The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-20
A DEsPoILED BUREAU.

DUNBAR.
The law organizing the State Bureau OF
Statistics, after enumer rating specially the
duties Of its chief, adds that it shall also be
mis- duty to collect statistics bearing upon
the permanent prosperity of the productive
industry OF the people of the State" 1t is a
broad commission, intended to cover the
work of gathering all facts bearing upon the
public welfare. Under its provisions Prof.
Collett, during his two years incumbency in
the bureau, sought and obtained meteorolog-
ical facts wherever he could, and included
The facilities for the meteorological work
were meager up to the time Mr.. J. B, Conner
was appointed chief. Soon after he came
| into office he secured the cooperation of the
| National Meteorological Department at
Washington and organized the Indiana
Weather Service, which afforded the best
facilities the State ever had for determining
its climatology, as stations for OBJ
servation were established in seventy
five of the counties, such instru-
ments and facilities as were possible
being furnished by the department at Wash
ington. The county observers make notes of
the weather three times day, and report to
the State bureau. Among the observers are
professors in all the colleges of the State,
and other skilled gentlemen who had for
many years been making weather observa,
tons and reports to the national govern
ment. These were consolidated by the bu-
reau here into one report for the several sta
tons and forwarded to Washington to go
into the fact ROOM" where every item is
analysed and utilized for future knowledge
lished these important weather data in its an
nual report This feature of the fourth an
nual report just issued, is incompatible in
value with any previous one the State mas
yet published. 1t affords the first broad and
comprehensive information respecting our
exact climatology. The work, if contin-
ued, promises to be of vast i'm
portance to agriculture, the industry
upon which all others most largely depend
and therefore to all industry, as we'll as to
health. The national bureau has compli-
mented our State weather service as among
the foremost and most promising of any in
the Union. Whether 1t is wise to sustain
this work is fully answered by the important
results as shown in the report just out of the
press. That the law contemplated just such
work by the State bureau cannot now be
question. Both Prof. Colett and Mr.. Con-
ner so interpreted the law, and the results
show the wisdom of their action.
1t has been already announced that the
new chief of the State bureau has declined
to continue this work. Whether it is be-
cause that, as now organized the bureau has
neither knowledge nor skin adequate for the
duties, or because the department is to be run
''for the money there is in it," is the same
to the public. The general, results are the
fruits of the legislative reorganization, and
this instance is in keeping with the evidences
OF the wisdom OF that body in general.
of organizing this important work, as well as
to avoid the shame of its abandonment and
loss of advantage to all of our industries and
good name, Captain Conner has determined
that the weather service work shall not be
abandoned, and has arranged to maintain it
until Purdue University or some other State
institution takes charge of it. The several
county observers do their work gratuitously,
and Mr.. Conner has obtained consent to the
use of the War Department stamps for post
age, and blanks and other stationery for the
National Signal Office With the disgraceful
quarrel in the Insane Asylum, and this
abandonment of one of the most valuable
features of a most important bureau of the
Executive Department, the people of the
State can begin to see how much the Demo-
cratic Legislature is likely to cost them.
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