Merchant Shipping Act 1894

Returns, Evidence, and Forms.

63 Returns to be made by registrars.

(1) Every registrar in the United Kingdom shall at the expiration of every month, and every other registrar at such times as may be fixed by the Registrar-General of Shipping and Seamen, transmit to him a full return, in such form as the said Registrar-General may direct, of all registries, transfers, transmissions, mortgages, and other dealings with ships which have been registered by or communicated to him in his character of registrar, and of the names of the persons concerned in the same, and of such other particulars as may be directed by the said Registrar-General.

(2) Every registrar at a port in the United Kingdom shall on or before the first day of February and the first day of August in every year transmit to the Registrar-General of Snipping and Seamen a list of all ships registered at that port, and also of all ships whose registers have been transferred or cancelled at that port since the last preceding return.

64 Evidence of register book, certificate of registry, and other documents.

(1) A person, on payment of a fee not exceeding one shilling, to be fixed by the Commissioners of Customs, may on application to the registrar at a reasonable time during the hours of his official attendance, inspect any register book.

(2) The following documents shall be admissible in evidence in manner provided by this Act, namely:—

(a) Any register book under this Part of this Act on its production from the custody of the registrar or other person having the lawful custody thereof;

(b) A certificate of registry under this Act purporting to be signed by the registrar or other proper officer ;

(c) An endorsement on a certificate of registry purporting to be signed by the registrar or other proper officer ;

(d) Every declaration made in pursuance of this Part of this Act in respect of a British ship.

(3) A copy or transcript of the register of British ships kept by the Registrar-General of Shipping and Seamen under the direction of the Board of Trade shall be admissible in evidence in manner provided by this Act, and have the same effect to all intents as the original register of which it is a copy or transcript.

65 Forms of documents, and instructions as to registry.

(1) The several instruments and documents specified in the second part of the First Schedule to this Act shall be in the form prescribed by the Commissioners of Customs, with the consent of the Board of Trade, or as near thereto as circumstances permit; and the Commissioners of Customs may, with the consent of the Board of Trade, make such alterations in the forms so prescribed, and also in the forms set out in the first part of the said schedule, as they may deem requisite.

(2) A registrar shall not be required without the special direction of the Commissioners of Customs to receive and enter in the register book any bill of sale, mortgage, or other instrument for the disposal or transfer of any ship or share, or any interest therein, which is made in any form other than that for the time being required under this Part of this Act, or which contains any particulars other than those contained in such form; but the said Commissioners shall, before altering the forms, give such public notice thereof as may be necessary in order to prevent inconvenience.

(3) The Commissioners of Customs shall cause the said forms to be supplied to all registrars under this Act for distribution to persons requiring to use the same, either free of charge, or at such moderate prices as they may direct.

(4) The Commissioners of Customs, with the consent of the Board of Trade, may also, for carrying into effect this Part of this Act, give such instructions to their officers as to the manner of making entries in the register book, as to the execution and attestation of powers of attorney, as to any evidence required for identifying any person, as to the referring to themselves of any question involving doubt or difficulty, and generally as to any act or thing to be done in pursuance of this Part of this Act, as they think fit.