WIRELESS ON STEAMERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 180, 30 July 1913, Page 4

WIRELESS ON STEAMERS.

OBJECT fIOKS BY COASTAL TRADE.

NORTHERN COMPANY'S PROTEST. (By Telegraph-Own Corre«po ai s ent) WEU_»G?IDN, Tues_ T The regulations which, are to n_. wireless installation compu_orv on T,? >evv Zealand steamers carrying not,* 1 than 50 passengers are now W 1_ pared by the Marine Department Recently draft regulations we're sub mate, to the shipping ctap&ig J cerned and interesting replies & since then been received. The L„m company stated that it had ahead" equipped all its passenger steamers en gaged in the foreign or intercolonial trade at a cost of £6,000 per annum that the ferry steamer Wahine"„dW equipped, ano that the Maori, would'b. equipped before she started'-runnia-again. The company objected to beiar required to equip its home trade Jiteaiß. ens on the ground that their"vova»s were only of a few hours' duration' tL they were equipped with Morse signalUna- apparatus, that they were sefdoa more than five miles from land, arid that owing to the short masts of some o ; them it would not be possible to radiate sufficient energy to obtain anything like a range of 100 miles. The, company also objected, to having to employ '» highly qualified operator for coastal work, and suggested that the regul». tions should be carried out hy the p M t and Telegraph Department .instead of by the Marine Department.

The Northern Steamship Cotnpanv, which owns coastal steamers, objected to' having to instal wireless on its vessels on the ground that its trade was almost entirely confined to the province: of Auckland, its steamers were never.-out of sight of land in the day-time, that they were equipped with Morse signalling af parattM, and that during the -last. 28 years wireless would not have been tile means of saving life or property on its steamers. It expressed a hope that if the Minister intended to bring the regulations into operation he would first receive a deputation from the Shipowners' Federation.

Messrs. Jagger and Harvey, owners of the auxiliary schooner iHuantri, trading to the Cook Islands, stated that they did not expect that this vessel would be required to carry wireless, as there were no shore stations in the Cook Group. The Shipowners' Federation objected to the regulations applying to. home trade steamers. It recognised the great value of wireless on passenger.steamers making voyages for long distances from the coast, but considered it trnneeessarT for small vessels Ttmrring close,to the land. The fed_ation also aifced the Minister to receive a deputation, on..the subject. '"/ . £ The replies received from the >h|ifio_ companies will be considered by the Minister for Marine.