Metf:orology in South Africa. 67 



Sulisidian First Order Station at the Royal Observatory in the Cape 

 Peninsula, Avhere eye observations are taken three times daily, while 

 a Beckly Anemometer enables a continuous record of wind direction 

 and velocity to be kept; (c) 58' Barometric Stations taking one 

 observation per day at 8.30 a.m. (Mean Time of 30° E.) ; (d) 27 

 Thermometric Station.s ; (e) 418 purel\ Rainfall Stations (or 500 Rain- 

 gauge Stations in all). 



In addition to these, there are nine stations where the amount 

 of Evaporation is measured, and three equipped with Sunshine 

 Recorders, while a fourth will shortly be started in Rhodesia. 



In spite of the untoward conditions prevailing in South .\frica 

 during the three years" war. it is satisfactory to be able to state that 

 we have now the largest l)attery of stations since the starting of the 

 INIeteorological Commission. 



It savs a great deal for the enthusiasm and disinterestedness of 

 the observers that (excejjt.in the rase of (Government officials) their 

 services are purelv voluntarv, and carried out, on the whole, fairly 

 well, without any remuneration other than a gift of the in.struments in 

 their possession at the conchision of a series of five \ears" satisfactory 

 observations.- 



Fl NANCES. 



'I'hc amount voteil for Meteorologv in the Cape Colon\ was. 

 J:^-^o m 1875; '^his was increa.sed in 1880 to ^^500 to provide for 

 Inspection: about 1890 the amount voted was raise«l to ^^600. 



Although the annual grant was further increased to ^^800 in 

 1899. this was only done in order tO' provide for the rental of office 

 and store. The Meteorological Commission was housed till the end of 

 1892 in the Royal Observatory, and. as far as can be ascertained, no 

 payment was made for the accommodation. It was then removed 

 to the Chamber of Commerce, and subsequently to an office in town, 

 where j£6o per annum was paid in rental, and store accr)mmodation 

 was given free by the Public Works Department. 



In 1898 office and store were removed elsewhere, when ^90 per 

 annum was paid, and since the middle of 1902 the sum of ^is 

 per month (i.e., ;£i8o a year) has been repaid to Government for 

 rental. It will thus be seen that while the amount of the grant has 

 been increased by ;£2oo above that voted in 1890, the actual increase 

 available for meteorological purposes is the trulv magnificent f)ne of 

 £20'. 



We are, therefore, practically in the same position as regards 

 finances as we were 13 years ago, although the number of stations to 

 be maintained has increased by about forty per cent. (40'^,',) since 

 then. 



' At four of these, however, ohservations are also made at 8-30 p.m. 



-The wisdom of such an arrangement is open to criticism, it would be prefer 

 able to present each observer with a new set of instruments at the end of 

 the period and retain the old instruments, whose corrections are known, ;it the 

 same place, rather than run the risk of the new instruments getting out of order 

 during transit, with the possibility ol their being in use some time before the 

 defect can be detected and remedied 



