MAXIMUM LOADING OF SHIPS

Hokitika Guardian, 11 July 1930, Page 6

MAXIMUM LOADING OF SHIPS

CONVENTION SIGNED,

IMPORTANT CONFERENCE IN LONDON. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, July 8. A convention giving a maximum loading for all merchant ships, belonging to the twenty-seven nations engaged in international trade, has been signed at the International Load line Conference, which has just ended in London. / The convention was signed on behalf of the following Governments:— Australia, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great- Britain, Greece, Iceland, India, Irish Free State, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, 'Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru. Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Union of South Africa, Russian Soviet Republics and the United States of America.

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Oliver, who presided, in his concluding speech,' described the convention as “a great means of placing the international, oversea, carrying trade of the world on a basis of safety such as lias never hitherto been attained.” The convention provides for increases of freeboards in the winter'months particularly in the smaller classes of ships. It defines with increased precision the methods to secure, in bad weather, the closing of openings in the decks and sides of ships, and for, the protection of the crew. It revises the season-areas that regulate the loading limits of ail ships. The Australian and New Zealand delegates at the Loadline Conference were perturbed because foreign delegates 011 the Zone Committee were desirous of placing sections of the Australian and New Zealand coasts within the summer and winter zones, causing confusion throughout Australian and New Zealand shipping, and also resulting in losses to those parts. Within the winter zone Australia is safeguarded, for her constitution provides for' the enforcement of a separate Shipping Act, but New Zealand will be obliged to concur if Britain agrees, because she l.s unable to pass a separate Shipping Act ?,without the Imperial Parliament’s consent. It was understood that the British delegates' favoured the foreigners’ proposals, and therefore the Australian and New Zealand delegates were holding up the Zone Committee, hoping- to obtain reconsideration- of. tlie,,. zoning, proposals before they were submit ted to the general committee for final, ratification.