THE FERRY STEAMER.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 August 1924, Page 4

THE FERRY STEAMER.

STATEMENT liV COMPANY. SAEKTT E'irST CONSIDERATION. WELLINGTON, August 19. In a statement issued by the I’nioii Stoair.shij) Company it says: The company. secure in tin; knowledge of the sea voi thiness of it.s vessels lia.s nut previously eonsiikred any good juirpo.se v.oiilil be .served by thallenging a iie«.-i aper pargtaph tvliich has on oeeasions appeared after a r<■ npcii trip by the Maori, expressing; a passenger's ideas of lii.s or her expo: ieine. The company has considered that the actual facts might veil be left to a discriminating public. It is evident, however, that the repetition of these

statements reporting rough passages has created a feeling of uncertainty, which the public a:e entitled to have dispelled.

The iomgany, not without reason, is Proud of the Welhngton-I.y tleiton lorry servile, and claims without hesitation, that as tarried on by the Wnhine and Maori it has no equal in the world to-day. Among many points taken into account ] reparatnry to the construction of these vts-els safetv

was the loremost t onsideratiou, and the design and building were ] laced In the hands of Denny Druthers, a bum el’ tlie highest standing in the

domain of stientiiir .ship runsiruetinn. Tile eon,puny (hums that these vessels have exceeded expectations, proving themselves safe, fast and t toilful lalile a.ad providing reliable tonneetion between the two islands under varying weather t tiiidiliuns. If i.s not to be exptM'-d by thtise who go down to the sea in shijs that conditions will be uniformly t omft.rtable to the 11111 M-a ■ tised sailor. Most trij.s are

made under easy weather londitinns. and it is this very fait that, brings into relief l he few net asit ns when sterner coutlitinns prevail. As regards the | articular matter of the stability of the Maori, it is not possible to state the position in full, free from technicalities. It may be explained, however, that the stability of tin l vessel is indicated by 1111111 is termed metarentrio height. This is the vertical distance between the centre til' gravity of the ship and the mclacei.tic, the latter being the point of into,•seetion of vet tit id lines drawn through the centre of buoyancy, as the ship nil's from side to side, ft is accepted as the result of theoretical and practical proof that a ve-'-el is stab'e if the metacent re is eigldtents of a ft.ot if.. 9!) inches, above the centre of gravity. The mcliv eentrie height of the Maori on a

normal tcip is ove.i two led. it varies slightly according to eirenmslances. Ictii never under any conditions ol S, wire dot’s it approach the minimum t.f safety. Oil the 1 1 in from Wellington to Lyttelton in May ‘-Kith last, w ken the vis.se) experienced a heavy s . dll held V ga’e. which led to the publication in .southern papers of an alarming paragraph, the ivelaccntric height was 29 inches. The actual fact is that so far from being a tender ship the Maori lias a. large margin of safety and will (Iml- | mge comparison in this respect, with any ship alloat. There is natural confusion in the minds of those not versed i:. tile te: h niealit ies ot ship construction that Steadiness and stillness are

allied terms. The quality of a vessel which coie.i-ts in freedom from ■■;-

(e- ive rolling nit tin:i v. lien ex] os-tl to the action of the waves in a seaway is (.Mined steadiness. As a rule it may !•" stated that steadim ss ami stilfnesv ere opposed terms. In other words the greater the stability the le-s the st ■atlir.es. is likely to he. This is the quality we have in the Maori under rough sea conditions. Stability is ] rovided at the expense of some iem|orat'v mu riliee of eoinfort. A le-.ser margin of stability would make the Vessel easier ill a seaway and still answer the requirt meits oi salely, hut | a.ssengets will nut civil at an extra margin to more than i rovide tor til! adverse conditions. While it has been dcmuii't rated that the Maori is a stable ncel under all variations of service conditions, it is luiturallv the com;; ally's desire that pas-enger.s should nor he subjected to avoidable (licet mf"i (. hut at the same time it is necessary to sires, the point, that the maiiiiciian: et f a fa-t timetable s'i vie.' tlisi'onifotd of rough woathei numb lie dispesed of, and the public may re-t assured that safety has been and still will continue to he the paramount consideration. Wlem the Maori was recently lilted out as an oil burner the question of ‘■(ability was automat icaliy a mntlor fni eonsiderat ion !>v the Marine DcPcratnieid. who wore then quite .satisfied mi the point, in fact, the "(inversion from coal to oi! rather increased the ma'gin of siahilit v. (Vrtilied part radars of the builders' stability tests have now been .supplied to the Department and every tipperdimity afforded for investigation, in urt'or that an authoritative investigation and stateiiu-nt might be made t . the public.