Nov. 15.]

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

3283

19. Position of Lifebuoys and Life-jackets.

All lifebuoys and life-jackets shall be suitably placed to the satisfaction of a Surveyor of the Department, and so as to be readily accessible to all persons on board; and their position shall be plainly indicated so that it may be known to those for whom they are intended.

Lifebuoys shall always be capable of being rapidly cast loose, and shall not be rigidly secured in any way.

20. Saving for certain Ships and Boats.

(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in these rules, a passenger-steamer in Class VII or Class VIII, Home trade, shall not be required to be provided, until a date not later than twelve months from the date of the first survey made after the date of the coming into operation of these rules, with boats, approved life-rafts, approved buoyant deck-seats, or other approved buoyant apparatus more than sufficient to accommodate the following percentage of the total number of persons which the ship is certified to carry:

In Class VII ... ... ... 12½ per cent.
In Class VIII ... ... ... 12½ per cent.

In every case, subject to the discretionary power given to the Department by Class VII and Class VIII, Rules E and D, respectively, approved life-jackets shall be carried in accordance with the rules in the respective classes.

(2) Any boat which forms part of the equipment of a ship that was launched before the date of the coming into operation of these rules, and which has been inspected and approved by the Department before that date, may be accepted as equivalent to a lifeboat, so long as it remains in good condition.

(3) Boats and rafts which were ordered before the date on which these rules came into operation, in order to complete the equipment of a ship, but which were not delivered in sufficient time to be inspected by the Department before that date may be accepted as equivalent to lifeboats and pontoon life-rafts respectively, so long as they remain in good condition, and subject, as regards rafts, to their being in good condition and equipped and provisioned in accordance with the 1914 Life-saving Appliances Rules, and to such other conditions as the Department may in any particular case require: Provided that the boats and rafts shall not be so accepted unless-

(a) They have been inspected, where this has not already been done;
(b) They would have complied with the requirements of the 1914 Life-saving Appliances Rules.

21. Exemptions.

(1) If it appears to the Department, on the application of the owner of any ship, that it is not practicable or reasonable to fit in that ship the number of sets of davits required by these rules, the Department may direct that one or more sets of davits may be dispensed with in that ship, subject to such conditions, if any, as the Department may require:

Provided that in the case of a foreign-going passenger-steamer the number of davits fitted shall not be less than the minimum number of open boats of Class I required by these rules, except in the case of ships the keel of which was laid on or before the 31st December, 1914, or where in the opinion of the Department the circumstances are so exceptional as to justify under approved conditions such exemption, the minimum number of sets of davits may, if the ship is between 245 ft. and 460 ft. in length, be one less, and if the ship is 460 ft. or more in length, two less (one on each side of the ship) than the minimum number of open boats specified in column B of the table in Appendix I:

Provided further that, in the case of a foreign-going passenger-steamer, the owner of the ship in question shall be required to prove, by a test made in the presence of a Surveyor of the Department, that all the boats can be launched in a time to be fixed by the Department. The conditions of this test shall be as follows:

(i) The ship is to be upright and in smooth water.
(ii) The time is the time required from the beginning of the removal of the boat-covers, or any other operation necessary to prepare the boats for lowering, until the last boat is afloat.