151

A.—sa

REPORT OP PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONFERENCE.

first, to see which system is going to be the best before we have it applied in our own country, and very much for the same reason that Australia gives. We are partners in the State-owned Pacific Cable, and we believe, or, at all events, I believe, from the New Zealand standpoint that our system of wireless telegraphy when we adopt it ought to be used very largely for the purpose of protection of life on board ship, and for the purpose of communicating with our outlying lighthouses. In the meantime, we have not arrived definitely at what is the best thing to do. We have the full authority of Parliament to purchase or hire a, system of general use in our country; and, while I sympathise with the motion of Sir W T illiam Lyne, I think as an expression of opinion it would be the right thing to do. But this resolution goes a little bit further than that. I th'nk that if Sir William were to say that "as soon as a uniform system can be arrived at, to be "approved by the Board of Trade as representing the " different outlying portions of the British Empire," so that we might have the same class of instrument on board all ships. If we express a desire that there should be a uniformity of system in our different countries to enable one to communicate with the other, then I think we shall be doing the right thing. The CHAIRMAN : What would it mean from the point of view of expense? Sir WILLIAM LYNE : It is not a very expensive thing. Sir JOSEPH WARD : A good set of instruments for ship use costs, I understand, about £700. The CHAIRMAN : It depends on the royalties. Sir JOSEPH WARD : And the length you want it to carry messages. We had a three or four hundred mile set of Marconi instruments when I crossed the Atlantic to America last July. We sent messages to other ships, and they passed them on to the mainland, and it was most satisfactorily done. However, I think it is the proper thing to do. Hon. DUGALD THOMSON : Wouldn't a provision of this sort meet the case : " That the desirability of the " provision on board ship, especially those carrying pas- " sengers, of an apparatus for transmitting messages by " means of wireless telegraphy should he taken into con- " sideration by the Board of Trade and the Australian "and New Zealand Governments." I may say that Australia has not, and I don't think New Zealand has, any means of receiving messages. Sir JOSEPH WARD : I will suggest Sir William adds, "As soon as a uniform system is approved by the Board "of Trade." Hon. DUGALD THOMSON : Then we have this— "of over 5,000 tons gross." We have nothing to go on. Mr. PEMBROKE : I think it is desirable that we should have a uniform system. Mr. ANDERSON : Don't you think it is a mistake to force the pace in the matter ? It can safely be left to* competition. Sir WILLTAM LYNE : I think it is a good thing to get an expression of the feeling of this Conference. Mr. DUNLOP : I think you have an exaggerated idea of the value of this so far as life is concerned. A ship was lost the other day. but she had all these appliances on board. T think, from a life-saving point of view, the advantage is very small. Sm JOSEPH WARD : There was a case occurred the other day where, as a result of being able to communicate by means of wireless telegraphy, the ship was saved. Its value is undeniable, and if the words I have suggested were added there would be no objection to it. Mr. PEMBROKE : At present it is only used for the amusement of passengers. Mr. MILLS : Speaking as a shipowner,' I should say there is no doubt that this motion of Sir William Lyne is in the right direction, but I think it is rather premature to attempt to lay down any law. Shipowners will all adopt the appliance as soon as ever it is commercially possible, but meanwhile it is not ripe yet. To pass that resolution to bring it in force at once would place us entirely in the hands of one particular maker, and that

would be very undesirable. I have seen a good deal of the use of wreless telegraphy on the Atlantic steamers, and so far as I have observed it is merely an amusement for passengers —Americans especially—who want to knowhow a favourite dog is getting on, and various other little domestic matters. But at present it is not of much practical use. I think Mr. Thompson's suggestion is the best. Hon. W. M. HUGHES : There should be uniformity. Ms. LLEWELLYN SMITH : What do you mean by uniformity ? Hon. W. M. HUGHES : I mean the same system is installed on all ships. Mr. LLEWELLYN SMITH : The line on which people have been advancing is to make all systems interchangeable rather than uniform. The CHAIRMAN : Well, this has been moved by Mr. Dugald Thomson. It is substantially the result of what has transpired : " That the desirability of the provision "on board ships carrying passengers of an apparatus for "transmitting messages by means of wireless telegraphy " should be taken into consideration by the Board of "Trade and the Australian and New Zealand Govern- " ments." Hon. W. M. HUGHES : I think we should recommend that adoption of the same or an interchangeable system seems very desirable. The CHAIRMAN : We have a Convention on that subject. It is under consideration now. Mr. COX : There was a Congress in Berlin. (The resolution was then agreed to.) The CHAIRMAN : Now No. 9. Sir WILLIAM LYNE : The resolution is : "That "third class engineers having sea-service, on passing a " practical examination, be permitted to qualify for higher " grade certificates." I was approached by engineers in Australia before I left with reference to this matter, and it was considered in those cases where third-class engineers have had the necessary experience and have had full technical knowledge they should not be debarred from proceeding to the higher grade because they have not complied with the technical requirements of the regulations. That was what was laid before me by engineers in Australia before I left. The technical regulations require them to go through a certain grade. We have provisions at the present time, and I do not know whether you have. The CHAIRMAN : We have no third-class, as I understand. Hon. DUGALD THOMSON : That resolution of the report really applies to Australian waters only. Hon. W. M. HUGHES : We have nothing to do with that. Mr. MILLS : Don't the provisions of the New Zealand Act meet the case ? Sm WILLIAM LYNE : That's the very point. There are also provisions in some of the State Acts in Victoria that a man must go to sea for a certain time during that period. Mr. MILLS : Not for a third engineer. Hon. DUGALD THOMSON : The difference is this, that providing he could get his second engineer's certificate, he must have been on watch. Sir WILLIAM LYNE : Yes. Hon. W. M. HUGHES : Perhaps I might be permitted to explain just what the injustice is. Under our Local Act, a third-class engineer can never become a secondclass engineer. By the law of the country he is limited, and by the Board of Trade amended regulations, particularly, he h restricted to employment upon a certain horsepower ship, and within a certain radius. A second-class engineer, on the other hand, must have been an engineer on the watch for a certain length of time before he can present himself for examination. Very well; you see a third-class engineer can never do that, because by our law