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(COPY.)
M. 17155.
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 5TH MAY, 1877.
The Board of Trade to the Colonial Office.
BOARD OF TRADE, WHITEHALL GARDENS,
1st January, 1877.
DECK CARGOES.
SIR,-I am directed by the Board of Trade to state, for the information of the Earl of Carnarvon, that in order to prevent unnecessary delay and inconvenience in measuring the deck cargo space of vessels in accordance with the provisions of section 23 of the "Merchant Shipping Act, 1876," they have dediced upon adopting the following arrangements.
With regard to vessels clearing outwards from ports in the United Kingdom considerable difficul- ties have arisen, especially in the case of small quantities of deck cargo taken in at the last moment. The Board of Trade have therefore determined upon accepting a Form of Declaration from the owners of the ships stating the maximum amount of deck cargo they intend carrying, and this statement will, as a general rule, be acted on, and in the absence of grounds for suspicion, be acted on without re- With respect to vessels clearing inwards quiring the deck cargo space to be measured in this country. at ports in the United Kingdom, the deck cargo space will be measured by the Custom's officer who boards the ship, and he will give a form to the master of the ship, stating the tonnage of the space in question, and will make an entry of the same in the official Log Book.
The dues will be charged in the case of ships clearing outwards on the Declaration Form (Surveys 104a), and in the case of ships clearing inwards on the Form (Surveys 104).
The Board of Trade have issued the necessary instructions to their officers in this country, and have requested the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Customs to instruct the Officers of the Custoins whose duty it will be to measure the deck cargo space of each foreign-going vessel upon its arrival in the United Kingdom.
The details of the practice will be found in the Instructions and Forms accompanying this letter. The Board suggest that the Governments of the several colonies should be informed of the ar- rangements that have been made, so that they may, if necessary and desirable, be able to follow a similar course.
The Board would further suggest that the Officers of Customs in each of the colonies should be instructed to report to the Board of Trade any case in which a ship arrives in the colony from the United Kingdom, carrying deck cargo in excess of the amount stated in Form Surveys 10ła, in order that the necessary steps may be taken in the matter.
The Board of Trade would also suggest that if any colonial Government adopts the plan thus adopted in this country, and issues a Form equivalent to the Form herein enclosed to ships leaving the colony for the United Kingdom, and also causes the necessary entries to be made in the official Log, it will greatly facilitate the measurement of the deck cargo space on arrival in the United Kingdom.
The Under Secretary of State, Colonial Office.
I have, &c.,
(Signed,) THOMAS GRAY,