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wrong impression, having no knowledge of his practical acquaint- ance ship with the Merchant Service. Perhaps this was natural, as it is only in very rare cases indeed that Naval Officers possess this experience. Oving to the information which is now supplied, we would certainly withdraw any references which have been made as to the qualifications of Captain Barnes Lawrence to deal with cases affecting merchant ships. At the same time we trust that further Magistrates presiding over the Court will be required to have had experience in merhhant ships similar to Captain Barnes Lawrence.
Dealing with the fourth paragraph of the Governor's Report we observe that the person known on the "Wing Chai" as the Pilot was an unlicensed and uncertificated member of the crew of that ship to whom no responsibility whatever could attach. Taking this paragraph and the fifth paragraph collectively we find, from Captain Barnes Lawrence's decision, that he refers to the Pilot on several occasions. Further we believe that this Pilot is one of those men who are usually engaged for the purpose owing to their being so familiar with local navigation.
It seems to have been the case that the whole of the trouble was due to the Pilot altering the course of the "Wing Chai" during the temporary absence of the Master. Knowing as we now
do, that the Pilot of the "Wing Chai" was neither licensed nor certificated this naturally adds to the responsibility of the Master, but the remarks in Captain Barnes Lawrence's decision to which the Guild took objection were that in no-vise is a Master absolved from responsibility in the event of an accident". Τη
the case of the S.S. "Grecian", which we brought to your notice on the 7th December of last year, we proved that occasions may
Arise when the Master is absolved from responsibility in the
event of an accident, and that was our reason for considering
that/