A.—sa

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HKI'ORT OK PBOCBBDINOS OK THK CONFERENCE.

" seaman has served in the capacity in which the discharge "is given for the time- specified in such discharge." It positively intimates the- capacity in which the seaman shall serve. The next clause provides for the delivery to the seaman of a copy of the discharges. 'Those two pro visions we intend to propose, and I move this resolution he-cause I want to stop the system which has been carried on in some of our ports the system of crimping which is going on to a fearful extent. There were two or three oases in Sydney lately, just before 1 left, when- tin- exposures were- really very horrible, as to what was done under tins buying and selling in the crimping system. Mu. HAVELOCK WILSON : Buying and selling dis charges —single sheets. Siu WILLIAM LYNE-: Oh, yes; but they go and take money. Mn. MILLS: 'That is an argument in favour of con tinuous discharge . I think I am right in saying that the system of continuous discharge is in existence in New Zealand —not in book form, but of sufficient size to admit of something like 14 discharges being entered upon it. Sir WILLIAM LYNE: This resolution. I submit, does not interfere with continuous discharge. Mn. MILLS: $oo are speaking of the facility that they have to transfer their discharges. Hon. DUGALD THOMSON : It is already the- lm perial law. and it is in this Royal C nimission Report. We are all agreed as to that. Mn. BELCHER : So far as the men in New Zealand arc concerned, they are not favourable to continuous discharge at all. Tin: CHAIRMAN : That is not involved in this resolution. This resolution does not raise the question of continuous discharge. Mil. BELCHER : But it was being referred to, and I. wanted to make my position clear, that the men do not favour it in New Zealand, and some very good reasons can be advanced for that. So far as the continuous discharge-book is concerned. I believe it emanated in the first place from the Shipowners' Federation. Mn HAVELOCE WILSON : I think that is a point worth the consideration of the Conference. If we could get a uniform kind of discharge through the Empire it would be a good thing for Australia and New Zealand. The only objection we have to the continuous discharge is to the character being inserted in the book, otherwise we are in agreement with it. I speak from an experience of over 20 years, and I say. certainly the continuous dis charge has done a good deal to put down crimping, and the selling of the single-sheet discharges. The only thing we object to in it is the character report, but otherwise il is a very good thing, and it would be beneficial if it could lie adopted throughout the Empire. Thf. CHAIRMAN : 'That must, of course, come up at a later stage. . Hon. W. ML HUGHES : I should be glad to supply the Conference with the evidence given for and against. The CHAIRMAN : Can we adopt this resolution? Hon; W. M. lIUt.HKS : Three years' The resolution was then adopted. Thk CHAIRMAN : Three years, yes. Now is there anything more- on " Manning"? Hon. W. M HUGHES: Oh. yes, I think so. I think we have not started on "Manning'' yet. 'Till CHAIRMAN : We have no resolution before us at the moment. Hon. W". M. HUGHES : I will move a resolution about this. In Clause Hof Report we ele-al with the in inning of ships, and there it is set forth that therecommendations contained in that section an- "to apply "to la) ships registered in Australia: (/,) ships licensed "to trade on the- Australian coast ; (c) ships continuously "trading to any port in the ('online nwealt h whose article's "are drawn out in tin- Commonwealth, and whose final "port of discharge of crew is in the- Commonwealth."

Now we console led this very fully, and, after a ■_ I deal of discussion and evidence, we came to the conclusion that it was not sufficient to see that a ship was sound in boilers and machinery, life-saving appliances, unless manned with a sufficient crew of competent persons. Now, the competency we sought to secure by the- recommendation that has just 1 n passed—namely, that no person should engage unless he was qualified for t herating which In- engaged in, and so far as sufficiency in numbers we recommend the adoption of a manning schedule- we considered. We say in the 7th paragraph of Section 8: "The weight of evidence was very ■strongly in favour of a manning scale of some' sort, "and in this opinion your Commissioners most heartily ■- concur. 'Thev consider that no ship can be regarded "as seaworthy unices she is not only property constructed, " provisioned, and in e very respect equipped to encounter '•the perils of the voyage which she is about co iindei■take, but also manned With a sufficient crew of competent "persons. We hive, therefore, adopted the recommend- " ation of the Diaft Bill, as set forth in the judgment "of Hedley r. Pinkney S.S. Co., as to what 'seaworthy' "ought to mean." Now "seaworthy means, according to that, that the- ship should be manned, tc, in accord aiicc with the judgment as set out in 10 Appeal Cases, page __7. Neiw we have provided for the "manning*' In the different schedule's which appear in the Report. They deal with the officers, the deck hands, the engineers, and the sic he-hold hands. Now whether they are suitable schedules or not. we need not discuss that, although I shall lie able to discuss it. if it is wished : but. 1 think it is very necessary that some scale should be adopted. Take C-ist the question of officers. Under the .Merchant Shipping Act, a ship may go to sea, provided it is in the home trade, without any certificated officers at all. Mr. Law re-nee. Secretary of the Merchant Service Guild, an association which is composed of officers and masters in the Australian trade, gave evidence be-fore us. and on page 355 of our evidence, he says : " The conditions in " England are very bad." Of course, he said this in Australia ; had he been in England he would probably not have dared to say it. "They can hardly be said to be "commensurable. A cargo vessel in England does not re"quire to cany a master according to my reading of the "Act. If she trades as a passenger steamer she has to "carry a master and one mate. (Q.) Can she go to sea "without a mate? (A.I A home-trade cargo vessel need "not have officers at all." I asked him : "What section "of the Merchant Shipping Act do vou refer to?" and he said, "Section 92, 1 (a), ('>), (<•)." That is the principal Section. Now Section 92 says : " Every British " foreign-going ship and every British home trade " passenger ship when going to sea from any place in "the United Kingdom, and every foreign steamship "carrying passengers between places in the United "Kingdom, shall he- provided with officers duly certifi " cated under this Act according to the following "scale : — (a) In any case with a duly certificated master; " (h) If the ship is of one hundred tons burden or up- " wards, with at least one officer besides the master " holding a certificate not lower than that of only mate " in the case of a foreign-going ship, or of mate in the "ease of a home trade passenger ship.' There is no mention of any cargo ship, so that a cargo ship may go to sea not only without certificated officers, but without a certificated master, according to that section, "(c) If "the- ship is a foreign-going ship, ami carries more than "one male, with it least the first and second mate duly "certificated; "/) If the ship is a foreign-going steam "ship of one hundred nominal horse-power or upwards, "with at least two engineers" i up to that point there is no need to carry any engineers at all), "one of whom ■ hall be a first-class and the other a first-class or "second-class engineer duly certificated." It would appear then that a home trade' passenger ship can go to sea without any certificated person at all. Captain CHALMERS : A home trade cargo ship. Hon. W. M. HUGHES: A cargo ship. Now. no home trade- cargo ship, as far as I know, ever does go to sea without certificated officers. Cumin CHALMERS I Oh. yes. Ilex. W. M. HUGHES: Well, that is even worse than we thought. Captain ci I A I.M EBB ; They go without a certificated master, but they must have a master.