SONIC DEPTH FINDER.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 22 November 1924, Page 13

SONIC DEPTH FINDER.

AND PISHING INDUSTRY. PROPOSALS MADE TO STATE DEPARTMENT. MINISTER SYMPATHETIC. Proposals calculated to result in great benefit to the sea fishing industry have been made to the Minister of Marine, the Hon. G. J. Anderson, by the Hon. G. M. Thomson, M.L.C., and the Minister states that he intends to look into the question.

In a letter to the Minister, covering his proposals, Mr. Thomson says: “During my recent visit to Honolulu ! had the pleasure of meeting Rear-Admiral John /McDonald, U.S.A. Commandant, Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, on several occasions. At one of the meetings of the Pan-Pacific Pood Conservation Conference he gave a very interesting account of the work of the Hydrographic Department of the United States Navy, and later presented me with a contour map of the sea-bottom to the west of California. The data on which this map was drawn were obtained as the result of a detailed survey made by the United States Navy, bv the use of the sonic sounding apparatus. ' ' “The importance of this work, both economically in connection with the local fisheries, and scientifically in its bearing on .volcano and earthquake research, at once drew my attention. After various conversations with the Admiral, and also with Dr. T. A. Jaggar, volcanologist in charge of the Kilouea Volcano University, I wrote to the former gentleman asking for further 'information. He forwarded my letter, to the hydrographic office in Washington, with the request that the authorities there would communicate directly with me. On October 13 I received a reply from Captain P. B. Bassett,"by dr ographer, of which I understand you have already received a copy. “It would be of immense value in the development of our fishing industry if we could carry out a detail survey of our coastline as far out as the 100 fathom line. • This might be done by supplying a sonic depth-finder to one or more of the smaller vessels of the New Zealand coastal defence fleet, such as the Veronica and the Laburnum. The addition of some scientific work to the routine duties of such a vessel is of interest to the officers and men, and is of value to the lads who are being trained in naval work. I found in Hawaii that the Navy Department was in close touch with the authorities of the British Museum,.Honolulu, and that each month one of the destroyers on the station was dispatched on a scientific cruise, along with a volunteer staff of scientific men.

“If, further, the cruisers on the New Zealand station were furnished with the sonic depth-finder, and would survey the deep water area on a line between the volcanic region of the North Island and the islands of the Tongan an,d Samoan groups, an immense advance in the study of the volcanology, and seismology of the South Pacific would be made. I have already written to, the Minister of Internal Affairs stressing the importance .of establishing a volcanological observatory in New Zealand, and if in addition to this a. marine survey of the sea-bottom were made'' by our Navy Department, the gaiii in our knowledge would bring nearer the day when earthquakes and volcanic disturbances with their accompanying dangers of . tidal waves could be predicted with some approach to accuracy, and loss of life and. property be guarded against. ” /