WIRELESS IN LIFE-BOATS

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20989, 18 October 1933, Page 17

WIRELESS IN LIFE-BOATS

MODEKN DEVELOPMENT A marked tendency is noted in the Australasian Mercantile Marine in the direction of increasing the safety of travellers by fitting wireless installations in the lifeboats, says the "Daily Commercial News and Shipping List" (Sydney). The Adelaide Company's motor-ves-sel Manunda has radio equipment permanently installed in two life-boats, the Huddart-Parker liners Weslraha and Wanganella each carry a life-boat wireless installation. Similar apparatus is standard on the Union Steam Ship Company's trans-Pacific ships. The wireless equipment includes a small oil engine and generator. The usual life-boat wireless transmitter has a power of one-quarter kilowatt. This gives a range of nominally 80 to 100 miles, but in actual use a range of from 400 to 500 miles has often been attained. Fortunately, no occasion has yet arisen in Australian waters for the use of a life-boat wireless installation except for practice and testing purposes. When the Tahiti sank in the Pacific three years ago it was not necessary to operate the life-boat equipment, as the boats were only used to transfer the ship's company to the rescuing steamer, which was called to the scene before the Tahiti foundered. Under the regulations attached to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (to which Australia is a signatory) it is obligatory that when more than 13 life-boats are carried by a vessel one of them must be a motor-boat and fitted with wireless equipment. The installations in life-boats which have already been madj on Australian ships, however, are a voluntary contribution on the part of the ship-owners to the safety of their passengers.

ROTORUA (LEAKS CURACAO The New Zealand Shipping Company's liner Rotorua. en route from Liverpool to Auckland, cleared Curacao on Saturday. RUAHINE REPORTS A report from the Ruahine. which sailed from Auckland on October 7 for London, states that weather conditions have been good and all on board are well. TAURANGA HARBOUR BUOYS Information has been received by the Marine Department from the Tauranga Harbour Board that numbers 3 and 4 red buoys have been shifted 090 degrees, 100 feet, and 80 feet respectively. THE CITY OF SINGAPORE The City of Singapore will now go to New Plymouth before corning to Lyltelton. and she was expected 1o leave Wellington yesterday for that port. She is due at Lyttclton on Friday. THE CANADIAN SCOTTISH '1 he Canadian Scottish, which left Lyltelton on September 4 for New York, Boston, and Montreal, arrived at Panama on October 3, and sailed the same day. THE WAIHE.MO The W;aihemo, en route from America for New Zealand, left Rarotonga on Thursday and Atiu at 4 p.m. on Saturday. She is due at Auckland on October 22, and will call later at Wellington, Lyltelton, Timaru. Duncdin, and Australian ports.

WAIKOIAITPS TRANSHIPMENTS The Waikouaiti, which is due at Lyttelton on Sunday from Newcastle, Sydney, and Port Kembla, via Bluf!', Dun edin, and Timaru. brings transhipments from the following vessels: — Tanda, Jeff Davis. Commissaire Ramel, Taiping, Nieuw Holland, Otranto, Maloja, Atsuta Maru, Tamon Maru. THE CITY OF BEDFORD The City of Bedford left Philadelphia on October 2, New York on October 9, and Hampton Roads on October 12 for Auckland, Napier, Wellington, Lytlelton, and Dunedin, via Port Arthur and Tampico. She is due at Auckland about the end of November. MARAMWS TRANSHIPMENTS Transhipments from the following vessels were included in the cargo of the Marama. which arrived at Wellington on Monday from Sydney:—Milduras, Ballarat, Stassfurt. Ormiston, Nieuw Holland, Taiping, Tamon Maru, Mongolia, Otranto, Kowarri, Wanganella, Shirala, Mareeba, Canberra.

THE CANADIAN CONQUEROR The Canadian National steamer Canadian Conqueror reached Auckland on Saturday from Montreal. She left there again on Monday for Wellington for discharging and loading, and is due there to-morrow morning. She will leave again later the same day for New York, Boston, and Halifax, via Australia. TO LOAD PHOSPHATES The British steamers Anliopo and Zouave, both under charter to the Weir Line, are now bound from the United Kingdom to Ocean Island or Nauru to load phosphates for Australia or New Zealand. RECORD SHIPMENT OF PINEAPPLES The Canadian National Steamships steamer Canadian Victor left Brisbane on October 3 for Montreal, via ports, with a quantity of general cargo. Included in her cargo is 17,000 cases of canned pineapples for Canada, which is stated to be a record shipment from Brisbane. PERSONAL Commander J. W. Farquhar is the youngest son of Admiral Sir Arthur Farquhar, and joined the Navy in 1910. He was in the Berkow at the Battle of Jutland, and after the war served for some time on the Australian station. From 1927 to 1929 he was in the Campbell, leader of the Sixth Flotilla, and from 1930 to 1932 was in H.M.S. Nelson. Surgeon-Commander J. W. Tighe served in "Q" ships during the war, and later saw service in the Persian Gulf. For a time he was attached to the Valhalla in the Atlantic fleet, and later served on the Australian and China stations. He came to New Zealand from Bermuda naval dockyard.