WIRELESS AT SEA.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1783, 23 June 1913, Page 6

WIRELESS AT SEA.

v DRAFT REGULATIONS. OBLIGATIONS OF NEW ZEALAND STEAMERS. As was notified in The Dominion a. few days ago, the Minister for Marine (the Hon. P. M. B. Fisher) has had prepared by his Department a sot of regulations . r governing the installation of wireless apparatus on steamers registered in New Zealand. The regulations, in draft form, have been issued! to the shipping companies interested. i The text of the regulations, together with somo additional information on the subject, was obtained _ on Saturday from Mr. G. Allport (Secretary for Marine). As drafted, the regulations apply to all steamers, registered in New Zealand, ■ which are authorised to carry not less than fifty passengers, or are engaged in the foreign or inter-colonial trade. The regulations aTe on- lines approved by tho International Radio Telegraphic Convention, to which Now Zealand is a party. The convention'recognises three classes of ... . wireless services oni steamers. On vessels included in the first class an operator is always on watch to receive communications. Steamers in the second class have an operator on duty foi< a specified number,of hour 3 per day. Outside these hours an operator is to be on watch for tho first ten minutes of overy hour. On steamers in the third class, operators do no specified listening- service. Under the projected New Zealand regulations, steam- • ers are pkcsd in the second class. Following are the individual steamers to which tho regulations wi/J apply foreign and intercolonial steamers, etc.: Atua, Hauroto, HimitangJ, Hnanui, Moana. Navua, Jlokoia, Mo«raki, Aparima, Moura, "Warriinoo, MaitaJ, Manuka, Aorangi, Tahiti, Marama, Maun.ganui. Coastal steamers (number of passengers steamers are authorised tj carry indicated in parentheses): Araluira (221); Auponri (68); Mapourika (211); Monoivai (269); Rarawn (191!); Mnraroa (356); Clansma;i 122); Maori'; (589); Ngatiawn (68); Takapnna (206); Tarawera . (223); Haupiri (82); Ngaptihi (132); llotomahana (81); / Te.Anau (201);,Mahiiia (282). The regulations will .not apply.to the Tateena, which is registered in Tasmania, nor to tho intercolonial steamers' of tho Huddart-Parker Company, which are re-, gistered in Australia. ' but the _ latter vessels are already.equipped with wireless. -,So too are nearly all tho Union Company's foreign and t intercolonial steamers. i .The shipping companies to whom the .regulations have been submitted. are the 'i'Uriion Company, the Northern Steamship Company, Messrs. Jaeger anil • Parkes, , owners of the Huanui, which goes .down to the, Campbell Islands on whaling business,'and the Chatham Islands ; Fishing 'Company, owners of tho Himitangi. Copies have al9o been sent to the offices of the Shipowners' Federation at Auckland and Wellington.

The Regulations. . Following is the text .of the proposed regulations:— (1) Every steamship registered in New .Zealand' and carrying passengers, which '• is engaged in. the foreign or intercolonial . trade, and every Home-trade steamship which is authorised by her ordinary survey .certificate to carry no .fewer .than.fifty passengers at sea shall not leave, or attempt 'to leave,- any port : in New Zealand unless such steamship J: "is equipped with an efficient apparatus for radio communication, in good working order; to be operated by a person skilled in the use .of such apparatus, • which apparatus sha.ll be capable of transmitting and receiving messages over. ia distance of at-least one hundred miles at any -time of tho day. ,„(2) Ships required by these regulations to carry tho apparatus prescribed above shall , .. .1)3 placed in the second-class as defined by Article XIII of tho Detached Service rei ~ gulations, appended, .to tile International /, : Radiotelegraph Convention of 1912. that is, during navigation, tho operators shall remain permanently on the watch, during tho hours the respective stations are open for service; outside of these houra tho ■ operators shall remain oi the watch dur- \ ing the first, ten minutes of every hour. , (3) The Jlinister for Marino may appoint inspectors for the purpose of .these regulations, and such inspectors and superintendents of mercantile marine may visit any steamship required by these '. ' regulations to be equipped with apparatus ' • for, radio communication, before leave port, and ascertain if they aro equipped witlii such apparatus, tho operation of • which shall be carried out by a telegraphist holding a certificate, as pre- ■ scribed by Article X of tho Detached Service regulations attached to the Inter- • national Radiotelcgraphic. Convention. ; ■ (4) Where a passenger steamship, sub'ject to these regulations, is without tho apparatus and the operator prescribed and is about to attempt -to leave port, an inspector or superintendent shall:— (a) Notify tho master of the fine to ■which lie ivill be liable, and of the particulars in respect of which the law has not been complied with. . (b) at once tho Collector of Customs, who may thereupon withhold the ■ vessel's clearance until the requirements of these regulations are complied- with. (c) Prepare a report in writing of his action, and transmit it to the Collector of. Customs, who shall forward a copy to tho Secretary of the Marino Department. (5) An inspector or superintendent may at any time before a vessel, subject to these regulations, leaves port, require the master to give him n certificate, in the ..form set forth in the appendix hereto, 'that the wireless apparahis of his sliip is 'efficient, and in good working order, and the master shall give sttch- certificate before the vessel leaves port. •' _ (G) The power necessary to transmit signals shall at all times, while tho vessel is under way, be available for the wireless operator's use.

(7) Subject to the above regulations, the installation and operation of the apparatus required by them to-be fitted-shall bo in conformity 'with the requirements of the Post and Telegraph Act, 1908, and its amendments, and the -regulations made thereunder. (8) Any master or owner of a steamship committing n breach of these regulations is liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.* Appendix. This is to certify that the wireless operator in principal charge of the apparatus for radio-communication on the B.s. lias this day certified to me in writing that the said apparatus is sufficient and in good working order.— (Signed) Master.