A life buoy shall satisfy the following conditions

(«) It shall be of solid cork or any other equivalent material ;

(b) It shall be capable of supporting in fi-esh water for 24 hours at least 14 kilogrammes (equivalent to 31 pounds avoirdupois) of iron.

Life-buoys filled mth rushes, cork shavings or granulated cork, or any other loose granulated material, or whose buoyancy depends upon air compartments which require to to be inflated, are prohibited.

3. The minimum number of life-buoys with which ships are to be provided is fixed by the following table : —

Length of the Ship. Minimum

Meti'es. Equivalent in Feet. Number of Buoys.

Under 122 Under 400 12

122 and under 183 400 and under GOO 18

244 and over 800 and over 30

4. All the buoys shall be fitted with beckets securely seized. At least one buoy on each side shall be fitted with a life-line of at least 27*5 metres (15 fathoms) in length. The number of luminous buoys shall be not less than one-half of the total number of life-buoys, and in no case less than six. The lights shall be efficient self-igniting lights which cannot be extinguished in water, and they shall be kept near the buoys to which they belong, with the necessary means of attachment.

5. All the life-buoys and life-jackets shall be so placed as to be readily accessible to the persons on board ; their position shall be plainly indicated so as to be known to the persons concerned.

The life-buoys shall always be capable of being ra])idly cast loose, and shall not be permanently secured in any way.

Article XLVL

Excmvtlons ajjplicable to Existmcf Ships.

The exemptions allowed in the case of existing ships, as provided by Article 52 of 1 he Convention, are as follows : —

(a) Until the 1st January, 1920, boats and rafts which have been accepted by the Administration of one of the Contracting States on board an existing ship may be accepted, respectively, in lieu of the lifeboats and pontoon life-rafts prescribed by this Convention.

(//) Until the 1st January, 1920, the requirements that pontoon lifeboats should have the bottom and deck made in two thicknesses with textile material between, and that they should have the minimum freeboard specified need not be insisted upon in the case of pontoon boats accepted in accordance with the preceding paragraph {a).

{c) In the case of ships between 75 metres (24:5 feet) and 140 nieti-es (460 feet) in length, the minimum number of sets of davits may be reduced by one. below the figure given in Column B of the Table in Article XLIi'l above. In the case of ships of 140 metres (4G0 feet) or more in length this number may be reduced by one on each side. These reductions shall only be allowed if proper provision is made for launching the boats :

((/) The provisions of Articles 42 and 49 of the Convention, respecting the launching of boats, shall not be applicable to existing ships.

Article XLVII.

Certificated Lifehoatmen.

In order to obtain the special lifeboatman's certificate jn'ovided for in ChajDter VI, Life Saving Appliances, Article 54, of the Convention, the applicant must prove that he has been trained in all the operations connected with launching life-boats and the use of oars ; that he is acquainted with the practical handling of the boats themselves ; and, further, that he is capable of understanding and answering the orders relative to life-boat service.

There shull be for each boat or raft a number of lifeboatmen at least equal to that specified in the following table : —

If the boat The minimum number of

or raft certificated lifeboatmen

carries — shall be —

Less than 61 persons... ... ... ... ... ... 3

From 61 to 85 persons ... ... ... ... ... 4

„ 86 to 110 ,, 5

„ 111 to 160 ,. 6

„ 161 to 210 „ 7

and, thereafter, one additional certificated lifeboatman for each additional 50 persons

Article XLVIII.

Manning of Boats.

An officer, petty officer, or seaman shall be placed in charge of each boat or pontoon raft ; he shall have a list of its crew, and shall see that the men placed under his orders are actjuainted with their several duties and stations.

A man capable of working the motor shall be assigned to each motor boat.

The duty of seeing that the boats, pontoon-rafts, and other life-saving appliances are at all times ready for use shall be assigned to one or more officers.

Article XLIX.

Fire Dctectiuii and Extinction.

1 . A continuous patrol system shall be organised so that any outbreak of fire may be promptly detected.

2. Every ship shall be provided with powerful pumps operated by steam or other means. On ships of less than 4,000 tons there sliall be two, and on larger ships three of

these pumps. The pumps shall be capable of delivering a sufficient quantity of watei' iu two powerful jets sinuiltaneously in any girea part of the vessel, and shall be available for immediate use before the vessel leaves port,

o. The service pipes shall permit of two powerful jets of water being simultaneously directed on any p;iveu part of a deck occupied by passengers and crew, when the watertight and fireproof doors are closed. The service pipes and hoses shall be of ample size and made of suitable material. The branches o£ the pipes shall be so placed on each deck that the fire hose can be easily coupled to them.

4. Pi'ovision shall be made whereby both two powerful jets of water and a sufficient supply of steam may be conveyed to every space filled with cargo. Provision for the supply of steam need not be required in ships of less than 1,000 tons.

5. A sufficient number of portable fluid fire extinguishers shall be pi'ovided, at least two being carried in each machinery space.

The Governments of the High Contracting Parties may accept other types of extinguishers provided that it is evident after trial that such extinguishers are as effective as the type referred to above. A Government which accepts a new type of extinguisher shall send a description of the apparatus and ])articulars of the trial to the Governments of the other Contracting Parties.

G. Two equipments, consisting of a smoke helmet and a safety lamp, shall be carried on board and kept in two different })laces.

7. All the fire-extinguishing appliances shall be thoroughly examined at least once each year by a surveyor appointed by the Government.

Article Ij.

Muster List.

The muster list shall assign duties to the different members of the crew in connection with :—

(a) The closing of the watertight doors, valves, &c.

(b) The equipment of the boats and rafts generally.

(d) The general preparation of the other boats and the pontoon rafts.

(e) The muster of the passengers.

(/) The extinction of fire.

The muster list shall assign to the members of the stewards' department their several duties in relation to the passengers at a time of emergency. These duties shall include : —

(a) Warning tiie jiassengers.

(h) Seeing that they are dressed and have put on their life-jackets in a proper manner.

(d) Keeping order in the passages and on the stair ways, and, generally,

controlling the movements of the passengers. The muster list shall specif}' definite alarm signals for calling ail the crew to their lioat and fire stations, and shall give full particulars of these signals.

Article LI.

Musters and Drills.

Musters of the crew at their boat and fire stations, followed by boat and fire drills respectively, shall be held at least once a fortnight, either in port or at sea. An entry shall be made in the official log book of these drills, or of the reasons why they could not be held.

Different groups of boats shall be used in turn at successive boat drills. The drills and inspections shall be so arranged that the crew thoroughly understand and are practised in the duties they have to perform, and that all the boats and pontoon-rafts on the shijj with the gear appertaining t(j them are always ready for immediate use.

SAFETY CERTIFICATES.

Article LIL Standard Safety Certificate.

(Official Seal)

(Country)