HIGH TEMPERATURES AT SCIENCE CONGRESS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 31 January 1939, Page 4

HIGH TEMPERATURES AT SCIENCE CONGRESS

EXPERIENCE OF DELEGATES AT CANBERRA DR. KIDSON’S IMPRESSIONS I United Press Asam-iannr.l WELLINGTON, This Day Some impression of the meteorological conditions under which delegates to the recent Science Congress in Canberra worked \ as given by the Director of New Zealand Meteorological Services, Dr E. Kidson, who returned to Wellington by the Awatea yesterday. On two days the temperature in Canberra was over 109 degrees, he said and Sydney established a record of 113.6 degrees. The first night he was in Sydney the temperature did not fall below 90 degrees. On one day the menace of bush fires had approached Canberra itself. Dr Kidson said. Women and children had been evacuated from the Commonwealth Solar Observatory on Mount Strombo. If the fire had reached the edges of the big pine plantations nothing would have prevented it going right through them, and in that case the whole of Canberra would have been evacuated Fortunately, however, the wind changed its direction There had been a series of papers on various aspects of meteorology rt '.he conference. Dr. Kidson said, and Sir George Simpson. K.C.8.. F.R.S., late director of the Meteorological Office. London, had read one on the causes of At the conclusion of the congress Dr Kidson visited Melbourne and discussed meteorological questions, including the provision of meteorological facilities for the trans-Tasman air service, with the Commonwealth meteorological authorities. He could not say anything on this question, other than that the programme decided on at the recent con ference of Australian and New Zealand representatives would be carried out