26o 



NATURE 



[October 21, 1920 



combined to encourage their use more often than the 

 occasion warranted. The power to go to war at will 

 was apt, in f.-i(t, m n-^ult in a thougfitlcss appiiiation 

 of that power. 



In the afternoon session Sir Trevor Dawson dealt 

 with the future of airships. He thought there would 

 be no difficulty in producing ships to travel at eighty 

 miles an hour, thus giving an average speed, allowing 

 for the wind, of sixty miles, and expressed the view 

 that there would be no diflicultv in running a regular 

 trans-oceanic service once the trustworthiness and sav- 

 ing of time had been demonstrated. In his opinion, the 

 time to the Cape might thus be reduced from eighteen 

 days to five, and that to India from sixteen days to 

 four or five. 



Sir James Stevenson, Civil Member of the Air 

 Council, stated towards the end of the discussion on 

 behalf of the Ministry, and he thought he might say 

 on behalf of the Government, that if a commercial 

 syndicate would offer to talce their airships and 

 develop them as a national undertaking, it would be 



an easy matter to get the Government to agree to 

 give them not only airships, but also aerodromes and 

 the other assets. 



\ further resolution was passed asking the Govern- 

 ment to reconsider the report of the Civil Aerial 

 Transport Committee and the recommendations it 

 contained with the view of adopting such as might 

 now apply. 



The conference, which was remarkable in many 

 ways, closed with the usual votes of thanks, and in 

 replying. Lord Londonderry, chairman at the con- 

 cluding session, expressed the appreciation of the 

 members for the help afforded by the Press. 



There is no doubt that aviation, particularly civil 

 aviation, will benefit from the discussions which have 

 taken place, and still more from the fuller considera- 

 tion which can be given to the papers when published 

 in full. The hope was expressed bv many that the 

 conference may become an annual event, and thus 

 afford a regular opportunitv for the ventilation of 

 questions of great public interest. R.T. G. 



Annual Report of the Meteorological Committee.' 



THE Report of the Meteorological Committee for 

 the year ending on March 31 last marks the 

 end of a definite stage in the development of the 

 British State Meteorological Service. During the year 

 under review four notable developments occurred : 

 (i) The Office became attached to the Air Ministry 

 instead of being in direct connection with the 

 Treasury ; (2) the woric of the British Rainfall 

 Organization was incorporated with that of the Office ; 

 (3) the co-ordination of the Services of the Navy, 

 .Army, and .Air Force, which developed during the 

 war, was begun ; and (4) inter-Dominion and inter- 

 national co-operation in meteorology, which had 

 largely been in abeyance during the war save for 

 military purposes, began to take a more definite 

 shape. One might add as a fifth important occurrence 

 that the perio<l of service of Sir Napier Shaw as 

 Director of the Office came to an end at the close of 

 the year, though he consented to remain in office until 

 the appointment of his successor was carried through. 



.\n appendix to the report gives the recommenda- 

 tions of the Sub-Committee of the Research Com- 

 mittee of the Cabinet which was appointed to lay 

 down principles on which the .State Meteorological 

 Services should be reorganised. It is satisfactory that 

 the wisdom of having one State organisation has been 

 realised, and that while the constitution of the Com- 

 mittee provides for adequate representation of public 

 Departments, the Royal Society and the Royal Society 

 of Edinburgh are also represented. The constitution 

 of the Committee provides that the Controller-General 

 of Civil -Aviation shall act as its chairman, but on the 

 representation of the Royal Society it was agreed that 

 a vice-chairman should be elected from amongst the 

 representatives of scientific societies. The Director 

 of the Office, who under the old regime was chair- 

 man of the Committee, ceases to be a member, but 

 " will act generally as adviser to the Committee on 

 all meteorological and geophysical subiects," and is 

 made responsible for bringing before the Committee 

 "all matters of importance relating to the application, 

 progress, and development of the science of meteoro- 

 logy in which the Meteorological Service might 

 share." 



The British Rainfall Organization had a separate 

 existence for sixty years, but it had for some time 



1 Fifteenth Annual Report of the Meteorolocica! roninjitree totheT.ords 

 Commissioners of Hi*: Majesty's Treasury for the Year ended March 31, 

 I9JO. Pp 8». (Cmd. 948.) (London: H.M. Stationery Office. 1920.) 

 Price 9^/. net. 



NO. 2660, VOL. 106] 



been evident that incorporation with the growing 

 State Service w-as desirable, and indeed necessary. 

 On the retirement of Dr. H. R. Mill from active 

 duty as Director of the Organization, the transfer was 

 carried through. Mr. Carle de S. Salter, who was 

 associated with Dr. Mill, has been appointed super- 

 intendent of the rainfall work of the Committee, so 

 that the continuity of the work and of the relations 

 with voluntary observers is assured. 



The overlapping of the various Meteorological .Ser- 

 vices which developed during the war was perhaps 

 more apparent than real, but there cannot be two 

 opinions as to the need for co-ordination under a 

 central authority. The Navy, the .Army, and the -Air 

 Force each had quite distinct and separate needs 

 which were met by separate establishments, but the 

 only serious overlapping which occurred arose from 

 the creation of separate headquarters in London, pro- 

 vided with a staff for forecasting, and each collecting 

 similar information. This overlapping has now, for- 

 tunately, disappeared, and a start has been made with 

 the establishment of local civil distributive stations 

 to take the place of war-time stations for supplving 

 to aircraft, shipping, and the general public informa- 

 tion derived from detailed study of the weather in a 

 form suitable for practical use. One interesting 

 development in this connection is the provision of an 

 effective local organisation for Scotland, with head- 

 quarters in Edinburgh and a local advisory committee. 



The effect of the war in bringing to light the value 

 of meteorological information is well gauged by the 

 increase in the personnel of the Office. In iqi4 the 

 staff of the Office comprised about 20 professional and 

 60 clerical and technical assistants, while on March 31, 

 iqzo, the establishment was 07 professional staff and 

 278 clerical and technical staff. 



The inter-Dominion and international arrangements 

 are still far from being stabilised, but one of the most 

 important developments was a Conference of Dominion 

 meteorologists, which concluded with the following 

 resolution : " That this conference of representative 

 meteorologists of the British Empire assembled 

 together for the first time agree to continue as an 

 association for the exchange of their views from time 

 to time by correspondence upon scientific matters con- 

 cerning the achievements, requirements, and organisa- 

 tion of their Services, and hereby elect Sir Napier 

 Shaw their first president, and invite the members to 

 submit rules for the guidance and acceptance of the 



