116.—The following provisions shall have effect with respect to the agreements with the crew of home trade ships for which an agreement with the crew is required under this Act:—

(1) Agreements may be made either for service in a particular ship or for service in two or more ships belonging to the same owner, but in the latter case the names of the ships and the nature of the service shall be specified in the agreement:

(2) Crews or single seamen may, if the master think fit, be engaged before a superintendent in the same manner as they are required to be engaged for foreign-going ships, but if the engagement is not so made, the master shall, before the ship puts to sea, if practicable, and if not, as soon after as possible, cause the agreement to be read and explained to each seaman, and the seaman shall thereupon sign the same in the presence of a witness, and the witness shall attest the signature:

(3) An agreement for service in two or more ships belonging to the same owner may be made by the owner instead of by the master; and the provisions of this Act with respect to the making of the agreement shall apply accordingly;

(4) Agreements shall not, in the case of ships of more than eighty tons burden, extend beyond the next following thirtieth day of June or thirty-first day of December or the first arrival of the ship at her final port of destination in the United Kingdom after that date or the discharge of cargo consequent on that arrival: Provided that the owner or his agent may enter into time agreements in forms sanctioned by the Board of Trade with individual seamen to serve in any one or more ships belonging to such owner, and those agreements need not expire on the thirtieth day of June or the thirty-first day of December, and a duplicate of every such agreement shall be forwarded to the Registrar-General of Shipping and Seamen within forty-eight hours after it has been entered into.