MARKING THREE KINGS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2016, 25 March 1914, Page 8

MARKING THREE KINGS.

CAPTAINS CONFER LIGHT OR WIRELESS COMPASS? . The merits of wireless as compared with lighting for tlio purposes of marking the dangers of the Three Kings were'considered by a gathering of mas ter mariners at tho Auckland Harbour Board offices on Monday. Tho meeting was convened by Captain Ross on behalf vof various shipping interests to Consider the position which has arisen by tho recent statement of tho .Minister of Marine (the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher). in favour of tho establishment of a wireless station. Thoso present were: Captains Eoss, Hood, M'Lean, Clark, Cliff,' Ruthe, Adamson, Reid, Hopkins, Newton, Smith, M'Lean, Flynn, Kasper, Whittinghani, and Maylin, and Mr. Nicholson. Captarh Ross was voted to the chair. The following are- particulars- of the meeting in addition to those previously telegraphed:— Tho chairman said that the Government might as well refuse to carry on the East Coast railway on the pretext that in five years airships might bo able to provide the service. Ho thought they would- bo justified in calling upon the whole country to support the request for the marking of tho dangers of tho Kings. , It would be better not to Myait until passenger steanwr, and, possibly, hundreds of lives were lost. (Hear, hear.). The Wireless Compass. Captain Hood said he had consulted all masters arriving at'the port sinco tho Minister's statement, and also officers of H.M.S. Pyramus. While information about, tho wireless compas3 was_ very meagre, ho learned that experiments were being carried out in tho English Channel. Tho compass was worked by wireless, and the needle was expected to fly round to the direction from which the wireless advice of locality came. Tho compass was also" ojrpected to indicate the set of the current. "If , that is so," added tho speaker, "our vessels won't require to be navigated." "'

■ Quo of the master mariners: They will need automatic captains. Tho Chairman: Did tho officers say they w,ould trust the wireless compass? Captain Hoo'd: No. ' The.y said that tho-system was still in. its infancy. Captain Cliff said that he also had made inquiries concerning the wireless, compass. Little was known about it in theso. parts. It seemed that there was a needle which was intended to spring to the direction in which the ship was proceeding, as indicated by a message which must be received from a station. He would point out, however, that there was only one bearing which was to bo depended on t and that was a cross bearing of two well-known obj'ects. He therefore considered that wireless would be_-of little' use in this instance. To his mind it was merely a red herring drawn across the trail of the proper • light which the Minister had promised two years ago. (Hear, hear.) Captain Smith said that neither he nor many of thoso present knew much about the wireless compass. The Government ought to have kept the promise to light the Kings. Captain South did not think that it would be of any -use to a master in ascertaining his bearings in such a position as the Three Kingsv .. . Captain- Ruthe . suggested that tho meeting should delay' its , proceedings until the Hon. Mr. Fisher had had time to obtain more information ; about, wireless. / -, .''"-,' v*.', '.V ..'.' .: : ' "*.'.,.'

Captain Adamson pointed.out that before such a system,could be of full use, a number of small vessels would have to be expensively equipped with wireless outfits. •• ■'. ' • -

Captain D. -M'Lean (of the Maheno) said that lie had not heard about 1 the wireless compass until reading the remarks of the.Minister in, the Auckland papers. He did not think it would be prudent for any captain to continue his course on the bearings ' of a wireless compass alone. A majority of the ships travelling round the Kings did not have wireless. For instance, sailing vessels like the Craig liners were not so.equipped. • ■■'■■ .' . .. Captains' Resolution. After other masters had declared that they had not previously heard- of the wireless cpmpass, Captain Cliff moved: "That this representative meeting of shipmasters reaffirms, the decision of -)a, previous, meeting as reported in the Press, viz., that a first-class light and fog-signal on the summit of the Big .King is the only satisfactory and acceptable scheme of marking the dangers of the. Three Kings, and this meeting of shipmasters calls on the Minister of Marine (the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher) to fulfill his promise, given to its representatives, to .light'... the Three. Kings." Captain M'Lean'seconded the resolution. ..,'... Captain .Ruthe moved as an amendment that action be deferred until the Minister of Marine had time to further investigate the developments of wireless telegraphy. . ' ' . . ;■■'The.chairman: .This meeting, is 'not going 'tq;-iriterfere f'with'Mr. Fisher in I cannot accept the amendment' ill'that form; "■" ■' v ."• - "Subsequently the chairman decided/to take the amendment, but as there was no» seconder, it collapsed. ■

SHIPMASTERS' BLUSTER. ■?; •■:;;■' MINISTER ASTONISHED.' . ..'■ (Br' : Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.) , '" Pahiatu?., March 24. Interviewed in reference to the telegraphed message from Auckland which contains ah account of the meeting of 20. shipmaster's in Auckland, the Hon. 1 ,, . M. B. Fisher said that he was utterly at a loss to understand the remarks niado by the 'chairman, Captain Boss, or the,necessity for the mis-statements which appear in the telegraphed report. Mr. Fisher, said that he would bo in Auckland on April 6, that he was quite anxious to meet the Auckland shipmasters to discuss the -matter upon national grounds, and that no amount of bluster on the part of the Shipmasters' Association pvould force him into doing something Which his judgment and the best advice'he could procure suggested should not be done. He was prepared to meet the master mariners with tho plans,' and to go into all tho details, but ho was not prepared to carry on a newspaper controversy along tho lines adopted by Captain Boss.