A METEOROLOGISTS' WORRIES.

Grey River Argus, 13 May 1912, Page 2

A METEOROLOGISTS' WORRIES.

No fewer -than -five thousand persons in Ausiralia suply the Commponwealth Weather Bureau gratis with material ! from which statistics are built up, maps constructed, and forecasts made. Yet, according- to the "Argus," onefifth of Australia is practically unknown climatplogicaliy. It bas been suggested that men whose business takes them into the wilderness should be induced by means of a subsidy to help the Weather Department, but the Commonwealth Government looks unfavourably on the proposal. Buimoney so spent might bring in a rich return in the saving of lives and property. If records were available from the northern part, of . central Western Australia tropical storms could be fore--1 casted earlier by -the bureau. A disturbance of this kind has a small begin ning, and gains strength as it proceeds: It may be raging through the wilderness between a northern and a southern meteorological station, but the first intimation of it's presence received by the bureau is to the effect that it has burst upon civilisation as a hurricane. l t must be a worrying business trying to forecast the weather of a continent on insufficient data, but perhaps the bureau finds some consolation in the-, humor that occasionally becomes mingled with reports. There is the inland .observer who, reports a shade temperature of 130 degrees, and is afterwards found to have assisted the thermometer with a candle, his ambition being, to create a heat record for the district. A squatter in a dry area took great pride in the gauge that the Department had placed in his chaffge. On the few occasions when it rained he would measure the amount •lovingly, -and if he missed a drop he would g-rieve about it. till the next shower. A friend visited - him one evening, and in the night it rainedNext morning the squatter .took his friend out to the gauge, being .anxious to prove to him that the district was a favoured one. To his dismay the squattea: found that -a sack had been : placed over, the 'gauge. He summoned the gardiner, an ex-sailor, who had been recently engaged. "Yes, sir," said the man, with a quarter-deck salute, "I po&hed the brasswork," and ■:hen, as 1 was afraid it would rain, I put the sack over it." An evaporation tank set up at. Dubbo', a beekeeping ■ district in New South Wales, recorded 17 inches of evaporation the first month. The Department was highly interested, but when 17 inches was recorded the second month ailso., it became suspicious. It was found eventually that the abnormal evapora* t-ion was due to the thirst of the bees. Nothing could be done ; even the 'Suggestion of a simple-minded farmer that the tank should be covered was rejected. „

The Hon. T Buxton has communicated with. the Piemier, asking him to do something r :o relieve the shortage of transport vessels for grain. The Hon. T. MacKehzie replied that he will , ascertain what the Timaru shipping firms are prepared to do and then consider ihe matter.