Notes Prepared by John Hogan
Introduction
I Join the Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology
H. A. Hunt (1866–1946) — First Commonwealth Meteorologist
Inigo Jones (1872–1954)
Griffith Taylor, D.SC, B.E., B.A. (1880–1963)
Edward Kidson, O.B.E., D.Sc., F. Inst. P. (1882–1939)
My Recollections of Captain Edward Kidson (R.E) O.B.E, D.Sc., F. Inst. P. (1882–1939)
Macquarie Island
Willis Island
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Forecasting routines required the services of three junior Clerks daily to prepare bulletins and charts for the Forecast Board. These duties, together with the Melbourne observations, were made the responsibilities of all rooms and the staff restored accordingly. Many arguments developed when, for example, a room chief considered that his staff was being called on beyond what was required on a regular rotation of the staff involved. However, emergencies had to be met; forecasting, being a daily commitment, was given priority. But should any arguments arise among the juniors, they would be argued in the opposite sense, for all welcomed the forecasting duties as a welcome relief from the continual checking and adding of climatological monthly returns.
Other smaller but recurring jobs were farmed out among the rooms; for example, attention to 'the Cable' was the function of the South Australian room. Then there were transient jobs to be done, generally at the request of Senior Meteorologists who had no junior staff to assist them. One of these tasks, assigned to me at Griffith Taylor's request, was the collecting and marshalling of data required for works upon which he was engaged, for example, 'The Control of Settlement by Humidity and Temperatures' and 'The Australian Environment'.
About this time I was engaged in the tabulation of rainfalls for Griffith, who was engaged in the task of assessing the claims of an early worker in the 'rain-making' field, Mr Balsillie, who had been operating in South Australia along the newly-constructed part of the Commonwealth east-west railway. Balsillie had claimed a significant measure of success and was pressing for a Government grant to enable him to continue his experiments.
People in Bright Sparcs - Hogan, John; Taylor, Thomas Griffith
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