811.801 Wireless/94
The Netherland Chargé (Molekamp) to the Secretary of State
Sir: I beg leave, acting on instructions from my Government, respectfully to draw Your Excellency’s attention to the difficulty which would be caused if either of Senate Bills S. 4619 or S. 3954, at present under consideration, were enacted in their present form and wording.
Section 354 of both bills provides that every passenger ship which is required to be fitted with a radio installation has to carry at least two qualified operators, even if it should be equipped with an auto alarm, whereas under the rules of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea of 1929, a passenger ship when fitted with wireless is required to carry a safety operator and an auto alarm and only if it is not equipped with an auto alarm to have a second operator or watcher to enable the ship to maintain continuous watch.
Both bills therefore intend to depart from the rules adopted by the Convention and put into effect by all the signatories to the Convention. The Netherlands Government fears that if the present wording of either of the proposals of law above referred to were enacted the very object of the Convention namely promotion of international uniformity of safety regulations would be defeated.
I should feel greatly obliged if Your Excellency would be good enough to have the above stated consideration placed before the United States Government in order to avert, if possible, enactment of the stipulation in question.
I avail myself [etc.]