Hon. Col. Secretary.
In compliance with His Excellency's wish I went on board and inspected the "Tartar" this forenoon.
The day was an unfavourable one on account of the heavy rain, and the ship had not been cleaned since coaling, but apart from this the conditions on board beat anything that I have ever seen on board ship, much worse than a Chinese Emigrant Ship going the same voyage.
I told the Captain I would send the Marine Surveyor on board to inspect the life-saving appliances and that if there were found sufficient for the number on board clearance would no longer be refused.
After going on board, the Marine Surveyor reported that the deficiency of life belts which had caused the reduction in the number of passengers had been made good, and as the other appliances were in order clearance was granted on the Captain's application at 3:30 p.m.
It is a remarkable fact—and it is evidence of the little interest the ship's people took in the matter, and the utter absence of any endeavour on their part to overcome the difficulty which had arisen, that they did not take the trouble to make known the fact that the complement of life-belts had been increased since the ship was surveyed, and granted the Passenger Certificate though they must have known that this was the only particular in which the life-saving appliances were deficient and on account of which the number of passengers had