272 METEOROLOGY IN THE PHILIPPINES 



Acting upon the recommendation made by Dr Doberck, and 

 approved by the Chief of the United States Weather Bureau, the 

 Secretary of Agriculture requested the Secretary of War to pro- 

 vide for discontinuing telegraphic typhoon warnings from the 

 Manila observatory to points outside of the Philippine islands. 

 The position taken by the United States authorities was that the 

 Manila observatory was improperly interfering with the British 

 observatory by sending warnings into the territory covered by 

 the observatory at Hongkong, and that warnings of this character 

 should not be sent except upon the request of the British govern- 

 ment. They held that as Director of the British meteorological 

 observatory, having supervision over meteorological matters for 

 the British government in China, Dr Doberck would not be 

 justified in sending weather forecasts to Manila, and that such 

 action on his part would, with propriety, be resented by the 

 officials of the Manila observatory. In this position t\\ej were 

 strengthened by the relations which have for many years existed 

 between the prominent meteorological services of the world. 

 The United States and Canadian meteorological services never 

 presume to issue forecasts or storm warnings for any part of the 

 territory under the sovereignty of the other, notwithstanding 

 that they have in their possession daily meteorological observa- 

 tions from observatories both in the United States and Canada. 



The British government has a chief observatory at Hongkong 

 and possesses a chain of meteorological observatories extending 

 1,500 miles northeastward and 800 to 1,000 miles southward, and 

 in addition receives reports from Bolinao, on the island of Luzon. 

 In fact, the director at Hongkong possesses a system of observa- 

 tions which is necessary to the issue of forecasts that are worthy 

 the serious attention of mariners. The habit of the Manila ob- 

 servatory of issuing storm warnings for Hongkong and the China 

 coast was not only contrary to international usage, but was not 

 justified by the possession of superior facilities for making the 

 forecasts. The relative accuracy or value of the warnings issued 

 by the Hongkong and Manila observatories and the compara- 

 tive scientific attainments of the directors of these observatories 

 had, under the conditions presented, no bearing upon the sub- 

 ject. Dr Doberck has by years of well-directed work and study 

 established an excellent service and gained an enviable standing 

 as a meteorologist, and is unquestionably entitled to the con- 

 sideration and courtesy which usage has accorded to directors 

 of meteorological services. 



