JULY 16.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 2121

Notice to Mariners No. 26 of 1931.

Marine Department, Wellington, N.Z., 8th July, 1931.

THE following revision of Admiralty Notice to Mariners No. 12 of 1931,
which has been received from the Admiralty, London, is published for general
information.

G. C. GODFREY, Secretary.

ADMIRALTY NOTICE TO MARINERS No. 880 OF 1931.

BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS MESSAGES TO MERCHANT SHIPS.

Former Notices.—No. 12 of 1931, and N.Z. No. 19 of 1931, hereby cancelled.

This organization provides for the transmission of important messages to British
merchantmen in any part of the world on occasions when such messages may be of
vital importance to their safety and welfare.

From the details given below it will be seen that arrangements have been made
for such messages to be transmitted at certain scheduled times by Rugby and other
selected British W/T stations in various parts of the world.

Tests of the organization, lasting for one week, commence on 1st January and 1st
July each year. British Merchant Ships are earnestly requested to listen for the mes-
sages broadcast during these periods and forward particulars of those received as shown
in the specimen form attached to this notice.

These reports should be rendered by operators to the Masters of their ships and trans-
mitted by the latter to the shipowners, who should forward them to the Board of Trade,
London.

Reports from ships registered in Canada should be forwarded to the Canadian
Department of Marine. It is particularly desired that ships listening for, but failing to
receive, the test messages, should render blank returns, giving, if possible, any reasons
for non-reception.

The attainment of an organization of maximum efficiency is largely dependent
upon the information obtained from these reports, and the co-operation of individual
ships of the British Mercantile Marine will, therefore, be of the utmost assistance.

The arrangements made for broadcasting messages by W/T on these occasions are
as follows :—

2. The world has been divided into certain areas (vide chart appended) and col-
   lective call signs have been introduced for (i) all British Merchant Ships, and (ii) British
   Merchant Ships in a particular area. These call signs are as shown in the following
   table :—

Messages for Area on Call
Chart. Sign.
All British Merchant Ships .. .. .. .. .. .. GBMS
British Merchant Ships in Home Area .. .. .. .. .. 1 GBMS 1
,, Mediterranean Area .. .. .. .. .. 2 GBMS 2
,, East Indies Area .. .. .. .. .. 3 GBMS 3
,, China Area .. .. .. .. .. 4 GBMS 4
,, Australia Area .. .. .. .. .. 5 GBMS 5
,, Africa Area .. .. .. .. .. 6 GBMS 6
,, America and West Indies, East Coast, Northern Area .. 7 GBMS 7
,, America and West Indies, West Coast, Northern Area .. 8 GBMS 8
,, America and West Indies, East Coast, Southern Area .. 9 GBMS 9
,, America and West Indies, West Coast, Southern Area .. 10 GBMS 10
,, New Zealand Area .. .. .. .. .. 11 GBMS 11

3. Messages will be broadcast from—
   (a) Rugby W/T Station on 16 kc/s (18,740 metres) and 8,640 kc/s (34·72 metres)
   at 0000 G.M.T., and on 16 kc/s (18,740 metres) and 19,640 kc/s (15·275
   metres) at 1200 G.M.T., immediately preceding the British Official Wireless
   News; also from Falklands on 8,450 kc/s (35·5 metres) at 0410 and 1610
   G.M.T.
   (b) Certain medium and high-power W/T Stations abroad operating on waves
   between 150 kc/s (2,000 metres) and 100 kc/s (3,000 metres) at 0400 and
   1600 G.M.T.
   (c) Certain W/T Stations operating commercial traffic on 500 kc/s (600 metres) at
   any time.

4. A list of the Stations included in the organization showing the areas for which
   they will transmit and the waves on which messages will be broadcast is shown in the
   Schedule. The times 0400 and 1600 G.M.T. have been fixed for transmissions from
   Stations under paragraph 3 (b) above, since, in all areas of the world, one or other of