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been Marine Superintendent nine years altogether - about four or five years at Southampton. 21989. Are you aware that the men suggested about two years ago that they should muster the day before sailing? - No, I have never heard of it. We can hardly get them to muster on clearance morning, much less before the day of sailing. 21990. Are you aware whether any officials of an organisation have had interviews with your local managers with reference to this point? - No, I cannot recollect any. 21991. The general complaint has been, I think, that men leave on the day of sailing and come back again just as the boat is going off. That is the general complaint, is it not? - Yes, always. 21992. You have no recollection of definite suggestions being made in order to get over that difficulty by the men’s leaders, if I may use that term - that it was bad for the men to turn up late; and did they suggest to the company that it would be far better for the men to muster earlier in the day? - To muster earlier than eight o’clock, our usual time, our customary time? 21993. Instead of mustering so early to muster and remain on board the ship? - I never heard that. 21994. What time do you muster now on the day of sailing? - We muster at half-past ten. We muster the firemen at half-past ten. The sailors and stewards are mustered at eight o’clock. 21995. How long has that been in vogue? - I really cannot call to mind now, I think perhaps about six weeks or two months. I really could not say. 21996. (The Commissioner.) That was because the firemen would not turn up at eight o’clock? - That was the reason. The reason was in order to get them on board ship at half-past ten and muster them so that they would not have time to go on shore again. 21997. (Mr. Lewis.) Was not a suggestion made by the men’s officials for putting it at a later time in order that they should be kept on board, instead of having them earlier, allowing them to go away, and running the risk of their not coming back in time? - Well, of course, I have not much to do with the firemen. That is the Superintending Engineer’s business and these arrangements may have been made unknown to me. I personally do not know anything about it. 21998. Is it within your knowledge that the men’s officials have endeavoured to arrange that this mustering business should be carried out satisfactorily? - No, I cannot say that I know anything about that. 21999. You are not aware as to whether they have interviewed the Superintending Engineer with regard to the matter? - They may have done so, but I really know nothing about it. 22000. Is this difficulty confined to your Company in Southampton? - That I do not know. I do not know much about the other companies there. 22001. Have you ever heard of any difficulty with regard to other companies in Southampton so far as the mustering is concerned? - I do not know about the other companies. I do not bother much about the other companies; I have quite enough to do without doing that. 22002. Have you ever heard of any difficulty? - No. 22003. If there had been any difficulty you probably would have heard it? - I do not know that I would. 22004. Do you know whether the other companies muster the firemen with the sailors and stewards? - No, I cannot say I do. 22005. You could obtain the information, I suppose? - If I liked to enquire I suppose I could, but I never see any of the officials belonging to the other companies that you speak of. I very seldom meet them. 22006. Do not you think it would be far more practical for the firemen to muster and drill with the sailors? - Well, as I answered before, we are trying to bring that about, but we have not been successful so far. 22007. Have you ever heard of any complaints on the part of the firemen because they did not muster with the sailors? - No.