PROCEEDINGS— APPENDIX A A-31 



addition to the foregoing 44 masters of vessels under foreign flags have 

 signitied b}' their signatures their adhesion to the changes jjroposed. 

 representing 25,117 gross tons of shij)ping ; their opinion on all four 

 questions is given in the atfirmative with the exeej)tion of one who has 

 no opinion to otter on question No. 4. 



Of shipmasters not following their profession and others interested 

 in shipping, 42 in number, the yeas are 37, 36, 37 and 35 ; and the 

 nays, 4, 5, 4, and 7, respectively, with one doubtful on the lirst three 

 questions. 



If we discard the 42 shipmasters and others who reside on shore, 

 201 shipmasters in active employment and representing 249.512 gross 

 tons of the mercantile marine, British and foreign, declare themselves 

 favourable to the change pro])osed ; 200 in favour of question No. 1 ; 

 198 for No. 2, 19(j for No. 3, and 188 for No. 4 ; and against the change, 

 1, 3, 5, and 13 respectively. Jt will thus be seen that from the inquiry so 

 far as it has v;p to the jiresent been afltected, the whole weight of the 

 opinion given is favourable to the change advocated. 



So far as the masters in active employment are concerned : — 

 To question No. 1. out of 201, there is only one negative reply ; the 

 percentage of favourable opinion is 99|- per cent. To question No, 2, 

 99 per cent ; No. 3, 98 per cent, and No. 4, 94 per cent. Whilst of the 

 signers, 55 per cent are masters of British steamships ; 16 per cent 

 masters of British sailing ships ; 7 per cent masters of British vessels 

 emplo^'ed in the coast trade, and 22 per cent masters of foreign sail and 

 steam vessels emploj^ed in the over sea ti-ade. 



The inquiry is still in [trogress, but the difficulty of addressing the 

 shipmasters and particularly the steam shipmasters individually, stands 

 in the way. Their stay is so short in port ; their time is so much occu- 

 pied with other and more pressing duties while they are in port, that 

 they have little leisure and less inclination to study out the questions for 

 themselves, particularl}- when it is brought, as it were suddenly before 

 them ; their general wish is to have nothing to do with it, and refuse an 

 opinion that othei-wise they would readily express. However, this may 

 be, considering the very short time that the questions have been placed 

 in circular form, the inquiry may be taken as a success. When the 

 remainder of the replies come to hand, it is expected that the number of 

 signers will be very largely increased, though it is scarcely possible for 

 the shipmasters to give an opinion more favourable to the proposed 

 reform than the foregoing is calculated to convey. 



