MINISTER AND MARINERS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 55, 11 April 1914, Page 14

MINISTER AND MARINERS.

PROPOSED LIGHTHOUSE ON THREE KINGS. From Our Special Correspondent. AUCKLAND, April 8. If the master mariners who have been urging the erection of a light at an altitude of 990 ft on the Three Kings expected to get much change put of the Minister of Marine when' he met them last night, they were sadly disappointed". Mr Fisher held his own in delightful sang froid, countered effectively all along the line, and met the final ••bluff" of the deputation by dramatically declaring .that he • would definitely assume responsibility for any loss of life that might occur through delay in marking the dangers of the Kings. On the side of the Minister, there was a manifest desire to agree amicably as to the best modus operandi. He told the ••men who go down to the ».sea in ships" of all the suggestions which he had obtained from experts in various countries during the past year concerning automatic lights, submarine bells, electrically-worked fog signals, and •• wireless" compass, but they had evidently arrived at their verdict before hearing the case, and coolly informed the Minister at the close that' if given five minutes to confer they could frame their reply. "I should be sorry to think that you would do so' without considering the details," observed the Minister, to which the spokesman replied that they wanted the representative of the Cabinet to adhere to his original proposal to erect a light on the Big King, and nothing less would satisfy them. ' The speaker declared that the committee would hold the Government responsible for loss of- life which might occur as the result of delay. To this the Minister responded as quoted above. A feature of the proceedings was the presence of the exMiuister of Marine (the Hon. J. A. Millar), who came along in a friendly way with the Hon. Mr Fisher. The latter presumably intends to prosecute further enquiries as to modern methods before . committing the Government to the expenditure of a sum of anything up to £20,000.