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MARINE COURTS.
(Under Section 13 of Ordinance No. 26 of 1891.)
18. The following Courts have been held during the year :-
1. On the 3rd and 4th May, inquiry respecting the circumstances connected with the stranding of the British Steam-ship "Sishan," Official No. 89,083 of London, near the Middle Rocks, China Sea, on the 22nd April, 1898. The Master's (John Jenkins) Certificate of Competency was suspend- ed for one month.
2. On the 20th and 21st May, inquiry respecting the circumstances connected with the stranding of the British Steam-ship "Ching Po," Official No. 107,013 of Hongkong, on the West River, China, on the 23rd and 24th March, 1898. The Master's (Peter Ryves Marsh) Certificate of Competency was suspended for four months.
SUNDAY CARGO-WORKING.
(Ordinance No. 6 of 1891.)
19. During the year 258 Permits were issued, under the provisions of the Ordinance; of these 65 were not availed of owing to its being found unnecessary for the ship to work cargo on the Sunday, and the fee paid for the permit was refunded in each case, and 22 Permits were issued free of charge to Mail steamers.
The revenue collected under this heading was $25,925; this was $14,075 more than 1897. The Revenue Collected each year since the Ordinance came into force is as follows:-
1892, 1893,
1894,
1895,
1896,
1897, 1898,
..$ 4,800 .$ 7,900 ..$13,375
.$11,600
.$ 7,575
$11,850
.$25,925
As a revenue raising measure, therefore, it has been very successful, as a prevention of Sunday work, however, not much can be said for it; 1o of the total ocean-going tonnage entering availed of it in 1893 and 7°。 in 1898.
SEAMEN.
20. 18,894 seamen were shipped, and 21,504 discharged, at the Mercantile Marine Office and on board ships during the year.
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232"Distressed Seamen were received during the year; of these 37 were sent to the United Kingdom, 1 to Singapore, 1 to Melbourne, 3 to Sydney, 1 to Vancouver, 4 died, 160 obtained employ- ment, 2 remained at the Victoria Gaol, 3 at the Government Civil Hospital and 20 at the Sailors' Home.
$5,019.33 were expended by the Harbour Master on behalf of the Board of Trade in the relief of these "Distressed Seamen " and $98.33 by the Colony.
MARINE SURVEYOR'S SUB-DEPARTMENT.
21. Return No. XXII. shows the work performed by this branch of the Harbour Department, and in forwarding this I again desire to record my appreciation of the manner in which the work of this sub-department is carried out.
In my Annual Report for 1894 I referred at length to the case of the Government Marine Surveyor and his Assistant, and I reproduced an extract from a report made by me in a letter dated 14th June, 1892, as follows:-
"The duties of these Surveyors, I am convinced, are very onerous, the inspection of "boilers and engines, especially during the hot weather, being most trying.
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"The conditions also under which these surveys are held at Hongkong are peculiar, owing to the short time that vessels as a rule remain in port. In order to save time, "applications for survey are constantly received before the vessel's arrival, and it frequently happens that the completion of the survey is the final act before she again leaves. They 'cannot even afford to wait for their passenger certificates, clearances being frequently granted them by me on receipt of a report from the Surveyor that the requirements of the "law have been complied with.
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