To Guide Planes

Weather Experts Make Plans To Assist Trans-Pacific Pilots

REPRESENTATIVES of nearly all countries in or bordering on the Pacific attended the South-Western Paci fic Meteorological Conference, held in Auckland at the end of November and in the first week of December.

The chief object of the conference was to arrange for co-operation between countries, and co-ordination of meteoro logical work, so as to give accurate weather information and forecasts to all aviation companies running lines of aeroplanes in the South Pacific. At pre sent, the only air-line operating in the Pacific is the Pan-American Airways service across the North Pacific (’Frisco to Hong Kong); but. in 1938, it is pro posed to start the following: Weekly airmail service between Sydney and New Guinea (Australian); Weekly airmail service between Sydney and New Zealand (Imperial Airways).

Fortnightly airmail service between Honolulu and Auckland (Pan-American

Airways);

Regular service between Tokio and the Marshall ajid Caroline Is. (Japanese).

The conference recommended: Radio sonde and meteorological fore casting stations to be established in each or the following—Hawaii, Fiji, Samoa (collecting reports from Howland Is., Jarvis Is., and Kingman Reef), New Zea land, Tahiti, and Australia. (A sonde radio station is a station which regularly sends baloons to great distances into the upper air, automatic radio signals from the balloon, up to the moment it is de stroyed, giving invaluable meteorological

information.)

A standing committee to be appointed to define the zone of each station, and to co-ordinate their work, in keeping in touch with air pilots.

Meteorological stations to be estab lished at Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island, and the Kermadecs; ansl data to be sent regularly from the Trans-Pacific ocean liners.