RADIO BEACON APPROVED

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 19 September 1934, Page 9

RADIO BEACON APPROVED

AID TO NAVIGATION DECISION BY CABINET (By Teieffiapto —Frasa Association.) AUCKLAND, Sept. 18. Cabinet approval has been given to the installation of a diaphoiie fog signal and radio beacon on Tiritiri Is-. land. A communication to this effect was received at a meeting of the Auckland Harbour Board to-day. Replying to a letter from the board concerning navigation aids in the Hauraki Gulf, the Minister of Marine, Hon. <J. G. Cobbe, said he could not agree that the grounding of the motor ship Hauraki was due to the absence of fog signals at Cuvier Island and Tiritiri Island. The vessel had actually picked up Watchman light, which was 23 miles inside Cuvier Island and had set a course to pass four miles south-east of Tiritiri, at which distance the fog signal might easily not have been heard, and if heard could not !>e located sufficiently accurately for the ship to make the narrow waters of Rangitoto Channel in fog. Cabinet had approved of the erection of a diaphone fog signal on Tiritiri Island, and a commencement would be made at once with the erection of a building. The bulk of the plant, however, had to come from England. An item for the major radio beacon stations was entered on the supplementary estimates for this session, and on these going through the necessary plant for Cuvier Island would be placed on order.