H.—ls.

Sick and Injured Seamen. The total amount paid by shipowners to sick and injured seamen, under the provisions of the Shipping and Seamen Act, 1908, and its amendments, was £14,619 7s. 9d., as against £12,357 2s. 6d. for the previous year, an increase of £2,262 ss. 3d. Survey of Ships. The following statement shows the number of certificates of survey issued to ships during the year, the figures for the previous year being shown in parentheses : — Sea-going steam and motor ships .. .. . . . . .. 159 (145) Sea-going sailing-ships .. .. .. . . . . .. 4 (4) Restricted-limits steam and motor ships .. .. .. .. 382 (370) Total .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 545 (519) Two sea-going vessels, the steamship " Kalingo " and the motor-ship " Karu " were surveyed in the Dominion for the first time during the year. The s.s. " Kalingo "is a vessel of 2,047 tons gross and 1,153 tons register, built in 1927, and she is engaged in the intercolonial and the New Zealand coasting trades. She has hitherto been surveyed in Australia, but this year the owners decided to carry out the survey in New Zealand, and she was duly surveyed and certificated. The motor-ship " Karu " is a new vessel built in Glasgow in July, 1935. She has a tonnage of 1,044 tons gross and 529 tons register, and is propelled by a single set of Stephen-Sulzer two-stroke cycle single-acting oil-engines of 810 B.h.p. The auxiliary machinery, including steering-gear, is electrically driven. Sixteen restricted-limits motor-vessels were surveyed for the first time during the year for the issue of certificates. Seven of these vessels were new and the remainder were of various ages. One vessel, the auxiliary motor-ship " Isabel," was built at Prince Edward Island, Canada, as long ago as 1867. She is a wooden vessel of 117 tons gross and 52 tons net, and, after seeing service in many parts of the world, is now engaged in the cargo trade in the sheltered waters of Kaipara Harbour. The sailing vessel " Combine " was converted to an auxiliary-powered vessel, further depleting the small number of sailing-vessels plying for commercial purposes on the New Zealand coast. The " Pahiki," " Rewa," and " Rangi " are the only sailing-vessels remaining in service. The s.s. " Kawatiri," which has been laid up at Dunedin since August, 1930, was sold to Eastern buyers, and after reconditioning to the Department's satisfaction was allowed to clear at Port Chalmers in February of this year for a voyage to Japan. The intercolonial mail steamships " Monowai" and " Marama " were surveyed for passenger certificates at Wellington in 1935. The surveys were carried out in accordance with the requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. The steamer " Waipu " was converted to oil-engine propulsion by the installation of two sets of British Crossley two-stroke cycle single-acting Diesel engines. The " Waipu" is 101 ft. long, 205 tons gross and 81 tons register, and is one of the few steel vessels designed and built in New Zealand. She was built at Dunedin in 1916 by J. McGregor and Co. for passenger and cargo trade out of Auckland, and was engaged in this service until laid up during the depression in 1931. Extensive alterations in accordance with plans and specifications approved by the Department were carried out during the conversion. The hull-bottom was strengthened by the renewal of a large number of plates, bilge keels; and a new and larger rudder were fitted, and storage-tanks were installed for oil fuel. The passenger accommodation was removed and the internal structure rearranged to provide the maximum carryingcapacity for timber cargoes. The name of the vessel was changed to " Hokitika," and she is now engaged in the West Coast timber trade. The s.s. " Gunbar," of 501 tons gross, was sold during the year to Australian buyers and received an extensive overhaul and reconditioning before proceeding to Australia after a long period of idleness in New Zealand waters. The Department's foreign-going certificate was issued to the vessel on completion of the repairs. In addition to surveys made by the Department for the issue of certificates, two hundred and twelve seaworthiness, efficiency, and tonnage surveys were made during the year. Twenty-two seaworthiness and efficiency surveys were made to overseas vessels not registered or normally surveyed in the Dominion. Five of these were made in connection with life-boat damage sustained by vessels on passages to New Zealand. In one case the s.s. " Niagara " had two life-boats smashed beyond repair during a hurricane met with on 4th January, 1936, shortly after the vessel's departure from British Columbia. A major mishap to the machinery of an overseas vessel occurred in July, 1935, when a connectingrod bolt in the main air-compressor of the oil-engined vessel " Binta " carried away and wrecked the compressor. The vessel was able to make the Port of Wellington on the auxiliary compressor and a repair satisfactory to the Department's surveyors was made in Wellington in a period of a little less than three weeks. The largest repair completed during the year to a vessel holding a New Zealand certificate was occasioned by the stranding of the s.s. " Waipahi " at Pencarrow Heads, Wellington, on the 30th October, 1935. The bottom was badly damaged, but fortunately the shell plating in way of doublebottom tanks only was pierced, and the loss of buoyancy was not sufficient to sink the vessel. The " Waipahi " put back to Wellington after the mishap, and extensive repairs were carried out to hullplating and double-bottom structure. The repairs occupied a period of six weeks.

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