Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-20
AN IMPORTANT MEASURE.
JEREMIAH RUSk WILL MANAGE THE
WEATHER NOW.

The Bi II Passed Authorizing the Transfer
Agricultural Department - The Main
Provisions of the Act.
WASHINGTON, September 1s.-An i'm
portant measure which passed the House,
and has already passed the Senate some
weeks ago, provides for the transfer of the
weather service from the War Department
to the Department of Agriculture. This
change has been advocated for nuMber of
years, ard when Mr.. Colman was Commits
sioner of Agriculture he recommended the
change. The measure was fully discussed
upon various occasions during the Forty
ninth and Fiftieth Congresses, but it has
been left for the present Congress to effect
the passage of the transfer.
The bill as passed and as it will no doubt
be approved by the President provides that
the civilian duties now performed by the
Signal Corps of the army shall hereafter de-
volve upon bureau known as the Weather
Bureau, which shall be established in the
Department Of Agriculture, but a signal
corps of the army shall remain part OF the
military establishment, under the direction
of the Secretary Of War. The Chief Signal
Officer. as head of the Signal Corps of the
army, shall have charge of all military sig
nal duties, and of books, papers and devices
connected Herewith, including telegraph
lines and apparatus; and he shall have the
construction and repair and operation ofmill-
tary telegraph lines, and the duty of collect
Ing and transmitting information for the
army.
The Chief of the Weather Bureau, under
the direction of the Secretary of Agri-
culture, on and after July l, 1891, shall
have charge of the forecasting of the
weather, the issue of storm warning, the
display of weather and food signals for the
benefit OF agriculture, commerce and navi-
cation, the gauging and reporting of rivers,
the maintenance and operation OF sea coast
telegraph lines, and the collection and
transmission of marine intelligence for
the benefit of commerce and naviga-
tion, the reporting of tempera-
tur,s and rainfall conditions for the
cotton interests, the display of frost and
cold-wave signals. the distribution of
meteorological information in the interest
of agriculture and commerce, and the tax
ing of such meteorological information as
may be necessary to establish and record
the climatic conditions of the United
States or as are essential for the proper
execution of the duties indicated.
The Weather Bureau is to have a chief at
salary of s., 500 to be appointed by the
President. 1t is provided, however, that
the Chief Signal Officer of the army may be
detailed by the President, and four other
officers of the army experts in the weather
service may also be assigned to duty to the
bureau. The enlisted force of the Signal
Corps as now constituted is to be
discharged, however, ON the Both of
JuLe, 1891; but such portion of this
force including the civilian employees
of the signal force may be transferred
if they so elect to the Department of Agri-
culture, and thus continue in the Signal
Service. Skilled observers in the service at
the date indicated are to have the preference
for appointments in the Weather Bureau
until the expiration of the time tor which
they were last enlisted. Hereafter the Sig
nal Corps of the army shall consist in addi-
tion to the Chief Signal Officer of one major,
four captains (mounted) and four lieuten-
ants (mounted), who SHALL receive the pay
and allowances of like grades of the army.