MR WRAGGE'S VIEWS. Auckland, February 4.

Otago Witness, Issue 2241, 11 February 1897, Page 9

MR WRAGGE'S VIEWS. Auckland, February 4.

"VVhile Mr Clement WAgge, the Queensland meteorologist, — a^ hero, he v/as interviewed by & Herald representative. Coming to the presmt position of meteorology in New Zealand, Mr Wragge regrets to find that the meteorological service of this colony appears to lack thorough efficiency, owing to want ot funds aud appliances. He considers that New Zealand would benefit quite as much as Australia from a thorougo, uniform, aud scientific meteorological service. He 'is fully aware of the exertions of his f-sttemed colleague, Sir James Hector, »nd would like to see that gentleman's hands strengthened, so as to enable him to increase the efficiency and popularity of the weather service in New Zealand. Obviously the foreensts for this colony would be more reliable, Mr Wragge says, if the. observations taken at Brisbane were made available. This will be understood when it is remi-mbered that all storms affecting New Zealand come from the west. For some time past the Brisbane forecasts have been cabled free to Tasmania *nd New Caledonia, and he thinks the Cable Company could be prevailed upon to grant a similar concession to New Zealand. The beuefit to shipping would be enormous-. "While in Europe Mr Wragge spent several hundreds of pounds, as authorised by the Queensland Government, in the purchase of new meteorologic instruments. Among these is an instrument for measuring the amount of evaporation and percolation of rain into the soil. The method is simple and effective, and the result's obtained should be of great use to the agricultural iuterests. Mr Wragge urges that if such observations could be extended over the colonies the practical benefit to farmers would be enormous. Aaked if meteorolgists are not now paying special attention to seasonal rather than to daily or weekly forecasts, Mr Wragge admits that they are. He says that the proposed Antarctic exploration would have an important bearing on this poinf , aud ita results would be of the greatest Bervice in affording a practical understanding of Australasian seasons. As things are he objects to venture on seasonal forecasts, as the data are not sufficient to make such forecasts reliable, and unreliable information on such a subject naigufc have a most injurious effect. Mr Wragge expresses surprise that the people of New Zealand were not informed of the approach of the recent storm, and he sayg the information might have been obtained from Queensland. He considers the meteorological information supplied in- New Zealand is practically worthless. There is no uniformity, and the instruments are placed at different heights, which makes comparison impossible. Mr Cheesem&n does all he can, bat bis instruments are placed on the top of the museum, which makes their information concerning the climate of Auckland qnite misleading. They give the temperature on the top of the museum, aud that only. In Queensland all instruments ate fixed at a uniform height of 4ft abo?e the ground.

At a meeting principally of women held at Christchurch on Thursday night, attended by 40 persons, in reference to help for the Armenian refugees, it WBB renorfced fchafc over £20 had henu «olleoted-