478 INTERNATIONAL LAWS FOR THE 



sea, thinking that he was driving on the Dutch coast. 

 When daylight came he found out his error, and then tried 

 to frighten the boy not to tell the owner how the gear was 

 lost ; but this is only one case out of many. Boats of under 

 twenty tons get lost on their passages, with all hands, but 

 whether from incompetency or not must be left open. If 

 the masters held certificates, it would then take away all 

 doubt as to whether it was through incompetency or cir- 

 cumstances beyond his control. Men who act as pilots of 

 fishing boats on various coasts should also be compelled to 

 have certificates for general competency if masters are. But 

 to return to the point : these stipulations may, if desired, 

 apply to vessels not exceeding twenty tons net register, but in 

 addition they should apply to all vessels leaving their own 

 port for the purpose of prosecuting a fishing from any 

 other port if beyond, say twenty miles, for there are fre- 

 quently plenty of fishing vessels smaller than twenty net tons 

 register which go hundreds of miles from home to prose- 

 cute various fishings. Surely if vessels over twenty tons 

 fishing from their home port only are required to have 

 certificated masters and mates, vessels leaving home as 

 mentioned should also be required to have the same, if 

 only as a guarantee for the safety of their crews. 



The next point for remark is the recommendations on 

 the desertions question. 



Clause 55, section I, recommends the issue of warrants 

 for the apprehension of deserters. This is very good if the 

 warrants can be obtained within a few minutes ; but where a 

 fishing port has two miles of quay, by the time the warrant 

 is obtained the deserter may be miles away in the train. 

 If, on the other hand, they can be obtained instantly, which 

 they must be to be practically useful, it will simply be the 

 old system of arresting a man .on the spot, but with the 



