The Daily News MONDAY, OCTOBER 8. MARINE MINISTER AND SAILOR

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81860, 8 October 1906, Page 2

The Daily News MONDAY, OCTOBER 8. MARINE MINISTER AND SAILOR

New Zealand has never before had a Minister of Marine who was a sailor. and now it has i\lr J. A. Millar, himself a master-mariner, the sai'orman in general natuiaily expects a good deal. lie deserves a deal more consideration than he gets. The cl - puia.ion of sailor men wv.o waited on the Minister the other day impressed upon his notice what the press Jiac, been worrying with for years—adequate means of life-saving- appliances in distress and likely to b-' wieeked. Anyone who cares to go among the shipping at any port in New Zea'and willifind that the life-saving appliances ars nearly always quite inadequate. He will find a shortage of life-belts, Ule-boats, life-rafts and other means of rescuing passengers and crew from a watery grave. * * * *

The deputation did not put their case as strongly as they might. Not unly IS the means of life-saving on coasta'i and intercolonial boats absolutely inadequate, but the crews are not trained in life-saving work. Boat drills are the exception rather than the rule; much of the tackle attached to the life-boats—where there are any —is made fast and not easily released, the blocks are rusty or Allecl with paint, and the boats themselves are rarely, if ever, supplied with foot, 111 suflicient quantity to be of much service to any possible castaways. It is not too mucn to say that every boat that comes into any port in New Zealand should be examined by an official Whose duty should be to b " C e that the life-saving gear is su/iicient and efficient, the number of life-belts adcquate, the boats properly provisioned, and their running gear in working order.

A point of the very greatest importance was touched 011 by that deputatation. 1 his was the seaworthiness or otherwise of the scows that are so useful in these waters and which have blossomed forth from shore buggers to deep-sea boats. Everybody knows l.ow some stows have be,laved ol late and how many have become dcathuaps fur good, staunch men. One point thai deputation did not touch upon was the fact—rc coolly referred to in these columns—that the scow does not a- a general thing "mm turtle when she is in cargo, but when she i s not. If she isn't in cargo. she must, to be in the 'east degree sale, be in ballast. \V C pointed "out not long since that it was the custom fo- many scow skippers and masters ol other sailing- craft io discharge Ineir cargo, load ballast and make for the loading port as quicklv as possible. The quicker the trip the better Hie profit. Also, the skipper wants very naturally to please his owners. But the skipper—this the deputation aid not mention—frequently duinns los ballast overboard, crams'his only suit of sails on, and tries to make a iecoid passage. Sometimes he suc-CK-ds, other limes ''Davy Jones'' succeeds. The deputation did not mention that the skippers who return to port without any ballast ought to be robbed of their job, or, better still, the owners hauled to court to show cause why they endangered the lives of their crew.

JiAXV sea-going persons reckon a sum, piopeily Jnad'd, to be a safe l)»al. Unless her cargo shifts ano ■l.e iisis, -he generally gets i u the place io w inch she is bound, will, t],e In 1) of (lie wind and the seamanship "I ihe ciew A scow that is empty in vi.es death every moment she is on lii'" water, and she is >mp,y, or nearly ■so. a ilurd of her lime. More ine P"H,int than any of t'i,. p.ecauiion■, '•numerated above ;ne eoa-t liehls. -yi\ Zealand is liie wist lig.ihd coast in the e.vilised south. K i- one ' I "lie most dangerous known lo ruarincis, and the elements are always petting up surprises tor both the wa'rv and the unwary. A mariner O fF a toast, without a light, i- like a bicvl'st going down a steep hill with 'a broken chain—lie doesn't know where he will pull up. The northernmost liglns are not good, and when the manner gfts past th<- Thiee Kings he ha, a pretty dreary kind cf time down a really dangerous coast. AH the; l'"ns are badly lighted, north, sou hj, I cast and west. The coast is subject dense fogs, tin re are volcanic skoals, reefs, sand-spits.

tKJJUi'iniK.-j mariner:; bung up against a:i unchartered 'This means that tin- marine surveys arc ll(1 t all tiio\ shou d be in tilis dangcious counti). We have tuo few lighthouses by half, and it is on record thai the lonely mill who attend to the few lights tnai fl'> exist arc not always tieaoxl in the best possible way. Sometimes im stvani' r that carries rations and geniT.il g car to the light-kippers is detailed for other work and (he men go short. It is bad enough to go snort on ■hoio amongst one s fdiow-b'ings, but It is infinite-)- worse to be lonely and hungry too. There are too 'mail) wiccks o!i the New Zealand coast a lav larger proportion wan on the AusI'.'J'UitD to,ist ; which is better lighted than our our,.

Wl'. depend verv largely on boats foi the means ol e.\is ci.cc ip \ew Zealand. and it is the duty of'the authorities to make life tin L |ic "bounding '"•ttn" uf a risk. This can be done by the most rigorous examination of every vessel that comes to i\ei) poll, to see il they contain adequate liic-siving apparatus, including belts, Jife-boats and rafts in good order and properly pioyjsiuued ; by making n an olfi-nce for a sailing vessel to return w port af;e r having got nd «f her ballast; by making it an otieme puni-hab-'e !„• | ine ~n v owner to ncg.ect having boat-drills oi emy trip; by doubling the nttm--1 :ind of the lights on the ceasts and making them look less tke penny candles. There i s conJeruljlc difference of opinion about the srrijv, and we have it on the authority of on" of the o'dest masters i„ -New Zealand that tho ",ik| tubs' smmal not be let oul of sight of land. (Hliei -ea-going folk say thai i|,e >s a good sea-worihy vessel-iv,.|l-|„ad-l-.veryboily of course doe-n'l Miow how t„ load a scow, and there ti'.ve ben accidents wlieie a sliding cargo has be-ii the means of fn-dine '""'p- h '* vc, r well to talk ' " proper qualification- i,f lea-le!,-, )j n' lln - s, i- s: quaii'lied niastei 'S a poor circunisiaiu-.- •> j'li a light and a heavy gale.

|,|lKl<l '' liope thai ihe new Minis ''■ i "I Mai me means bn-ine-s and thai w ;t\' of l„ K '" -bp -llncl |, v |,j, enoeavoo. li i,. u;y ;-kro.„ „ that me Un* i/ia/ifi<*is mi ?!ie woild "ad" in :|,e. r walas and ,hai /nam "i 111" wr-t :„vi<|. Nts and cur: .|l ,1, die nicM e'\p, i iem . a. . eap" I.Hill iari.v with ;he mm bleed. ' ••'••"•"'I'l I' l ' its tlanßei*. lie iliat aI' niay. ' ! v."n ,li" be-,' and bra vol of sleai'd I," piev"nie ( | |,y i\ -.niiun in'',nv- !i-i l 11 fliiio- " I'-!'-eneeis anrl riew\ of t|„ he. ,|„, -.l'ler I- esscnl Cll'v obedient ; ;;' ! ! ,,nn 7 d,,n ,n ', iiKl " %kN - '• "''-'inly rrsls uilh <h- l ; f"--avin- apluia iis 1 oat deputation . s ,i,| Wils s( , 1 f'eii al<-j-iit.

. " yf'ttr f'lMiituie rareJnily. e\p{'d!ton^'y, and e- n^nnrcallv. uop-'r.-y ill.- \t'w f.; Xlt[rSs ( ompany. I.t«i.. v . !l(l m;)k( , J( f>rj;il , '' afllT I '' "< l,|,s "t w■• ik. ; ,nd who :! I '' ;ihn f " s up|>ly hi.si-r!;,.s.s drv Moraj'<> arei'nimodiition.—Advt. KKKJ)[\<; CAJA'T.S. Mr. (i. K. Redhead, writes:— "l.a.sf s«*aso n | j -:irc<.| calves on ll (iilruth" Ca'f ]-"ood. The' tofa! arnomii of food was lbs «>r abnot 11 \ lbs per ca'f, ,' 0 - 5 !»''' f'>r <l)e season. 1 consider the 4 'T*iliu*h"" Calf Fr-ol is ihe best J have used.'' Particular* from J. B. MaeEwan & Co., Sew Plymouth.

THE LAND PROPOSALS. Tiieki. can be no doubt Uuil the Land IWI has iillj)11<vet! considerably as a ,KSu:t of Hie lua.men: nenved ai n.t hands ol the Selea Committee. Stil-, uie alteia.ioiis do lioi go lar enough io oui muni. i!iiellr, the- alteration made are:— ,£,15.000 in value substituted as tlic limit a man ma)' acqutie alitr lae Act is passed. Lcase-io-perpetuity holders allowed in pa\ oil (jo pir cein ol tiie unimproved value of tiieir land, men to be exempted iioiii ad conditions, except residence, ami the payment of onc-tuuli the rent they pay at present only to be continued. Lendeis of money 011 mongage after the passing til the not to be limited in regaid to aioa m case of foreclosure, but if they do purchase must dispose of the surplus over ,£-15,000 witnin two years. Certain Crown lands to be disposed of under a system wheic [iu: purchasers will be allowed to enoose dcfeired payment tenure or renewable lease.

i lie wisdom ot substituting a monetary value as against acreage as the limit of land a man may acquire is manifesi, whilst lie proposal for safeguarding- the interests of lenders ol money m respect of their securities, | though not complete enough, is a big improvement on the original scheme, which would have paralysed air luianco in connection with land. Holders of leases-in-prepetuity will ■coie heavily under tlie proposed arari angement. They wi'l be given me freenold—less ten per cent —at the onginal valuation, a proposition the lairness-of which is bound to be questioned. Opportunity for securing some of the Crown lauds, such as purchased Maori lands, on the freehold tenure, is to bo afforded, but the freehold of all otner Crown lands is not o be alienated, the reins accruing going- to the endowment funds. This is a concession to the freeholders, who, however, desire to see the provision extended. The talk of lair lent bills, evaluation, together witn the restrictions imposed on many leaseholders, had caused considerable uneasiness amongst the yeomen of the colony, and it is not surprising- that of tenures, the freehold hoids favour «»h them every time. Whether the Bill will be puslied forward this session and carried into law, is mere ■speculation to say. but if it is pushed on with, we believe the intert'sis and wishes of the co-uny will hoi be consulted thereby. The changes contemplated are so radical and so important and vital, that the coun'iv has a right to be given time in which lo l.iorotifjhly tligesl the proposals, it not to pronounce an opinion upon them; and we hope that freeholders and leaseholders of the Mouse will s C e the wisdom of not being- overanxious 10 put on the Statute Book a measures which, w(a feel convinced, is as yet imperfectly understood, and its true sig-nificance unrealised by the gieat body of electors.