CO129-498-1 Indepartmental conference on Piracy- report 12-1-1926 - 20-4-1926 — Page 73

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M. 5720/23.

SIR,

[COPY.]

Mercantile Marine Department Board of Trade,

3, Sanctuary Buildings,

Great Smith Street,

Westminster, S.W.1. 23rd April, 1923.

WITH reference to the letter from this Department (M. 5379/23) of the 18th April, regarding the proposed tests of the Automatic Calling Device, I am directed by the Board of Trade to state that at the meeting held in this Depart- ment on the 20th instant, representatives of the Admiralty, General Post Office, and the Board of Trade and of the Chamber of Shipping, the Marconi Company and the Radio Communication Company unanimously agreed that it was desirable that in the first place there should be further exhaustive experimental trial under the most competent tech- uical supervision to determine what, in principle, is the most satisfactory form of calling device and distress signal, and that when these points had been determined specific appa- ratus for approval should be tested under service conditions in the Mercantile Marine.

The meeting considered that the necessary preliminary tests could be best carried out with the assistance of the Admiralty. The Board of Trade concur in this view, and I am to enquire whether the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty would be prepared to offer facilities for, and to co-operate in, this research. Should they be prepared to do so the Board suggest that a small technical committee, con- sisting of representatives of the Admiralty, General Post Office, the Marconi Company and the Radio Communication Company, should be invited to prepare a scheme of research with the view to a course of experiments being carried out at an early date.

The Board would be glad to be informed at an early date whether the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty would be prepared to call such a sub-committee and to proceed on the lines of these suggestions.

I have the honour to be, Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

C. HIPWOOD.

[COPY.]

M 645.

Admiralty,

S.W.1.

SIR,

17th May, 1923.

WITH reference to your letter No. M. 5720/23, of 23rd April regarding the proposed tests of the Automatic Calling Device, I am commanded by My Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to acquaint you, for the information of the Board of Trade, that they are prepared to offer facilities for, and to co-operate in this research. Arrangements will be made for a meeting of the proposed committee as soon as an acknowledgment of this has been received.

I am, Sir,

Your obedient Servant.

CHARLES WALKER.

(Signed)

The Assistant Secretary,

Mercantile Marine Department,

Board of Trade,

3, Sanctuary Buildings,

Great Smith Street, S.W.1.

(Signed)

The Secretary,

Admiralty, S.W.1.

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