The Future of the Meteorological Office

Abstract

DR. G. C. SIMPSON writes (NATURE, February 14) that he is sure I should not wish my remarks on the future of the Meteorological Office to be taken as more than my own personal opinion; but on the contrary I believe that my views are shared by a large number of meteorologists. In 1920 the Royal Meteorological Society adopted a resolution regretting that the Meteorological Office had been placed under a Government department, created for another purpose, and urging that the Meteorological Committee should again have control; it was also pointed out that, when in the past changes had been made in the status of the Office, inquiries had been held. On this occasion, since no report has been issued, we must conclude that the transfer of the Meteorological Office to the Air Ministry took place with no public inquiry, and to an outsider it appeared to have been made in a hurried and even arbitrary manner.