§ 19. Sir GEORGE BERRYasked the Secretary of State for Air if he is aware that orders have been issued by the Meteorological Office that all meteorological work at the Lerwick Observatory is to be stopped on 31st December; if the opinion of the Scottish Advisory Committee has been asked as to the proposed stoppage: if so, what opinion has been given by the Committee; if he will state what are the reasons for the stoppage of observational work; and if he will consider whether it would be possible for the order to be held in abeyance until a Report on the matter has been received from the Scottish Advisory Committee?
§ Sir S. HOAREAs the answer is somewhat long, I will, with my hon. Friend's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Sir ROBERT HAMILTONIs it intended to close this station?
§ Sir S. HOAREI could not say without notice.
§ Following is the to the Question on the paper:
§ My hon. Friend is, apparently, under a misapprehension. Orders have been given for the meteorofogical work at the observatory to he reduced, not stopped, on 1st January next. Assuming that the references in the various parts of his question to a proposed stoppage are read as references to the proposed reduction, I can answer them as follows:
§ The answer to the first two parts of the question is ill the affirmative; to the third that the Committee concurred in the proposal. As regards the fourth part, the Lerwick Observatory was established primarily to supplement Eskdalemuir Observatory in recording terrestrial magnetism and to study the relationship between terrestrial magnetism and the aurora. The original programme of work at Lerwick Observatory included a considerable amount of purely meteorological work which had no bearing on the magnetic observations, and as this programme has proved too large for the staff of the observatory, and as there is another meteorological station, distinct from the observatory, at Lerwick, the meteorological work at the observatory is being suspended until the arrears have been disposed of and the amount of work which the staff can deal with has been determined. The last part of the question does not arise, the Scottish Advisory Committee having already concurred in the proposal.