296.—(1) The water to be placed on board emigrant ships as herein-before provided shall be carried in tanks or casks approved by the emigration officer at the port of clearance, and the casks shall be sweet and tight, of sufficient strength, and if of wood properly charred inside, and the staves shall not be made of fir, pine, or soft wood, and each cask shall not be capable of containing more than three hundred gallons.

(2) If any requirement of this section is not complied with in the case of any emigrant ship, the owner charterer or master of the ship, or any of them, shall for each offence be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.