15

H.—3oa

133. The coast he had divided into aspects. Aspect A would be the promontory from Perth to Israelite Bay (Weld), including the stations Perth and Albany, the latter to be the reporting station ; Aspect B was proposed to extend from Israelite Bay to Cape Borda, including Eucla, Borda being the reporting station ; Aspect C, from Cape Borda to Cape Otway, would include Eobe, Cape Northumberland, Portland, and Cape Otway, Portland to be the reporting station ; Aspect D comprised Tasmania, Hobart being its station ; Aspect E, he suggested, should extend from Cape Otway to Gabo Island, including Georgetown, Wilson's Promontory and Gabo being its reporting stations; Aspect ¥ to include Jervis Bay, Sydney (reporting station), Newcastle, and Macquarie ; and Aspect G should comprise Brisbane (reporting station), Eockhampton, and Bowen. For exceptional phenomena he considered that ordinary words should be used, and the particular station be referred to by name if necessary He moved that the decision of the Sydney Conference relative to the division of Australia into aspects should be amended according to the schedule handed in. 134. Mr. Eussell considered that the arrangement made at the Sydney Conference, by which each colony or aspect sent an account of its own weather, was better than that proposed. 135. Eesolved, —XXXVI. That the coastal aspects proposed by Dr. Hector be adopted. 136. Upon the proposition to adopt Dr. Hector's division of inland Australia, Mr. Todd proposed as an amendment that Port Darwin should be made a separate aspect, to be named the North Coast Aspect, it having a climate peculiar to itself and quite distinct from that of Central Australia, as represented by Alice Springs; also that, instead of East Central and West Central, the inland portion of the continent be divided into " Central Australia" and " the Eiverine District." 137 Mr. Eussell considered that storm centres were the most important phenomena to be watched, and that for this purpose the lines of barometers in the South Australian stations, on the overland telegraph line, should be taken, and similar lines through the other colonies. 138. Dr. Hector explained that in laying out the proposed divisions he had looked upon Australia as a large plain country, with a range of mountains on its eastern border. He had therefore divided it into a Western and an Eastern District; the former being the whole of the plain country, and the latter the country at the western face of the range. The deductions regarding changes of weather arising in the south-east would be made by the coastal aspects on the east coast, while changes passing to the south of Australia (which are of the greatest importance to New Zealand) would be inferred from the successive coastal aspects along the south coast of the continent. 139. Eesolved, —XXXVII. That the interior of Australia be divided into East Central and West Central. 140. Eesolved, —XXXVIII. That the specimen code prepared by Dr. Hector be adopted, provisionally 141. On the motion of Mr. Eussell, it was resolved, —XXXIX. That the daily telegrams exchanged within Australia shall include the time of turning-points of the barometer and shift of wind. 142. On the motion of Mr. Todd, it was resolved, —XL. That the members of the Conference undertake to impress upon their respective Governments the need for promptitude in the despatch of weather telegrams, and the desirableness of using coloured paper for the forms on which these messages are written. Alterations in Code. 143. Mr. Ellery pointed out that the code had been found to be not quite perfect; but he had no doubt that the American word method adopted in Australia was preferable to the figure code, in which opinion all the members concurred. 144. Mr. Eussell suggested that the present extensive table for direction and force of the wind might be advantageously reduced to sixteen or even to eight words, since the clerks would soon learn by heart so short a code, and there would be no need of constant reference to the printed code. 145. Dr. Hector pointed out that, though as few as four points might be sufficient for merely keeping a general record of the weather, yet for the purposes of isobaric analysis the information should be as minute as possible. 146. Eesolved, —XLI. That the present form of the code in Table IV be altered, as suggested by Mr. Eussell, and that the selection of code words be left to Mr. Ellery 147 Dr. Hector suggested that every code word should consist of two syllables. 148. Mr. Eussell recommended that, in any reprint of the code, the sheet-form should be adopted. Mode of carrying out Resolution XIV 149. Mr. Eussell submitted the form of diagram used in New South Wales. Mr. Ellery stated that he now published no diagrams. Mr. Todd was of opinion that if the barometer temperature, direction and force of wind, and rainfall records appeared on the diagram it would be sufficient. 150. On the motion of Mr. Eussell, it was resolved, —XLII. That in carrying out Eesolution XIV diagrams be used in the form now submitted, on which shall be represented the barometer, temperature, direction and force of wind, and rainfall curves. That the following shall be the weather diagram stations, viz.: Alice Springs, Brisbane, Albany, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin; and, provisionally, that the stations shall appear upon the diagram in the order above named. Co-operation of all Australasian Colonies. 151. On the motion of Mr. Todd, it was resolved, —XLIII. That the Government of New South Wales be asked to move the Government of Queensland to co-operate in the meteorological scheme of Australia, and to furnish to the Sydney Observatory daily telegrams from Brisbane, Eockhampton, Cooktown, Normantown, and Cloncurrie. 152. In the discussion on this motion the members unanimously expressed their sense of the great importance attached to the co-operation of Queensland. 153. Moved by Mr. Eussell, seconded by Mr. Todd, and unanimously resolved, —XLIV That, in the opinion of this Conference, the results obtained under the present weather-telegram system prove