The s.s. “Star of Australia” is owned by Messrs James P. Corry, of Belfast, and is under charter to the Tyser Line. She was built in the year 1899 at the yards of Messrs Workman and Clark, Belfast. Her length is 440 feet, her breadth fifty-five feet six inches, her depth of hold twenty-nine feet nine inches, and her draught, when loaded, twenty-six feet eleven inches. The vessel's gross registered tonnage is 6,825, her net registered tonnage, 4,415 tons, and her gross carrying capacity, about 11,000 tons. She has three insulated holds, with a carrying capacity of 87,500 carcases of average New Zealand sheep; and has accommodation for eight saloon passengers. The total number of the crew, including captain and officers, is fifty-six.

Captain Frederick Whyte Ulyatt was appointed to the command of the s.s. “star of Australia” in the year 1903. He was born in the year 1859, in Doncaster, England, and was educated at Wakefield. Captain Ulyatt served his apprenticeship under Messrs J. P. Corry and Company, and was on sailing vessels till 1893. He gained his master's certificate in 1889, and was in command of sailing ships for several years. In 1898 he became commander of the s.s. “Star of England,” and five years later he received his present appointment.

Kinsey, photoCaptain F. W. Ulyatt.

The s.s. “Star of Scotland” is chartered by Tyser and Company, Limited, and is one of the well known Star Line of vessels belonging to James P. Corry and Company, Belfast, Ireland. She was completed in the year 1904 at the yards of Messrs Workman and Clark, Belfast, and commenced her first voyage to New Zealand on the 8th of October of that year. Her length is 450 feet, her breadth fifty-five feet three inches, her depth of hold forty feet; and her draught, when loaded, is twenty-seven feet two inches. The vessel's gross registered tonnage is 6,230 tons, and her net registered tonnage 4001 tons, though at times she has carried as much as 11,750 tons. She has three insulated holds measuring 238,792 feet, which are capable of carrying 87,000 carcases of average New Zealand sheep. For ordinary cargo her hold measurements are 224,324 cubic feet. On the vessel's trip from London, terminating in August, 1905, she ran at an average of 3250 horse-power, doing twelve knots an hour. Her permanent coal bunkers will contain 2,216 tons, and a reserve coal bunker is capable of holding 170 tons. Her consumption of coal is forty-four tons and a-half of Welsh coal per day, which drives her at a speed of twelve knots; or from forty-nine to fifty tons of Australian coal, with speed at eleven knots and a-half. The total number of the crew, includ-in captain and officers, is fifty-nine, and there is accommodation for eight saloon passengers.

The s.s. “Star of New Zealand,” of the J. P. Corry branch of the Tyser Line, was built in the yea 1895, at the yards of Messrs Workman and Clark, Belfast, Ireland. The vessel's measurements are: 404 feet over all, forty-seven feet beam, twenty-eight feet six inches depth of hold, and twenty six feet eight inches mean loaded draught. Her net registered tonnage is 2813 tons, her gross registered tonnage 4814 tons, and her total carrying capacity, 3500 tons. She has two insulated holds with accommodation for 65,000 carcases of average New Zealand sheep. Her engines indicate 3,000 horse-power, and her speed is an average of twelve knots per hour The vessel's permanent coal bunkers will contain 1,500 tons, and her consumption is thirty-four tons of Welsh coal per day. There is saloon accommodation for seven passengers, and the total number of the crew, including officers, is fifty-six.

Captain Edgar Brewett Beck was appointed Commander of the s.s. “Star of New Zealand” in February, 1904. He was born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, in 1872, and was educated at St. George's College, Wimbleton. Captain Beck served for two years on H.M.s. “Worcester,” and subsequently served an apprenticeship of three years in the Star Line. He then became fourth officer on the s.s. “Star of England,” served during one voyage; and was, in a similar capacity, for three years on the s.s. “Star of Victoria.” Subsequently, he was promoted to the position of chief officer, and held the position for one year and six months. Captain Beck was afterwards appointed first officer on the s.s. “Star of New Zealand,” on which he served for two years. He was then promoted to the command of the s.s. “Victoria,” of which he had charge for a year, during which he was engaged in the River Plate trade, whence he was transferred to the command of the s.s. “Star of New Zealand.” Captain Beck gained his master's certificate in 1889.

Mr. John Auld was appointed Chief Officer of the s.s. “Star of New Zealand,” in June, 1904. He was born at Maryport, Cumberland, England, in the year 1857, and is a son of Captain J. Auld, of Belfast. Mr. Auld was educated in Belfast, and afterwards went to sea in the Star Line, in which he served an apprenticeship of four years. For a year subsequently he was fourth officer of the s.s. “Star of Victoria,” and was ap-appointed to the “Star of Australia,” when he was promoted to the position of third officer. Mr. Auld served for one year and six months, and was afterwards transferred to the s.s. “Star of England,” as second mate. A year later, he returned to the s.s. “Star of Victoria” as chief officer, for six months, and then received his present appointment.

Mr. John Macallan Oswald Nicoll , was appointed Chief Refrigerating Engineer on the s.s. “Star of New Zealand,” in November, 1904. He was born in the year 1879 at Arbroath, Scotland, where he was educated, and served an apprenticeship of five years under Mr. George Anderson. For one year afterwards he was employed by the firm of Vicar, Sons and Maxim, gun manufacturers, at Erith, Kent, and then entered the service of the Star Line, as fifth engineer on the s.s. “Star of Australia,” on which he subsequently became second refrigerating engineer. After serving for three years he became chief engineer on the “Star of England,” and served for three months before receiving his present appointment.

The s.s. “Hawke's Bay,” a vessel of the Tyser Line, trading between the United Kingdom and New Zealand, was built in the year 1901, by Messrs William Dobson and Son, in Sunderland, England. She measures 385 feet in length, and twenty-five feet five inches in depth of hold. Her registered tonnage is 4583 tons, and she carries, when loaded, about 8,000 tons. The vessel's coalbunkers will contain 1480 tons. Her daily consumption is thirty-five tons, working at 160lb pressure engines, 2800 indicated horse-power; and she travels at the rate of eleven knots. The total number of the crew, including captain and officers, is fifty-four.

Captain Albert Henry Kemp has been in command of the s.s. “Hawke's Bay” since the year 1903. He was born in 1852 at Teynham, Kent, England. After leaving school he was apprenticed to Messrs Killick, Martin, and Company, of London, and served for four years. He then served for seven months as an able seaman; later on, he was appointed third officer, and subsequently rose to the position of first officer on sailing ships. Captain Kemp then became second officer on a steamer, and after three years was promoted to chief officer. He gained his master's certificate in September, 1882. Some years ago Captain Kemp became master of the s.s. “Hawke's Bay,” was afterwards for a time first officer of the s.s. “Marere,” and in 1903 he was again appointed master of the s.s. “Hawke's Bay.”

Mr. George Lardeur was appointed Chief Refrigerating Engineer on the s.s. “Hawke's Bay” in January, 1903. He was born in 1869 in London, where he was educated, and served an apprenticeship of seven years to Messrs Maudsley, Son, and Field, a very old firm, and one of the first to construct steam engines. At the age of twenty-one, Mr. Lardeur went to sea as an engineer in the Canadian Line, and subsequently became chief engineer. During the South African Boer war, he was engaged as chief engineer on troopships, and afterwards joined the Tyser Line of vessels. Mr. Lardeur married a daughter of the late Mr. Richard Elen, of London, in the year 1890, and has one daughter.

Mr. Frederick Arthur Bert Hosford was appointed Chief Steward of the s.s. “Hawke's Bay” on the 10th of February, 1905. He was born in March, 1875, in London, where he went to school. In June, 1897, he went to sea as messroom steward on the s.s. “Rosse,” and was afterwards second steward on the s.s. “Cuvier.” He then became messroom steward on the s.s. “Canning” for six months, and, later, joined the s.s. “Wordsworth,” for two voyages from New York to Brazil, and rose from pantryman to third steward. Mr. Hosford was afterwards storekeeper on the troopship “Winkfield.” In February, 1904, he joined the Tyser Line, as second steward on the s.s. “Marere,” and was subsequently promoted to the “Hawke's Bay.”

The s.s. “Hawke's Bay.”

The s.s. “Star of England” is owned by Messrs James P. Corry and Company, of Belfast and London, and is under charter to the Tyser Line, Limited. The vessel was built in 1889 by Messrs Workman, Clark, and Company, of Belfast. Her length is 371.8 feet, breadth 44.2 feet, and depth of hold 27.2 feet; and her mean draught, when loaded, is twenty-five feet. Her net registered tonnage is 2,270, her gross registered tonnage, 3584, and her total carrying capacity, 5,200 tons. Two of her holds are insulated, and they will carry 45,000 average New Zealand sheep. Her engines indicate 1,650 horse power, and she runs at ten and a-half knots. Her daily consumption is twenty-seven tons of Welsh coal. The vessel's permanent bunkers will contain 800 tons, but she generally takes in from fourteen to fifteen hundred tons on her homeward voyage. The crew numbers forty, including captain, officers and engineers. There is accommodation for four saloon passengers.

Captain Cecil Travers Hilder was appointed to the command of the s.s. “Star of England,” in the year 1903. He was born in 1875, in Sydney, New South Wales, and was educated in Sydney and in Hobart, Tasmania. In 1889 he went to sea in the colonial barque “Woolahra,” in which he served an apprenticeship of four years. After obtaining his second mate's certificate, he went to sea in that capacity on the sailing ship “Blairgowrie,” on which he was wrecked, nine months later. In 1894 he joined the s.s. “Star of England,” as fourth officer, rose to the position of master, and has served continuously on that vessel, except for a single voyage as mate on the s.s. “Star of Ireland.” Captain Hilder obtained his master's certificate in 1901.

Mr. Archibald West was appointed Chief Officer of the s.s. “Star of England” in the year 1904. He was born in 1879, at Croydon, Surrey, England, where he went to school. Mr. West afterwards had two years' training on H.M.s. “Worcester,” and was apprenticed under Messrs James P. Corry and Company, of Belfast. He served for two and a-half years on a sailing vessel, and after a short time on the s.s. “Star of Australia,” finished his apprenticeship on the s.s. “Star of England” in 1898, when he took his second mate's certificate. Mr. West then became able seaman, and was promoted, successively, to fourth, third, and second mate. He was afterwards transferred to the “Star of Australia,” and after nine years and six months' service on that vessel returned to the “Star of England,” as chief officer. Mr. West obtained his master's certificate in 1903. He married a daughter of Mr. W. L. Rees, of Gisborne, in August, 1904.

Mr. Charles Forbes Brown was appointed Second Engineer of the s.s. “Star of England,” in 1905. He was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in 1879, was educated in Aberdeen, and afterwards apprenticed to Messrs Hall, Russell and Company, Limited, ship builders and engineers in Aberdeen, for five years. Mr. Brown went to sea as third engineer in a steamer of Messrs Pyman, of London, and after six months was appointed third engineer on a vessel belonging to Messrs Cairns, Young and Noble, of Newcastle-on-Tyne. Fifteen months later, he obtained his second engineer's certificate, joined the Shire Line of vessels as third engineer, and served for one year and nine months. In December, 1904, Mr. Brown gained his chief engineer's certificate, and joined Messrs James P. Corry and Company's line of vessels in April, 1905, as second engineer of the s.s. “Star of England.”

Mr. Charles Cordock was appointed Chief Refrigerating Engineer on the s.s. “Star of England” in the beginning of the year 1904. He was born in 1870 at Wakefield, Yorkshire, England, and was educated at Wakefield and in London. Mr. Cordock served an apprenticeship of five years in the Albert Docks Engineering Works, London, and entered the service of the Ducal Line, as fourth engineer; he was afterwards promoted to be second refrigerating engineer, and subsequently became chief refrigerating engineer for seven years. When the Ducal Line of vessels was sold, Mr. Cordock was appointed chief refrigerating engineer on the s.s. “Star of England.” He married a daughter of Mr. F. Hunt, of Eastham, London, in December, 1902.