WATCHING THE WEATHER.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 137, 11 June 1909, Page 8

WATCHING THE WEATHER.

A BUSY OFFICE. There is no guess-work about the methods of the Government Meteorologist, the Rev. D. C. Bates. A previous article in The Post explained that the Weather Bureau was not addicted to running amok in the high heavens or the much-removed spaces halfway around the world. The time may arrive when the ' push-button will reveal the weather for a month or a month of months to come, but that time is not yet here. The meteorologist has -to be a faithful observer, a careful connoter of facts, and calm and sane reader of barograph. He has his aspirations and aLso his limitations, under present conditions. Hi» "thus far and no farther" is largely imposed by the limits of the cable service to warn him about the advance of the cyclone of low pressure or the anti-cyclone of high pressure from di&tanb pointe. By-and-by a, diminutive freckle on the sun may enable him to say whether or not the weather will be fine on King's Birthday, and the stars may advise him whether the season after next will be dry or not, but he is sceptical about that at present, and puts small trust, in the twinkle-twinkle of the little star. The little office of the Government Meteorologist is concerned with the practical, with the measurable, the ascertainable, and leaves the lyrics to the lyrical. v Although the bureau is small, it gets out two forecasts daily, published in all parts of New Zealand, and the prophecies, during the past half dozen years, have attained a high degree of accuracy. The- painstaking work, involving a huge amount of detailed investigation and correlation of statistics, has been warmly praised, although the output of the office has been modestly couched. In addition to the daily forecasts monthly and annual reports are issued, and various statistics, useful to agriculturists, actual or prospective, and others, are furni&hed. The Journal for April, delayed a little in the printing after the returns had been completed, excellently sets out the scope of the bureau's labours. It opens with a comprehensive survey of New Zealand, with notes from various observers, to make clear, the significance of the figures in the appended tables. Thus in Mangatainoka, where the air was exctmtttonuliiy mild, the .starjUngs were tempted to turn their thought* to nesting, and were seen searching about the gables of buildings for nesting places, and the apple trees decided to yield another crop. In Palmerston South summer floweis continued blooming freely, and spring bulbs were seriously 'thinking of topying the example of their summer brethren. A map clearly shows the range of the rainiall (fully detailed in tables), and another map strikingly shov\.s the movements oi thei (storm which visited New Zealand on the 23rd of the month. This cyclone of low pressure had ils centre off Farewell Spit, and the barometrical pressures and the resultnt rain are interestingly portrayed.

Tsvo or three weeks ago Mr. W. A. Kellow, president of the Master Bakers' Association, expressed a belief that it would be best for the general peace if the jprice of bread was made to rise and fall, automatically, in accordance with the fluctuations of flour, instead of waiting the decision of a meeting of members. The association has now decided to act on the advice given by the president, and as flour moves up and down the scale, bread will follow suit. For the present it remains at 3Ad per 21b loaf. Sir James Mills is at present on a visit to Wellington. He arrived from South by the Maori this morning. Four drivers — Edward Killegher, Geo. Mudge, A. Mikog, and Jas. Patching — wore charged to-day, before Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., with overloading their vehicles. Inspector Doyle, who prosecuted, said that the informations had been laid at the instigation of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Since then, however, he had learned that thcro had been certain mitigating circumstances, and ho did not ask that severe penalties be imposed. Each dofendant was fined ss. The boat which was washed ashore at Island Bay haa been claimed. It belongs to a resident of the Bay. This disposes of all theory that it may have belonged to the missing mail Cooper.