SAFETY OF MAORI
A SATISFACTORY POSITION. RECENT CRITICISM. (BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 19. A statement concerning the stability of the terry steamer Maori, which has been the subject of criticism of late-, was made in the House this afternoon by the Minister for Marine (Hon. G. J. Anderson). The Minister said that- representations concerning this steamer had been made from time to time to the Premier and himself. These representations were based on passenger rather than nautical experience, and in consequence, doubts had been raised as to the, safety of the, vessel as a passenger steamer. When the complaints arose the Minister said the Marine Department immediately made investgatious, and its expert officers came to the conclusion oil the data available that no action could justifiably be taken. The department, however, in. order to fully satisfy itself in the mattei lequired the production from the builders of further data-, including inclining experiments. This further information had now come to hand, and the whole matter had been completely, investigated. The Minister said the conclusions of the departmental experts had been conjointly considered with the company’s expert officers, .with the result that the company had made arrangements whereby, by the distribution of permanent' loading, it is considered that the vessel’s movement will be more smoothly controlled under adverse weather conditions. This load distribution though not affecting the ships established stability, will ease and lessen her movement, and it is believed will materially contribute to the passengers comfort and confidence. It is readily, understood by nautical men and must be recognised by the travelling public, however, that any ship which is run under all weather condi--3 com l>J>\ w *th the public demand for certain time-table connections, must submit her passengers to Se t e abh! SCOmfor V thail a V€ssel "hose time-table connections permit her to proceed at an easier speed. * STATEMENT BY COMPANY. WELLINGTON, Aug. 19. (•in?^ atdlUg +V ie dlscusslon »n the House concermng the Maori, a statement has n issued by the Union Steamship Company. It says the company, not without reason, is proud of the Wel-lington-Lyttelton lorry service, and claims without hesitation that, as earned on by the Wahine and the Maori, it lias no equal m the world to-day! mong many points taken-into'account preparatory to the construction of these vessels safety was the foremost consideration, and the design and building were placed in tiie hands of Dennv Bros , a firm of the highest standing in the domain of scientific construenon. The company claims that- these vessels have exceeded expectations, proving themselves fast and comfortable, and providing a reliable connection between the- two islands under varying weather conditions, it is not to be expected by those -who go to sea in snips that conditions will be uniformly comloicablo to the unpractised sailor. Most trips are made under easy weather conditions, and it is this very fact that brings into relief the fewer occasions when sterner conditions prevail. As regards the. particular matter of tiie stability of the Maori, it i s not! possible to state tiie position jn full tree irorn technicalities. It may be explained, however, that the stability of a vessel i s indicated by what is termed its metacentnc height; this is the vertical distance between the centre of gravity of a ship and the metacentric, the latteir being the point of intersection of vertical lines drawn through, the centre of buoyancy as the ship rolls fjom side to side. It is accepted, as the result of theoretical and practical piooi, that a vessel is stable if the metacentre is eight-tenths of a loot, i.e. 9.(5 inches, above the centre bt gravity. The metacentric height of the Maori on a normal trip is over two feet. It varies slightly according to circumstances, but never under any conditions of the service jioes it approach the minimum of safety. On the vr lp I ! roni Wellington to Lyttelton on May 2G last, when the vessel experienced a heavy southerly gale, which. Jed to the publication in a southern paper of an entirely misleading and groundlessly alarming paragraph, the metacentric height was 29 inches. The actual fact is that so far from being a tender ship, the Maori lias a, large margin of safety, and will chill leime comparison in this respect with any ship afloat.
There is a natural confusion in the minds of those not versed in the technicalities of ship construction that steadiness and stiffness are allied terms. The quality of a vessel, which consists in its freedom from an. excessive rolling motion wTiem exposed to the action of the waves in the seaway is termed steadiness. As a rule it may be stated that steadiness and stiffness are opposed terms; in other words, the greater the stability the less the steadiness is likely to be. This is the quality we have in the Maori under rough sea conditions. Stability is provided at the expense of some temporary sacrifice of comfort. A lesser margin of stability would make the vessel easier in the seaway and still, answer all the- requirements of safety, but passengers will not cavil at’the extra margin. While it has been demonstrated that the Maori is a stable vessel under all variations of service conditions, it is naturally the company’s desire that- the passengers should not be subjected to avoidable discomfort •, but- at- the same time R is necessary to stress (lie pointthat in the maintenance of a fast timetable service the discomforts or rough, weather cannot be disposed of, and the public may vest assured that safety lias been and wilL continue to be the paramount consideration.
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Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 20 August 1924, Page 5
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938SAFETY OF MAORI Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 20 August 1924, Page 5
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