INTERNATIONAL LAWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19831, 29 December 1927, Page 13

INTERNATIONAL LAWS.

CONVENTION'S FINDINGS. THE NEW ZEALAND REPORT. BX THEEMIOH. An interim report on the more important of the decisions arrived at during the International Radio Telegraph Convention held at Washington recently has been submitted to the Post-master-General, Hon. W. Nosworthy, by Mr. A. Gibbs, chief post and telegraph engineer of the Post and Telegraph Department, who was the Dominion's representative at the convention. Suggestions are made for an increase in the Government activities in the field of radio signalling, and Mr. Gibbs reports the convention agreed to a special proviso permitting deck officers on the smaller coastal vessels in New Zealand waters to act as wireless operators.

A full report of the proceedings of the convention, at which 76 different radio administrations were represented, will be submitted to Parliament later. Outlining the features in which the New Zealand administration is more or less directly interested, Mr. Gibbs says: "In 1912 no one could possibly have anticipated the great .expansion which has taken place in radio communication, and the many uses to which radio signalling would be applied. Ships, aircraft, submarines, laud stations, beacon and direc-tion-finding stations, picture transmission, broadcasting, all had to be provided for, and it was with no little difficulty that the available signalling channels were allocated to meet the needs of the art, A comprehensive allocation of frequencies to the different services has now been made, and it is believed that this schedule will do much to reduce interference and multiply, as far as possible, the avenues open to the transmission of intelligence by means of electro-magnetic waves." Concession to Dominion. " A special concession ' was made to New Zealand by the convention with respect to its home trade ships of small tonnage. These vessels, in accordance with New Zealand marine laws, are compulsorily" fitted with wireless apparatus with the main object of ensuring the safety of the. passengers and crew. New Zealand holds a somewhat unique position in requiring ships of such small tonnage, if carrying 19 persons or more, to be equipped with wireless apparatus. In the absence of international regulations that would appropriately cover such cases and not impose impracticable requirements, local regulations were made in New Zealand in 1925, permitting the installation of comparatively low-power equipment on such small vessels and considerably modifying the operating qualifications compared with those required of larger sea-going ships." It was stressed, points out Mr. Gibbs, that overtures' made by shipping companies. in other parts of the world to relax the operating conditions had always been consistently declined; it had to be admitted that any movement to degrade the standard of operating would have a serious effect upon the conduct of traffic and the general efficiency of radio communication. Finally, however, ifc was decided to meet the case by a special reservation permitting Now Zealand coastal ships of this class to carry a modified installation and to be operated by ships' officers fulfilling the requirements which the New Zealand Government deemed best suited to the special circumstances of the case. It was agreed in this connection that periodical tests would bo made to ensure that the standard imposed was being properly maintained.

Safety at Sea. Distress signals at sea was another subject fully discussed at the conventaion. In this connection Mr. Gibbs reports as follows: — " With such insistent demands upon the ether brought about by the growth of national and international radio traffic, it was no easy matter to make adequate provision for ensuring the safety of life at sea by means of radio distress signalling. The demands of traffic and the watch for distress signals are somewhat difficult factors to reconcile, and to a large extent are mutually conflicting. It is, however, worthy of note that this subject re-' ceived the most careful and preferential treatment. In spite of the problems mentioned this early and humanitarian application of wireless signalling has been placed on a more satisfactory footing than was formerly the case. It may confidently be expected that the service rendered to ships in distress will bo even more dependable and reliable—if that be possible—than the remarkably efficient and valuable services rendered in this connection in tho past. As a contribution to this end the wave band from 580 to 620 metres is to be reserved almost entirely as a calling and distress signal band." The curtailing of long-wave stations and of spark installations and regulation of amateur transmitting stations are among other aspects of radio dealt with. Future Activities.

" In order to keep pace with the radio developments now taking place, and to take full advantage of the same," tho report concludes, it will be increasingly necessary for the New Zealand Government to extend its activities in the field of radio signalling, and to make a more serious effort to keep pace with modern research. The time has clearly arrived when, in order to administer satisfactorily the responsibilities of a quickly expanding and highly scientific art, there must exist a body well equipped with the latest technical measuring apparatus, and possessing, in addition, a qualified and specialised staff capable of keeping abreast of scientific progress in the application of radio frequency to modern signalling practices. " It is to be hoped that the newLyformed Scientific and Industrial Research Department will be able to devote some time to the unsolved scientific problems of radio transmission calling for treatment in the Southern Hemisphere, and that collaboration with this department, and its practical resources will furnish a useful and economical means of contributing to the rapfdlyaccumulating store of knowledge of the ether as a transmission medium."

DOMINION LICENSEES. THE LATEST FIGURES. The Secretary of the Post Office advises that the number of wireless licences of which advice of issije had been received at Wellington up to December 23 is as follows: Receiving Dealers' licences. licences. Auckland 13,321 500 Canterbury .. 7,821 297 Otago . a 4. 2,120 / 173 Wellington «14,105 751 Total . «» 37.367 1~721 There are also current 135 transmitting licences, so that.the grand total of licences from which the' Broadcasting Company is deriving revenue is 39,223. This is of particular interest to listeners who recall that some time ago an expensive programme was broadcast from IYA to show the type of programme that could be transmitted when there were 40,000 licensees in the Dominion.

Since December 2 the number of receiving licences has increased as follows Auckland, 310; Canterbury, 258; Wellington, 658; Otago, 57. The number of dealers has increased by 21.;