ARTIFICIAL RAIN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26631, 29 November 1947, Page 7

ARTIFICIAL RAIN

SUCCESS IN DOMINICA NINE WEEKS’ DROUGHT ENDED Rec. 9 p.m. NEW YORK, Nov. 27. The Dominican information centre said to-day that man-made rain had ended a nine weeks’ drought in the rich La Vega agricultural area yesterday and saved the food crops of an estimated value of between 15,000,000 and 18,000,000 dollars. The centre said that heavy rain fell for several hours, after squadrons of the Dominican Air Force bombarded moisture-bearing clouds over the area with dry ice chemically treated with a formula prepared by scientists of San Domingo University and the Dominican Agricultural Department. The operation was the climax of a series of experiments begun in September. Simultaneously with the Dominican announcement the United States weather bureau in Washington announced that if it were voted 500.000 dollars it would try to discover whether scientists really had mastered the art of wringing rain from unwilling clouds. The bureau was commenting on the Bill introduced by , Representative Simpson seeking that sum for an investigation into recent rain-making experiments. Representative Simpson said that if the efforts to make rain last summer had succeeded it would have meant millions dollars to farmers.

The chief of the bureau’s Social Scientific Services, Dr Hari-y Wexler, was unwilling to admit that experiment so far had caused rain—at least not more than a mere sprinkle. Dr Wexler said: “Meteorologists accept the fact that you can create a light sprinkle, but the important thing for agriculture is drenching rain to soah into the ground.”