354 Report of the Committee on Colour- Vision. 



instances to that cause, and where the smoking- has been dis- 

 continued the sight has improved. 



Question — You said, I think, that in deciding for colours candi- 

 dates have to arrange coloured wools?— Yes, they have to 

 arrange greens, reds, &c. ; they are all mixed up, and the candi- 

 dates have to pick them out, compare them, and sort those of 

 the same colour. It is really the Holmgren test. 



Question — After a candidate has been passed and admitted 

 into the service, are there any tests subsequently applied ? — Not 

 unless he is reported by his commander. We have found some 

 men colour-blind after being some years at sea and in possession 

 of Board of Trade certificates. There was one instance of an 

 officer who was found to be quite colour-blind, and was conse- 

 quently tranf erred to a clerkship in the office. He had been 

 passed by the Board of Trade, but not by us, as at that time 

 we accepted Board of Trade certificates, and did not have our 

 own examinations for sight. Since we have found these various 

 cases, we have realized the necessity of having our own examina- 

 tion, and have called the notice of the Board of Trade to the fact. 

 I have with me copies of correspondence which passed between 

 Mr. Barnes and Sir Thos. Gray pointing out the fact to him that 

 we have to reject so many young officers for defective sight. 

 The Board of Trade admit the test should be more severe. 



Question — Have you never heard of cases in which the failure 

 of the eyesight of officers has led to accidents ? — I cannot say 

 that I have. The case of the gentleman I have mentioned who 

 was colour-blind was discovered, I suppose, simply from his 

 being on the bridge of the vessel with another commander. He 

 rose to be a chief officer before it was discovered. His weak- 

 ness might have led to accidents. 



Question — Have you any statistics drawn up with regard to 

 these cases ? — Not beyond these facts that we are rejecting 

 young officers. In a letter dated the 9th April, 1889, to Sir T. 

 Gray, Mr. Barnes referred to the many painful interviews with 

 candidates who have wasted six or seven years learning their 

 profession with the expectation of entering our service, and who, 

 when the height of their ambition is about to be realised, find 

 we are compelled to reject them on account of defective vision. 

 In one case a young fellow, with a new Board of Trade certifi- 

 cate, who seemed a desirable man, could not read letters 2 to 

 15 inches long 20 yards from the window. In the last two years 

 a considerable percentage of the candidates passed by us, as in 

 other respects satisfactory, have failed in the sight test for 

 colour or distance vision ; mostly the latter. 



Question — Do you find any improvement in the Board of Trade 

 examinations since you have written to them upon the subject of 

 colour-vision? — I think they are getting more particular, from 

 what I can learn from young officers. 



Question — Another branch of our enquiry is as to what 

 precautions are taken as to the vision of seamen ? — We accept 



