WEATHER EXPERTS CONFER

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 56, 29 November 1937, Page 5

WEATHER EXPERTS CONFER

— Preia Association.)

Meteorological Conference Opens EFFECT OF AVIATION

(By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, This Day. A meteorological conference of international significance was opened this morning by the Hon, D. G. Sullivan. The inauguration of Pan- American Airways flying boat service between San Franciseo and Auckland, and the proposed trans-Tasinan air services, to be preceded by a survey flight very soon, have necessitated a complete reeasting of the meterological services of the south-west Paeific, and some montlis ago Dr. H. L. Kidson, director of the New Zealand Meteorological office, was authorised by the Government t6 invite Tepresentatives of Pacific weather bureaux and aviation interests to meet at Wellington to discuss the new problems and new needs. Delegates present represent Britain, America, Australia and Suva. •> In extending a welcome Mr Sullivan spoke of the importanee of the discussions in f ormulating a joint plan for the building of an adequate meteorological serviee over the Pacific area to meet the widening needs brought about mainly by avaition developmCnts.. The inauguration, which waS now imminent, of air lines across the Pacific and the Tasman Sea, involving flight for many

hours out of sight of land and far from reporting stations, had given rise to insisteut demauds for data far exceeding in seope and detail any thing previously contemplated. It was the emergence of these demands which made urgent the necessity of calling a conference ^ of those responsible for the meteorological services in the south-west Pacific region. On the success of these deliberations, the regularity, comfort, speed, and safety of trans-ocean air transport in this region would largely depend. The outstanding f eature of the work in which m&teorologists were engaged was that it was international in eharacter — in fact the work could not be organised and carriqd out except by full international eo-operation, and meteorology was thus one means by which were brought closer together the men who were doing the job and the peoples of the country. New Zealand was a small country with a small population, but from the beginning of colonial days it had had weather reports and a meteorological service, but piobably during the past two years, with the extraordinary development of interual aviation and the coming air eonneetions with Great Britain via Australia and tho contemplated service from America, the 'development of meteorological services in the Dominion had been more intense than in the whole of the preeeding years. . Dr. E. Marsden, secretafy of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Eesearch, recalled his earlier work in •the study of meteorology, and said what had been particularly impressed upon him was the need not merely for the colleqtion, codjlfication and dHssemination of data out, for research into data gathered, to the end of iucreased use " and accuracy, and the greater value of observations made iu future co.-operation iu work ou investigatiug meteorological conditions led to an understanding between observers of the whole region and to quicker application of any lessons learned, xeducing the lag between the discovery and application fro'm perhaps years to months. ===-====== . t