NELSON AND SUNSHINE.

Colonist, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11287, 22 March 1905, Page 2

NELSON AND SUNSHINE.

INTERESTING COMPARISONS. To the Editor. Sir,— l notice in this morning's paper you have published a compilation of Nelson's sunshine made and prepared by Mr J. Tinline. I think Che thanks of every reader of your paper are due to Mr Tinline for the trouble he has taken and the information will have a far-reaching effect. So many ask where can I find almost perpetural sunshine. In the 'Auckland Weekly News" of March L6h is published a recora of the sun-, ihine in the most sunny places in England, Torquay, . Hastings, etc., md a comparison is made of the mnshine in New Zealand, omitting Nelson. It would be interesting to publish how Nelaon compares in thi*

respect, and the information would be valuable. Thanking you in anticipation, Yours, etc., M. LIGHTBAND. [The information referred to as published by the "Weekly News'was in the form of a telegram from Christchurch, and is as follows: — "The records of the automatic sunshine recorder at the ' Press' office show that the total sunshine recorded from January 1 to December 31 last year was 2185 b. 4m., out of a possible register of 4383h. 6m., the monthly totals being as follows: January, 251h. 45m. : February, 211h. 55m.: March, 167 b. 15m.; April, 155h. 17m. ; May, 150h. 37m. ; June* lOlh. '40m. ; July, 109h. 45m. ; August, 152h. ; September, 127h. 35m. ; October, 214h. 30m. ; Novemberi 241h. 55m. ; DecebmeT, 238h. 50m. On 39 days during the year the _un was not visible at all. The year wa. not so sunny as usual; but the 'Press' points otit that even then Christchurch had half as much sunshine, again as England. Against bur 2185 hours of sunshine, the records of the popular English health and holiday resorts made but a poor showing. Brighton, for instance, had only 1649h., Bournemouth 1696, Eastbourne 1681, Hastings 1657, Margate 1471, Torquay 1698, and \ T 6ntnor. 1620, and these are among thb brightest places in Great Britain. The discrepancy betweefr the midsummer records in Christchurch and the average for England vantage iv winter. In our three winter months last year we had 363 hours of bright sunshine. In the English winter they had 132 hours. This is a point upon which the Tourist Department, in advertising the health advantages of New Zealand, should lay special stress. Money is literally no object to many of the people who leave England for part of the year to seek the sun in brighter climes, and if the great advantages offered by New Zealand in this respect were emphasised, as they ought to be, the scream of tourists in winter might rival that of the summer months; but the Government will never be able to make as much of this point as it deserves, until they devote some attention to obtaining sunshine records from the various parts of the Colony." [The total of 3010 hours of sunshine in Nelson as registered by the automatic recorder set up by Mr Tinline greatly exceeds the ChristChur.h total as above stated, and emphasises the point that more should be made for our advantages. In the three winter months here last year there were 581 hours of bright sunshine, compared with 363 in Christchurch, an average of over six hours per day, and for the whole year the, average was over eight hours per day.— Ed. Col.]