THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 16TM DECEMBER, 1876.
565
A.D. 1876.
26. With respect to the marking of a load-line on British ships the following provisions shall have effect: (1.) The owner of every British ship (except ships under eighty tons register employed solely in the
coasting trade, ships employed solely in fishing, and pleasure yachts) shall, before entering his Marking of load-line foreign-going British ship outwards from any port in the United Kingdom upon any voyage for which he is required ships. so to enter her, or, if that is not practicable, as soon after as may be mark upon each of her' sides amidships, or as near thereto as is practicable, in white or yellow on a dark ground, or in black on a light ground, a circular disc twelve inches in diameter, with a horizontal line eighteen inches in length drawn through its centre:
(2.) The centre of this disc shall indicate the maximum load-line in salt water to which the owner intends
to load the ship for that voyage:
(3.) He shall also, upon so entering her, insert in the form of entry delivered to the collector or other principal officer of Customs a statement in writing of the distance in feet and inches between
the centre of this disc and the upper edge of each of the lines indicating the position of the ship's decks which is above that centre:
(4.) If default is made in delivering this statement in the case of any ship, any officer of Customs may
refuse to enter the ship outwards:
(5.) The master of the ship shall enter a copy of this statement in the agreement with the crew before it is signed by any member of the crew, and no superintendent of any mercantile marine office shall proceed with the engagement of the crew until this entry is made:
(6.) The master of the ship shall also enter a copy of this statement in the official log book:
(7.) When a ship has been marked as by this section required, she shall be kept so marked until her
next return to a port of discharge in the United Kingdom.
27. With respect to the marking of a load-line on British ships employed in the coasting trade, the Marking of load-line following provisions shalf have effect:
(1.) The owner of every British ship employed in the coasting trade on the coasts of the United Kingdom (except ships under eighty tons register employed solely in that trade) shall, before proceeding to sea from any port, mark upon each of her sides amidships, or as near thereto as is practicable, in white or yellow on a dark ground, or in black on a light ground, a circular dise twelve inches in diameter, with a horizontal line eighteen inches in length drawn through its
centre:
(2.) The centre of this disc shall indicate the maximum load-line in salt water to which the owner
intends to load the ship, until notice is given of an alteration:
(3.) He shall also once in every twelve months, immediately before the ship proceeds to sea, send or deliver to the collector or other principal officer of Customs of the port of registry of the ship a statement in writing of the distance in feet and inches between the centre of the disc and the upper edge of each of the lines indicating the position of the ship's decks which is above that centre: (4.) The owner, before the ship proceeds to sea after any renewal or alteration of the disc, shall send or deliver to the collector or other principal officer of Customs of the port of registry of the ship notice in writing of such renewal or alteration, together with such statement in writing as before mentioned of the distance between the centre of the disc and the upper edge of each of the deck-lines:
(5.). If default is made in sending or delivering any notice or statement required by this section to be
sent or delivered, the owner shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding one hundred pounds: (6.) When a ship bas been marked as by this section required, she shall be kept so marked until
notice is given of an alteration.
in case of coasting vessels.
28. Any owner or master of a British ship who neglects to cause his ship to be marked as by this Penalty for offences Act required, or to keep her so marked, or who allows the ship to be so loaded as to submerge in salt in relation to marks water the centre of the disc, and any person who conceals, removes, alters, defaces, or obliterates, or ou ships. suffers any person under his control to conceal, remove, alter, deface, or obliterate, any of the said marks, except in the event of the particulars thereby denoted being lawfully altered, or except for the purpose of escaping capture by an enemy, shali for each offence incur a penalty not exceeding one hundred pounds.
If any of the marks required by this Act is in any respect inaccurate, so as to be likely to mislead, the owner of the ship shall incur a penalty not exceeding one hundred pounds.
Investigations into Shipping Casualties.
29. For the purpose of rendering investigations into shipping casualties more speedy and effectual it Appointment, duties, shall be lawful for the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain to appoint from time to time some fit person and powers of wreck or persons to be a wreck commissioner or wreck commissioners for the United Kingdom, so that there shall commissioners for
investigating shipping not be more than three such commissioners at any one time, and to remove any such wreck commissioner; casualties. and in case it shall become necessary to appoint a wreck commissioner in Ireland the Lord Chancellor of Ireland shall have the appointment and the power of removal of such wreck commissioner.
formal
It shall be duty of a wreck commissioner, at the request of the Board of Trade, to hold any investigation into a loss, abandonment, damage, or casualty (in this Act called a shipping casualty) under the eighth part of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1854, and for that purpose he shall have the same jurisdiction and powers as are thereby conferred on two justices, and all the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Acts, 1854 to 1876, with respect to investigations conducted under the eighth part of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1854, shall apply to investigations held by a wreck commissioner.
30. The wreck commissioner, justices, or other authority holding a formal investigation into a shipping Assessors and rules of casualty shall hold the same with the assistance of an assessor or assessors of nautical engineering or other procedure on tormal special skill or knowledge, to be appointed by the commissioner, justices, or authority out of a list of persons for the time being approved for the purpose by a Secretary of State.
The commissioner, justices, or authority, when of opinion that the investigation is likely to involve the cancellation or suspension of the certificate of a master or mate, shall, where practicable, appoint a person having experience in the merchant service to be one of the assessors.
Each assessor shall either sign the report made on the investigation, or report to the Board of Trade his reasons for his dissent therefrom.
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain may from time to time, with the consent of the Treasury so far as relates to fees, make, and when made revoke, alter and add to general rules for carrying into effect the enactments relating to formal investigations into shipping casualties, and in particular with respect to the summoning of assessors, the procedure, the parties, the persons allowed to appear, the notice to such parties and persons or to persons affected, and the amount and application of fees. All such rules, while in force, shall have effect as if enacted in this Act.
investigations into shipping casualties.