MR. BATES RETURNS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 140, 10 December 1929, Page 13

MR. BATES RETURNS

IMPRESSIONS ON TOUR

GLIMPSES OF GERMANY

The Rev. D. C. Bates returned by the Ulimaroa to-day after his trip to Europe as New Zealand representative at the International Meteorological Conference. As it is ten years since Mr. Bates was abroad in a similar capacity, he has returned richer in meteorological knowledge and a comparative international economy which technical intercourse presupposes, states a Sydney correspondent of "The Post." Just a few of the- subjects Mr. Bates mentioned when interviewed before the Ulimaroa left Sydney were the relationship of meteorology to agriculture and horticulture, a code for the reporting of weather from ships (due to the increasing demand for weather reports), seasonal forecasting (a vital subject in countries dependent on primary production), climate in relation to seeds and cereals (a particular benefit to countries subject to droughts), and every other phase of meteorology from nautical to aerial weather news and forecasting.

GERMANY CONCENTRATES. "There was one outstanding.impression gleaned from a glance round that conference table/ said . Mr. Bates, "and confirmed by visits to Germany. Their eagerness for . knowledge- and their almost stoical.fight for trade development and prosperity." No fewer than six representatives arrived from Germany although, naturally, their voting strength was one, but it was sufficiently indicative of their search for first-hand knowledge of everything.

The experiments of Germany with gliders—a recent record of 24 hours in the air was reported—was more than getting down/to fundamentals.''lt was likely that in this seemingly harmless "sport," there was a nucleus of research which might have almost inconceivable results. Germany was concentrating, everywhere. She was even paying a bonus for the dumping of her wheat in England, and, "Well, the Labour Government'is always in favour of 'the cheaper loaf/"'said Mr. Bates. There was no unemployment dole in Germany, primarily because' there was a minimum of unemployment, even women were working in the fields. "I saw one woman harrowing with a horse and an ox: yoked together," he said. On the other hand, there were fewer picture shows in Germany than (comparatively speaking) in America, England, Australia, or New Zealand. The German people were working late, saving tilth- money, and not grumbling.

DOGS AS GUIDES. Ah impressive sight in Berlin was to see 300 war blind soldiers being led all over the city by trained Alsatian dogs. These wonderful animals stood on- the corner of an intersection where traffic was at its very busiest, watched both ways like humans, and as soon as the way was clear, would give a "come along" tug and lead the ex-soldier to safety. Germany's "Air traffic in England" by tho Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G. was a masterpiece of aerial net-work traffic, travel being cheap (run at a loss to Germany) comfortable and speedy. Daily service to all parts of Germany, London papers in, say, Copenhagen on the same day of issue, were a few of the eye-openers. With other world delegates, Mr. Bates inspected tho ElOl, were taken up in the Paris-London aerial mail 'plane, and in all the countries visited were shown over all tho principal industries, particularly those which were indirectly and directly allied to, or dependent upon meteorological science, such as agriculture and horticulture, where many extremely interesting experiments were witnessed. Tho formal language spoken was French.