274
12.
Council will be asked to vote whatever sun is considered
justified. Provision has been made for one new post of Class
VIB Clerk, as the work at the Aerodrome increases steadily.
Head 11, Royal Observatory.
The increase in this department is accounted for by
the decision of Government, at the urgent request of the Air
Ministry, to institute next year an Aviation Meteorological
Service, which at present is lacking in Hong Kong, and Mr.
Jeffries the Director of Royal Observatory, who is at present
on leave in the United Kingdom, has been instructed to discuss the matter with the Director of the Meteorological Office of the
Air Ministry, and with the Astronomer Royal. Meanwhile provi-
sion has been made in the Estimates for one more Professional
Assistant, (who must be a man fully trained at home),as the existing staff of the Observatory is mainly concerned with
reports for shipping which are quite different from those required for aviation, and is numerically insufficient to operate an aviation meteorological service in addition. It will also be necessary to purchase a machine for the reproduc- tion of synoptic maps, sub-head 11 of "Special Expenditure"
and to make provision for more hydrogen for pilot balloons,
sub-head 5 of "Other Charges".
that
As regards the wireless side of this service
is to say the transmission and reception of weather reports
between this aerodrome and neighbouring ones and also with
aircraft in flight there is already a short-wave transmitter,
which is being used at the moment by the Broadcasting Committee,
but which will be returned to the Wireless Station at Kai Tak.
The staff to run this, two Class V Telegraphists and one Class
V Technician are shown under Head 8 (3) Post Office, Wireless,