. G of
the Form Exn. 2, to the effect that during his service as
second mate he had only one officer over him, or, if
more than one, that a third and a fourth mate were also
carried.

If the service claimed is as “auxiliary second mate,”
the candidate should be required to state the number of
officers serving in a junior capacity.

A candidate with first mate’s service should make a
declaration that he was the senior officer under the
master, or, if not, he must comply with the requirements
of par. 128, as it has been found that in some cases the
second mate has been signed on the articles as first mate,
the proper first mate being called “chief officer” simply
for examination purposes.

It must be clearly understood that the amount of ser-
vice laid down in the regulations for each grade of cer-
tificate of competency is the absolute minimum that can
be accepted, and unless a candidate can show the full
amount he must in no case be allowed up for examina-
tion.

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, 1908,” that any person who makes, assists
   in making, or procures to be made any false representa-
   tion 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 punish-
   ment 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 ser-
    vice and good conduct at sea, unless the Marine Depart-
    ment, 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 seaman-
    ship.

(i.) The sight-tests are open to all persons serving
or intending to serve in the mercantile ma-
rine, and all such persons are recommended
to take the earliest opportunity of ascertain-
ing 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);