WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. The use of wireless telegraphy in the Russo-Japanese war, as a means of transmitting orders and information, gave rise to several difficult problems in the relations between belliger ents and neutrals. In consequence, the Con vention Respecting the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers and Persons in War on Land, adopted at the Hague in 1907, pro vides (art. 3) that "belligerents are also for bidden (a) to erect on the territory of a neu tral power a wireless telegraphy station or any apparatus intended to serve as a means. of communication with belligerent forces on land or sea ; (b) to make use of any instal lation of this kind established by them be fore the war on the territory of a neutral power, for purely military purposes and not previously opened for the service of public messages." Neutral powers are, moreover, required by art. 5 not to allow the acts for bidden to belligerents by art. 3. But, on the other hand, art. 8 states that "a neutral Is not bound to forbid or restrict the employ ment on behalf of belligerents of telegraph or telephone cables or of wireless te'egraphy apparatus whether belonging to it, or to companies or to private individuals." Art. 5 of the Convention Relating to the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers in Maritime War repeats the prohibition in the first par agraph of art. 3. See Hershey, Int. L. and Dip. of the Russo-Japanese War 115-124.
A convention was concluded between the United States and foreign and was proclaimed by the President, July 8, 1913.
The Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea was signed at London, January 20, 1914. It has not yet been approved by the United States senate. Only an abstract of its provi sions on this subject can be given. Mer chant ships which are mechanically propel led, which carry more than twelve passen gers and proceed from a port of one of the countries to a port situated outside such country, or conversely, are subject to the Convention. All merchant ships, whether
they are propelled by machinery or by sails, and whether they carry passengers or not, shall, when they proceed between such ports, be filled with a radiotelegraphic installation if they have on board 50 or more persons in all.
The governments of any contracting state, if it considers the installation unreasonable or unnecessary, may exempt ships which do not go more than 150 miles from the nearest coast; ships on which the number of persons is exceptionally or temporarily increased up to or beyond 50, by the carriage of cargo hands for part of the voyage, provided the ships are not going from one continent to another and remain between thirty degrees north and south latitude; and sailing ships of primitive build, such as junks, etc.
First class ships are those having a con tinuous service, including ships Intended to carry 25 or more passengers, if they have an average speed in service of 15 knots, or more, or if they have an average speed in service of 13 knots and when subject to the twofold condition that they have on board 200 persons or more, passengers and crew, and that they go on their voyage more than 500 sea miles between any two consecutive ports. But such ships may be placed in the second class if they have a continuous watch.
Second class. Ships having a service of limited duration. Such ships must maintain a continuous watch for at least seven hours a day, and a watch of ten minutes at the be ginning of every other hour.
Third class. They have no fixed period of service, All ships not in the first or second class are in the third class.