HARBOUR TRANSPORT

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 32, 2 November 1942, Page 4

HARBOUR TRANSPORT

Hutt Valley Auxiliary Fourteen launches of the Hutt Valley Harbour Auxiliary turned out yesterday morning for signalling practice, despite the heavy northerly blowing. Some of the smaller craft had a good “dusting” on the way from the Hutt River to the Petone wharf, which was the assembly point. In addition lo these boats, one of the Wellington Harbour auxiliary launches made a trip to Petone as part of the scheme for close co-operation between the Hutt Valley and the city harbour units. The provision of harbour transport in the event of road access becoming unusable is one of the chief functions of an E.P.S. harbour auxiliary unit, and in Wellington emergency harbour transport might be very vital to the The launches which assembled at Petone yesterday had a combined carrying capacity of 500 adults each trip, so that they could form a very useful unit in emergency transport. For the control of small craft, efficient signalling is a very important phase of the training receiving the attention of the Hutt Valley harbour auxiliary. All launches must 'be controlled by daylight signal flashes, or by .Morse or by semaphore flags. The signals section of the unit has attained a high degree of efficiency, and shows exceptional keenness.