1492
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 6TH OCTOBER, 1905.
Service determined
by Articles. BT Reg. 1904. Sec. 6.
Age.
The examiner should be particularly careful to ascertain that there are no gaps in the Candidate's service which are not properly accounted for, before he is allowed up for examination.
5. Services which cannot be verified by proper entries in the Articles of the ships in which the Candidate has 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.
6. Should any doubt exist as to the age of a Candidate, he will be Ibid. Sec. 7. required to produce a certificate of birth.
Fraud and misrepre sentation.
7. It is provided by Section 104 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, that any person who makes, assists in making, or procures to be made, Ibid. Sec. 8. any false representation for the purpose of procuring for himself or any other person a Certificate of Competency, shall, in respect of such offence, be guilty of a misdemeanour, the punishment for which is im- prisonment for any period not exceeding six months, with or without hard labour, or a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds.
Testimonials required.
8. Testimonials as to character, including sobriety, and to experience and ability, on board ship for at least the twelve months of service Ibid. Sec. 9 immediately preceding the date of application to be examined, will be required of all Candidates, and without producing them no person will be examined.
Penalty for
9. Candidates who have neglected to join their vessels after having mi-conduct. signed Articles, or who have deserted their vessels after having joined, Ibid. Sec. 10.
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 Harbour Master, after having in- vestigated the matter, should see fit to reduce the time.
Foreigners
to know English.
Ibid. Sec. 11.
Service
found to be insufficient. Ibid. Sec. 13,
Failure.
10. Foreigners 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.
11. If, after a Candidate has passed the examination it is discovered on further investigation that his services are insufficient to entitle him to receive a Certificate of the grade for which he has passed, the Certificate will not be granted to him, but if the Harbour Master 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 superior Certificate 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, unless the Harbour Master sees fit to dispense with the re-examination.
12. In all cases of failure the Candidate must be examined anew. Ibid. Sec. 14. If a Candidate fails in Seamanship he will not be re-examined until after a lapse of six months. Whether the whole or part of this period must be served at sea must depend upon the subjects in Seamanship in which the Candidate failed, but the amount of further sea service to be required will be left to the discretion of the examiner.
Failure in
13. If a Candidate fails three times in Navigation within three Navigation months, he will not be re-examined until after a lapse of three months Ibid. Sec. 16. from the date of the last failure.
Failure in examin-
ation. Issue of a lower
ficate.
14. If a Candidate has failed in his examination, but the subjects in which he has failed are not included in the subjects required for a Cer- tificate of a lower grade, he may, if he so desires, proceed with the grade Certi- examination for the lower grade Certificate without further formal Ibid. Sec. 18, application or payment of fee, but in this case he will be required to complete the whole of the work prescribed for such lower grade, that portion (if any) already done standing good. No part, however, of the fee he has paid will be returned to him, and on presenting himself when qualified, for re-examination for the higher Certificate, he will be required to pay a further full fee.