COMING SOLAR ECLIPSE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 992, 7 June 1930, Page 6

COMING SOLAR ECLIPSE

N.Z. EXPEDITION TO BE SUBSIDISED STATE PROMISES £2OO rrcsa Association WELLINGTON, Friday. Although the Government announced a few days ago that it would be unable to linance the New' Zealand expedition to observe the eclipse of the sun next October, it reconsidered the matter today, and is now prepared to assist by granting a subsidy. The New Zealand Astronomical Society went carefully into the matter of cost and found that the project could be undertaken satisfactorily without exceeding £ 500. The Government has decided to subsidise voluntary contributions toward this amount on a pound for pound basis up to £2OO. being a direct grant of £IOO, and another £IOO through the New Zealand Institute. This leaves £3OO to be subscribed, and the New Zealand Astronomical Society launched today an appeal to those interested for the amount. Preparations in connection with the New Zealand expedition, which is to be led by the Dominion astronomer. Dr. C. E. Adams, have been goire forward steadily for some time. The island itself, know n popularly as “Tin Can Island/* is about half-way between Samoa and Fiji, and lies in the narrow belt of totality which slopes downward from w'est to east across the Pacific. It is thus most favourably situated, and work of enormous importance should be possible at the eclipse in October. Negotiations between the New Zealand Astronomical Society and the. British Eclipse Committee resulted m the loan of some of the finest instruments in the world. These arrived in Wellington a few months ago.