WEATHER REPORTS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 105, 6 May 1931, Page 15

WEATHER REPORTS

SERVICE TO SHIPPING

CESSATION CRITICISED

Strong criticism of tho Govorniuent's ' suspension of-broadcasting weather re-J ■ vPorta to shipping was mado by Mr. G. <J. G. Watson yestorday in tho courso i of the Magisterial inquiry into tho mishap to the Port Hobart. When addressing the Court, Mr. Watson, who appeared for the owners of the ship, said that there was only one aspect of the case he desired to refer to. That was the - action of the Nqw Zealand Government in ceasing to transmit daily weather reports. In this particular case, on the two days. prior; to the accide.nt, one of the worst northerly gales ever^ experienced had raged in the vicinity of Cook Strait, and no- ■ where ■ else. Tho master of the Port Hobart, when coming down the coast, did not know this, but had he known it lie might well have reasonably expected abnormal tidal conditions. As a mariner he had been deprived of an'aid to navigation, which he should reasonably have expected from the Government. The Government, counsel said, had ceased rendering the service some time ago on the ground of economy, and had given for its justification that the wea-. thor reports were broadcast locally each . evening from 2YA. As far as ship masters wftre concerned, that.was useless, because, firstly, the operators were not supposed to bo on the 2YA wave-length at all, and, secondly, it was impossible for them to take a long-hand transcript of a broadcast over the air. It was ob- > viously not a suitable replacement of. tho service that had been, given previously, and counsel said he had num--1 erous letters from overseas masters stressing the difficulty they had in approaching and working tho New Zealand coast without knowledgo of local weather reports. "I feel sure," concluded Mr. Watson, • "that the maritime community would " not havo raised the question so strcnu-; ]' ously if they did not regard the mat-' tor as being as important."