WIRELESS ON SHIPS

Grey River Argus, 30 June 1925, Page 2

WIRELESS ON SHIPS

.COASTAL BOATS. TO BE EQUIPPED. WELLINGTON, June 24 »:ie now regulations gov(|ning the ‘ installation ol wireless on vessels reg- • i- li ‘red in New Zealand have becu gazetted. They are intended to minii miso the danger of coastal vovages as • i xcDp- i,,ed in the loss of the Ripple, j ■ of their operation is January I, 192 G. A full explanatory statement Ims , been issued by the Minister of Marine G. J. Andersonj. The Minister |>ays that the old regulations applied ;!o home-trade ships carrying 150 or I more passengers, and to all foreign,'gomg ships. 'The scope is now miu-h .extended. The delay till January is . iuHuided to give time for import in;, and installing apparatus. and for j training ofiicers in its use. Provision i i> made, meanwhile, io enable smaller j ships to be fitted with what, is termed “home-trade minor installation,” if it | can be shown that the ‘‘major hometrade installation” is unnecessary. I Provisions are also made, as in Ihe case of every other count h. I dealt with this subject, for the expunption of ships or classes of ships •’from lhe requirement to carry wireless 1 ■ s;g regard to the nature of lhe voyages in which the ship engages, or other circumstances of the case, Ire provision of wireless is unnecessary or impracticable. ON SMALL P.O ATS. I ‘‘Our regulations,” slates the AlinI ister, ‘‘s o far as the requirement lo ; calix wireless is concerned, go a good jdeal further than those of either ;('! - eal Britain or the Common we.-th h of | Australia, in that every ship which •parries more than 25 persons will be I required (o carry wireless. 'This reI quirenient affects a considerable number of small coastal boats which >arr\ a few passengers, but whose \dva<’cs are of short duration, generally in more or less sheltered waters. and v hose I <-onslruction is such that there is con- ; uderable difficulty in placing a wireless plant on • board at all. They are short of a mast in some instance:, or have only one mast, ami. in any cast, present considerable difficulty in ihe erection of efficient aerials. ‘‘Such installations ar c exceeJinglx simple to work, tire prac*ieally fool proof, and are fully effectixe. A test carried out with such a set on board a •ship in Auckland, and under the nosl adverse conditions of daylight ami inductance. pit\ e<| that there w in; difficulty in communicating xvilh both Radio Awanui and Radio Wellington. It has been decided, therefore, to permit installations of this class to be put | into all home-trade ships, exc-qu those which carry oxer -100 persons, and which, in fait, already have liiph.ergrade installations. ’the si.;, ur setmay be operated by deck oflicers, . passing a protwiibed “xamina ion, which, after January next, will be incorporated in the ordinary examination for home-trade masters and mutes. FOR LARGER SUIT’S. ihe requirements with regard io tie installation, operators ami listei.-ing-in serx ice for foreign-going ii.teicolonial and home-trade ships carr.ing oxer 400 persons would be the siniv lor New Zealand ships as for ship; < 1 Great Britain ami the ('ommonwea h h of Australia. ‘•With regard lo home-trade ship? carrying under 400 persons, howe\ei. it has been provided, with the comen! f the Merchant Serxice Guild, that deck oflicers shall do the work. fine w regulations apply to exery : hi, reg.si.-red in lhe Dominion, and to rii home-trade ships, whether registt re I hi New Zealand or not, which are (a .< of 1000 tons gross register or upxvard.G (b) carry more than 12 passengers: and (c) carry more than 25 persins, i.e., the number of the crew plus the number of passengers, if any, that ’.he xeSsel is authorised to carry. Every ship coming under any one of these categories must ha\ ( > a wireless installation, bill the regulations exenijd ships which are plying stdely on lakes, rivers, and harbours, or within rixei or extended rixer limits.” The regulations classify ships into four classes, for the purpose of determining, firstly, what installation is necessary; secondly, xvhat operators are necessary; ami thirdly, what lis-tening-in service is to be given.