METEOROLOGY

Southland Times, Issue 20666, 23 April 1929, Page 7

METEOROLOGY

CORING CONFERENCES

MR BATES TO REPRESENT DOMINION

COMMENT CAUSED BY APPOINTMENT

(Special to the Times.) Wellington, April 22.

The appointment of the Rev. D. C. Bates of the staff of the meteorological branch of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research to represent New Zealand at the forthcoming conference of Empire Meteorologists in London in August and at the International Meteorological Conference to be held in Copenhagen in the following month, was announced to-day by the Minis-ter-in-Charge of the Department (the Hon. H. Atmore). It will be necessary for Mr Bates to leave New’ Zealand in July at the latest as the conference in London is to open on August 20, lasting for eleven days. The international conference is fixed for September 9 to September 21. It is expected that there will be some interesting developments as the result of Mr Bates’s appointment, which is understood to be in direct conflict with the recommendation of the Scientific and Industrial Research Board that Dr Kidson, director of the Dominion meteorological service, should be appointed.

The fact that Cabinet has selected Mr Bates, presumably on the recommendation of Mr Atmore, has caused much comment in scientific circles, as it was fully anticipated that Dr Kidson would be appointed, and there appears to be a sharp difference of opinion between Mr Atmore and the Scientific Research Advisory Board over the matter.

Mr Atmore of course is the Minister who has laid it down firmly as part of his administration policy that he will not be dictated to by departmental officials, but that he will say what particular course is to be followed in any matter. It is recalled that he was one of those who championed Mr Bates’s cause when that gentleman as Government meteorologist was having trouble with the Reform Government over the supply of equipment and various matters concerning the meteorological office. There seems to be some ground for thinking that Mr Atmore considers that Mr Bates was not fairly treated under the previous administration. Since he vacated the position of meteorologist Mr Bates has been officially engaged in compiling climatological records, but he has also acted in an ecclesiastical capacity, at times having been relieving Anglican minister at various places. On outlining the purpose of the coming conferences the Minister said that they w;ere of more than ordinary significance to New Zealand and the Pacific as among questions to be discussed were trans-ocean-ic aviation and meteorological information possible and necessary in connection with developments in the air. It had become necessary that different countries should come to an agreement as to the units in w’hich meteorological conditions were exprereed. For instance the Union Company's boats from San Francisco and Vancouver at present reported to the United States of America, Britain, Australia and New’ Zealand in different units and codes and at different times.

“Naturally,” he said, “this procedure curtails information supplied to each and there is obviously a danger that in the case of sudden necessity such as a hurricane or a trans-oceanic aeroplane flight, considerable confusion may arise, hence the necessity of an international agreement as to the zoning of supplies of meteorological information and unification of codes and units. For example one of the difficulties is that. Britain and the Continent have changed to what is known as 'absolute units’ of tempoerating and pressure, etc., i.c. independent of gravity and lending themselves better to calculation. America still persists in the use of older units. For some time past the New Zealand meteorologist office has urged the settlement of these questions so far as the Tasman and Pacific are concerned and considerable cooperation with Australia has been developed.” The conference also will discuss arrangements for the forthcoming world flights of the new airships RIOO and RIOL Owing to their relatively low rate of speed airships require fairly accurate forecasts of winds in both direction and strength. International arrangements will make forecasts possible even over an expanse of wide oceans. “A special aspect, of the conference,” said Mr Atmore, “will be that of meteorology relating to agriculture, and such questions as weather conditions favouring development of pests, forecasting of crops and growth from meteorological conditions of moisture, sunshine and wind and provision of meteorological instruments of more direct application and use to the agriculturalist..

The Minister said that owing to New Zealand’s special dependence on ocean weather reports and interest in questions at issue it had been decided to send Mr Bates to represent New Zealand at the conference.