APIA OBSERVATORY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20968, 3 September 1931, Page 10

APIA OBSERVATORY.

DIRECTOR IN AUCKLAND.

GEOPHYSICAL RECORDS

The director of the Apia Observatory, Mr. J. Wads,worth, who is paying a short official visit to New Zealand, is at present in Auckland. He arrived at Dunedin recently by the Maui Pomare, arid will leave for Samoa tyy the Tofua on Monday.

Mr. Wadsworth, who was appointed last year, previously fcas an officer of the British Meteorological Office, and carried out work on its behalf Britain and also at Gibraltar and other British possessions in the Mediterranean.

Speaking of the functions of the observatory, Air Wadsworth said it had been established about 50 years ago by the German Government. It was now under the control of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, with the co-operatioa of the Admiralty and the Carnegie Corporation. Full meteorological observations were kept, together with a continuous record of seismic activity and terrestrial magnetism. The staff consisted of three Europeans with scientific training, and several native " boys. 1 ' The results of the. observations were made available to scientists throughout the world. So far as tbe immediate value of the meteorological, work was concerned, a great deal had to be done yet in increasing the number of observation stations in the Pacific Islands. At present the facilities in this immense area were meagre. Asked whether anything was being done by the Carnegie Corporation to replace its magnetic survey ship Carnegie, which was destroyed in Apia Harbour some time ago by an explosion of petrol, Mr. Wadsworth .said he understood that the trustees had postponed action for financial reasons. Such a vessel would be expensive to build, because little or no iron or steel could be allowed to enter into its construction.