COAST BOATS & AERO PLANTS

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1815, 30 July 1913, Page 7

COAST BOATS & AERO PLANTS

MAKE THEM COMPULSORY. OPINIONS OF THE COMPANIES. Regulations to make it compulsory that wireless should bo installed on all New Zealand steamers carrying passengers and engaged in the foreign or intercolonial trade, and also on home steamers authorised to carry not less than fifty passengers, have been'in preparation by tho Marine Department. The Minister lor Marine (the Hon. F. M. B. l r islicr) informed a reporter yesterday that the draft regulations had been submitted to the shipowners whose vessels would be affected by them, and also'to"the New Zealand Shipowners' and that replies had been received,from thorn".- 1/ v The Union Company A'aiT stated tliat.it, had already equipped all its passenger steamers engaged in the foreign or intercolonial trade <it a" cost of .£6OOO per annum, that the ferry steamer Waliino had been equipped, and that the Maori would be equipped before she started running again. \ The company objected to being required to equip its Home trado steamers on the-ground that their voyages wore only of a few hours' duration, that they were seldom more than five miles from land, and that, owing to the short masts of some of them, it would not be liossible to Tadiate sufficient energy lo obtain anything like a range of 100 miles. The company also objected to having to employ a highly qualified operator for coistal work, and suggested that the regulations should be carried out by the Post and Telegraph Department instead of by the Marine Department. The Northern Steam Ship Company, which owns coastal steamers only, objected to having to instal wireless on its vessels on the ground that its trado was almost entirely confined to the proviuco of Auckland, that steamers were never out of .sight of land in the day time, that they were equipped with Morse signalling apparatus, that during the last twentysix years wireless would not have been t'ho means of saving life or property on its steamers. It expressed a hopo nlso that if the Minister intended lo bring the regulations into operation ho would first receive a deputation from the ship-own- . ers' Federation. Messrs. Jagar and Harvey, owners of the auxiliary schooner Hmtnui, trading . to tho Cook Islands, stated tlmt they did not expect that this vessel woiild be required to carry wireless as there were no shore stations in. the Cook group. The Ship-owners' Federation objected to tho regulations applying to Homt trado steamers. It recognised the ireiit valuo of wireless on passenger steamers making voyages for long distinces from the coast, but considered it unnecessary • for small vessels running close to the land. Wie Federation alss asked the Minister to receive a deputation on the subject. The replies received from the various companies will be considered by tho Mill ister for Marine.