OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS COLUMN

Otago Witness, Issue 3212, 6 October 1915, Page 79

OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS COLUMN

FOR SENIORS AND JUNIORS. (Conducted by Magister, to whom all communications must be addressed.) [Magister will be glad to receive Nature Notes, marked papers containing educational articles, diagrams, details of experiments, etc., of scholastic interest to teachers and pupils. Correspondents must use only one side of the paper, and whether using a pen name or not, must send both name and address.] GIFTSj FOR THE FRONT. Last week I referred to tbe good work being done by the Dunedin branch of the Overseas Club, and what I wrote has drawn the following from Mr J. K. _ Macfie, the honorary secretary for the dominion: — “Dunedin, September 23, 1915. Dear ‘Magister,’ —I thank you for the kind notice of the club’s Tobacco Fund in your school column this morning. I would like to say that for every shilling subscribed, a parcel is obtained, containing a ilb oi tobacco, 50 cigarettes, and a box of matches. It is all duty free in all countries, and is also carried free in the various troopships and transports by the Horne military authorities, hence its being so cheap. Up to date, 1 have sent to London £4OO, and every mail brings to subscribers, postcards direct from the trenches, which are much treasured by the recipients.” . What the Overseas Club is doing cannot become too widely known. A shilling spent here in tobacco buys two ounces, and if sent away postage has to be added, yet for a shilling the club sends twice as much, apart from the 50 cigarettes arid the matches. The question arises: Why cannot our Government arrange for tobacco sent by friends to go duty free? It seems to mo a contemptibro thing to penalise friends of our soldiers in this way, especially as, under our voluntary system so many are shirking their duties, and so throwing extra work, and worse, extra risk of life, on those who do go. That is bad enough, but to ask their relatives ant. friends to tax themselves so heavily in duty and postage on gifts sent to make our men happier and fitter for the strenuous and dangcrous_ work they are undertaking on our behalf is shameful. The sending of parcels is a severe tax upon the incomes of many who are doing what they can to show their appreciation of what the men are doing, and I hope something will bo done immediately to supply tobacco in bond at cost price, and to abolish the postage on letters, newspapers, a,nd parcels. It is a disgrace that a section of the community should be called upon to bo so much out of pocket, when a much larger section contributes neither men nor gifts. Will our prominent public men take the matter up, It is • true that parcels addressed and packed in a prescribed form can be sent free by the transports leaving soon ; but even then with packing a pound of tobacco is going to cost eight shillings, and free transit is the great exception. Who will take up this matter of duty and postage? It is time something was done, for, as most of our men belong to the working classes, an undue portion of the family income is goinaf in providing what soldiers can reasonably describe as necessaries. METEOROLOGICAL NOTES. I am sorry I cannot put more time and space to our meteorological notes. It is a long time since an inch of rain would be so valuable as it would bo at the time of writing (Monday afternoon). Mr Roberts says that h;s records, which go back 18 years, do not show previously such a dry August. Mr Bowie shows an August average above the average for the month, but a milder August weather that obtained last year. Mr Tannock’s data for July I somehow missed, so give them with those of August; but the two months show only 153 points, or just slightly over l^in —or at the rate of 9.18 in a year. Mr Winchester tells us, too, that Ross has had good weather — “remarkably fine” for August. Wairoa, H.B. The following are our weather records for August:—Rainfall: August 2nd, .12in; 6th, ,12in; Bth, .05in; 11th, l.llin; 12th, ,08in; 14th, ,20in; 15th, ,57in; 16th, .70in; 17th, ,21in; 21st, ,06in; 22nd, ,05in; 23rd, .Chin; 24th, .04in; 26th, .23in; 27th, .40in; 30th, .04in; —total, 4.04 in on 16 days. Total for 1915, to August 31, 1915, 35.93 m, on 97 days. For corresponding periods of 1914, 11913, 1912, and 1911 respectively, 44.47 in on 101 days, 23.72 in on 95 days, 39.46 in on 111 days, 51.67 on 115 days. Average for August (10 years), 3.59 in. Temperature: Maximum, 67deg on August 16; minimum, 34deg on August 2; average of minima, 44.5d0g; average of maxima,, 60deg; average at 9 a.m., 49.2 deg; average at 1 p.m., 57.1 deg. Barometer: Minimum, 29.53 on the 16th; maximum, 30.27 on the 27th. It is interesting to note the milder weather of August, 1915, compared with that of August, 1914: —Average of minima, 44.5 (1915), 41.1 (1914): average of maxima, 60 (1915), 59.2 (1914); average at 9 a.m., 49.2 (1915), 48.3 (1914); average at 1 p.m., 57.1 (1915), 55.9 (1914; frosts on ground, 4 (1915), 9 (1914). John Bowie, B.A. Head master. Ross. Weather recond for August:—Thermometer (9 a.m.): Maximum 55deg, minimum 39deg, mean 47dcg. Barometer; Maximum 31.10 in, minimum 29.72 in, mean 30.64 in. Rain: Total, 6.22 in; highest, 1.17 in; number of days, 10. Weather: Three weeks of remarkably fine, genial weather; remainder wet, with cold east winds. W. Winchester.

Ranfbrly, September 1, 1915

Dear “ Magister,”—Tho following are tho meteorological returns for the month of August:—Maximum temperature in screen, 62dog on the 30th; minimum temperature in screen, 18deg on tho 3rd ; minimum. temperature on ground, 14dcg on the 3rd; average maximum in screen, 52.74dcg; average minimum in screen, 27.83d0g; average minimum on ground, 24.48degj rainfall, 26 points oa- four days; maximum fall, 12 points on tho 31st; total rainfall since January to date, 8.16 in on 68 days. Frost occurred on 23 nights in the screen and on 27 nights on the ground. On looking over the records for the past 18 years I find that the rainfall for August of this year is tho lowest yet recorded for that month. A. W. Roberts.

Abstract for the Month of July, 1915, at Botanic Gardens.—Temperature in shade t

Mean maximum temperature, 51.9dcg F.; mean minimum tcmpsratii.ro, 39.2dcg; approximate moan temperature for the month, 45.5 deg; mean daily range of temperature, 12.7 deg; extreme maximum temperature on 21st, 61degj extreme minimum temperature on 25th, 31deg; extreme range of temperature for month, 30deg. Exposed thermometers: Mean solar radiation, 84.4 deg; maximum solar radiation on 21st and 22nd, lOOdcg; mean terrestrial radiation. 54.2dcg; minimum terrestrial radiation on 25th, 25dcg. Rain: Total rainfall, .75in; number of days on which rain fell, 10. Abstract for the Month of August, 1915, at Botanio Gardens, Dunedin.—Temperature in Shade: Mean maximum temperature, 53.1 deg; mean minimum temperature, 40.7 deg; approximate mean temperature for the month, 47deg; mean daily range of temperature, 13deg; extreme maximum temperature on 7th and 30th, 64deg; extreme minimum temperature on 2nd, 32deg; extreme range of temperature for month, 32deg. Exposed thermometers: Mean solar radiation, 99deg F. ; maximum solar radiation on 30th, IJSdcg; mean terrestrial radiation, 35.5d0g; minimum terrestrial radiation on 2nd, 27deg. Rain: Total rainfall, ,78in; number of days on which rain fell, 5; maximum rainfall in any 24 hours, on the 15th, ,28in. D. Tankock.