962
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 21

14. No goods or other articles shall be put in or on any wharf under the control of the Department so as to be an impediment to the approaches or an obstacle to the removal of other goods from such wharf.

15. All goods and cattle placed on any wharf under the control of the Department or in any yard under such control shall be at the owner’s risk.

16. The Harbourmaster, when he shall deem it necessary for the convenience of the loading and unloading of vessels, or for the better regulating of the traffic, or for any other purpose authorized by the Department, may block off, fence, or otherwise stop from being used as a thoroughfare any portion or portions of the wharves under the control of the Department.

17. Masters of vessels lying alongside any wharf under the control of the Department shall be responsible for all damage caused to all goods lying on such wharf by water used for washing-down decks or for any other purpose upon such vessels.

18. The master of every vessel lying alongside any wharf under the control of the Department shall have closed for use, or shall have properly screened and protected in a manner to be approved by the Harbourmaster, all openings out of which water, steam, or other fluid is liable to be discharged, so as to ensure that such water, steam, or other fluid shall not fall on or wet the deck of such wharf.

19. Proper and sufficient save-alls or nets, in good order, shall at all times be provided and securely fastened by vessels between such vessels and wharves to the satisfaction of the Harbourmaster when passengers or cargo are being landed or shipped.

TOWAGE CHARGES.

20. The following shall be the towage charges:—
    (a.) For towing steamers of 2,000 tons net register and over in or out of the Port of Westport .. .. .. £ s. d.
    20 0 0
    (b.) For towing steamers of less than 2,000 tons net register, but not less than 1,500 tons, in or out of the Port of Westport .. 17 10 0
    (c.) For towing steamers of less than 1,500 tons net register, but not less than 1,000 tons, in or out of the Port of Westport .. 15 0 0
    (d.) For towing steamers of less than 1,000 tons net register, but not less than 800 tons, in or out of the Port of Westport .. 12 10 0
    (e.) For towing steamers of less than 800 tons net register in or out of the Port of Westport .. .. .. 10 0 0
    (f.) For towing sailing-vessels (including sailing-vessels with auxiliary engines) in or out of the Port of Westport, 9d. per ton on the net registered tonnage: Provided that the charge per vessel shall not exceed £20 or be less than £7 10s. for each towage in or out.
    (g.) For the use of the tug when shifting any vessel from one part of the harbour to any other part of the harbour, 1d. per ton on the net registered tonnage, with a minimum charge of £5 if steam specially raised for the service, or £2 if tug already under steam.
    (h.) For specially sounding the bar at the request of the master, agent, or owner of any vessel which does not immediately after such soundings are taken use the tug, the sum of £3.

All the foregoing charges for towage and services of the tug (including minimum and maximum charges) to be subject to 25 per cent. increase for services on Sundays and public holidays.

21. When the steam-tug belonging to the Department is required to perform any work not specified in the foregoing scale the Harbourmaster or, in his absence, the master of the tug shall have power to make a special agreement for the same, and also to make any agreement as to the remuneration for attending on vessels in distress or cast or run ashore.

22. Applications for outward towage shall be made in writing on the prescribed form to the Harbourmaster, or to the master of the tug before the services of the tug shall be required, and no deduction shall be made from the charge if the tug shall be prevented from towing the vessel through the action of the person in charge of the vessel to be towed, or for any other reason for which the tug is not responsible.

23. The outward-towage work shall be taken in the order of the application and the inward-towage work shall be undertaken according to the priority of arrival in the roadstead, subject in both cases, however, to the state of the tide and weather; and the order may also be varied in the absolute discretion of the Harbourmaster if from any reason he deems it necessary to do so, and the Department shall not be liable for any loss arising from any such variation of the order of towage, or delay in performing towage or inability to provide towage power.

24. On the hiring of the Department steam-tug for towage services the master or other person in charge and the crew thereof become the servants of and identified with the ship which is being towed, and this whether or not the master of the tug acts as pilot in charge of the ship which is being towed; the Department undertaking only to provide the motive power; and the Department will not be responsible for any damage or loss that may arise to ship or cargo, nor for any damage caused by the defect in or accident happening to the machinery of the steam-tug, or to the towing-gear, or by any peril of the seas, river, or navigation, or otherwise.

25. The foregoing scale of towage rates shall not prejudice any claim the Department may have to salvage remuneration for any extraordinary services that may be rendered to ship or cargo, or arising out of any circumstances not existing or contemplated at the time of making the ordinary application for the use of the tug.

26. The ordinary towage scale is not to apply to salvage services, or to claims for or in the nature of salvage.

27. All towage charges shall be due and payable when the application for the services of the tug is made, and are paid to the Secretary-Manager, and failing payment having been made the Harbourmaster or master of the steam-tug may require payment before the performance of the services is required. Should the services of the tug not be required after any application for the service shall have been made the person or persons so applying shall not be entitled to any rebate on or refund of any such charges on account thereof, but shall be liable for the same as if the service required had been duly rendered.

28. On a vessel being signalled the tug will, at the discretion of the Harbourmaster, immediately proceed out to her; the master of the tug is authorized to make a fair additional charge for towing vessels from or to any point beyond three miles from the signal-station.

29. If at any time the Department decides to use its steam dredge for towage all the foregoing provisions relating to the Department’s steam-tug shall relate, mutatis mutandis, to the Department’s steam-dredge.

30. The Department may make arrangements for any steamer or steamers to perform towage services, and all the foregoing provisions relating to the Department’s steam-tug shall relate, mutatis mutandis, to any such steamer or steamers, it being distinctly understood that the Department shall not incur any liability whatsoever for any wrongful act, neglect, or default of the master or crew of such steam-dredge or steamer performing towage services or of the Harbourmaster or other servant of the Department, nor for any damage caused by defect in, or accident to, the machinery of such steam-dredge, steamer, or steamers, or to the towing-gear, or by any peril of the seas, river, or navigation, or otherwise.

WARPS.

31. Vessels at the wharves will be charged £2 per warp per trip for the use of the warps. Vessels not at the wharves, supplied with warps or other appliances, will be charged for the same not exceeding £2 for each rope supplied, at the discretion of the Harbourmaster. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to lay upon the Department any obligation to keep on hand, procure, or supply warps.

SWINGING WIRES.

32. Vessels requiring the use of a swinging wire will be charged £2 per wire per trip. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to lay upon the Department any obligation to keep on hand, procure, or supply swinging wires.

PILOTS AND PILOTAGE.

33. The Department hereby declares that the display of harbour beacons and of the other shore signals (including signals of every description from the signal-station at Westport) for the time being used for the purpose of aiding and directing vessels entering or going out of the port shall be deemed to be pilot service, and the following shall be the rates paid to the Department for such pilot service (hereinafter called “ordinary pilotage”):—

For every vessel inwards the sum of 1d. per ton net register, and for every vessel outwards the same charge. If in any case the Harbourmaster considers a vessel cannot safely enter or leave the port without a pilot, or that for other reasons a pilot should board her, or if the owner, master, or agent of any vessel apply to the Harbourmaster for a pilot (in any of which cases the service to be rendered is hereinafter called “special pilotage”) the charge shall be as follows:—

For every sailing-vessel the sum of 6d. per ton inward, and the same sum outward.

For every steam-vessel the sum of 4d. per ton inward, and the same sum outward.