The Dewsbury Chronicle, and West Riding Advertiser. — 1873-03-29 (Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England)

THE BOARD OF TRADE AND ALLEGED UNSEA WORTHY SHIPS.  On Wednesday, an appeal case, regarding the alleged nnseaworthiness of the ship Pargu, came on for hearing at the City of London Vice Admiralty Court, before Mr. Commissioner Kerr. On the 19th inst., the President of the Board of Trade received a communication from Mr. Plimsoll, calling his attention to the condition of the barque Pargu, which was then lying in the St. Katherine's Docks, and which he alleged to be unseaworthy. Upon the receipt of this information, Mr. Chichester Fortescue, acting under his own Act of 1871, which empowers the Board of Trade to deal with all cases in which doubt may exist as to the soundness of ships, at once communicated with Mr. James Paterson Newby, the master and owner of the Pargu, informing him of the nature of Mr. Plimsoll's communication, and telling him that he had iii consequence ordered a survey of the ship to be made without delay, and further that, as she was loaded, he had ordered the removal of the cargo with the view of facilitating the survey. The Pargu accordingly underwent a thorough overhauling by one of the surveyors of the Board of Trade, after which, further commuriication was made to the Customs instructing those officials to prevent the Pargu leaving port. Upon this, the captain of the barque appealed, under the 10th section of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1871, to the City of London Court, under its Admiralty jurisdiction, to appoint one or more competent persons to survey the ship "anew," the section providing that such survey should have all the powers of a surveyor appointed by the Board of Trade, and which also empowers the court to make such order as to the detention or discharge of the ship, and to order the payment of any costs and charges which might tdthe court seem just. The court, upon this application, ordered the appellant to give notice to the Board of Trade that the court would proceed with the case on the 16th inst. unless it was foreshown to the contrary, and would according instruct surveyors under the section of the Act. As stated, the application was heard on Wednesday, when Mr. Jones, barrister, appeared for the owner. An affidavit of the captain was read as to the state and equipment of the Pargu, which stated her to be perfectly seaworthy. She was laden, he said, with a-cargo of timber under a charter-party, and had also a charter-party for the home freight, adding that all necessary repairs had been effectually and thoroughly executed. No one having appeared for the Board of Trade, and proof of the service of notice having been given, Mr. Commissioner Kerr proposed that Mr. H. T. Tyrrell, one of Lloyd's surveyors; Mr. George Bayley, of the firm of Bayley and Ridley; and one of the firm of J. and W. Dudgeon, shipbuilders, should make the applied-for survey, and report forthwith to the court, upon which will be issued an order for the detention or discharge of the ship in accordance with the section of the Act.  This being the filst case that ever came before this court under the Act, no rules or orders for carrying out the powers of the Act have been fixed. Some mode of proceecinre will, however, no doubt be henceforth instituted for guidance in all future cases.  At Rhymney, South Wales, on Tuesday, all efforts to obtain a reconciliation ,failed. At other placed the old hands are coming back in large numbers.  MURDER AND -Swann IN