Rocky Ford enterprise., 1905-08-18
THE WEATHER BUREAU
: DENIES ALLEGATIONS OF GRAFT.
Professor Moore, Chief Of the Bureau.
Makes . Vigorous Statement In
Regard to Late Changes.

Professor Moore, Chief Of the Bureau,
Makes = Vigorous Statement In
Regard to Late chansss.
Washington. d. c.. Aug. 12.-Prof.
willis l.. Moore. chief OF the United
States Weather Bureau. has issued q
signed statement denying allegations
Of graft In the management Of the
weather station In the Blue Ridge
mountains. near Bluemout. Virginia.
disclaiming the existence Of any irreg.
uiarities in the administration Of his
ONCE and offering full opportunity for
tho Investigation Of any specific
charges by any responsible person.
Professor Moore says that no secret
service men are at work In the bureau
and scores "a few incompetent or dis
honorable employees" dismissed from
the service and endeavoring to Sc
cretly reform tho institution. The
statement says:
"A few days ago . statement was
published In Washington to the effect
that II was reported unonicially that
rtho secret service had dispatched
agents to the mountain station Mount
Weather OF the United States Weather
Bureau). where the sieuths for the
past two days have been nosins
around.
According to tho report. these
sleuths discovered that tho weather
bureau was paying IS per day for un.
skilled labor, which Ia twice tho
: amount paid laborcrs In the city OF
Warrington. and that there is COM
plant on tho part OF the employers
adjacent, who only pay 75 cents to 81.
''Now. It is . fact that tho weather
bureau has never paid - q day to any
lnborcr employed at Mount Weather.
or at any other place. and II tho 70
porter who wrote tho statement had
taken the trouble to ask for the privi.
lego OF examining tho pay rolls Of tho
weather bureau. which would have
been freely placed ut his disposal. ho
would have saved his readers the op.
portunity Of reading secretly secured
scandal. instead Of openly procured
news.
81 would like to have tho entire pay
roll OF Mount Weather. or OF any othc:'
portion OF tho weather bureau. pub
iishcd. so that tho public may know
whether there IL an cxtravagant man
agcncnt inside OF the bureau. or mall.
ciouR fnisifcntion on tho outside.
~ do not doubt that ! have dis.
turbcd the labor market In the vicinity
OF Mount Weather. and ! am proud OF
tho fac:, for ! was told OF men work.
Ing from sunrise to sunset for SO cents
per day and board. or SS cents per day
and they board themselves. believe
that such hours Of labor and such
wages do not contribute to the better.
mcnt OF American citizenship. or tho
welfare OF the state. and no far as
havo tho power ax the chief Of n large
4. government bureau I shall ever strive
TO alter such conditions.
"On the approval Of Secretary VIII.
son, who believes In reasonable hours
OF labor nnnd n fair wage scale. cs.
tablishcd a wage OF - per day for
stone mnsons. $3.50 for carpenters and
Si.S0 for day iaborcrs. II the slcuths
who arc reported to have been 'nosinH
around Mount Weather had been .
littic more vi.iiant. they would havo
discovered that !. with tho sanction Of
Secretary Wilson. established an eight.
hour day, md that from nifty TO sixty
had been for some timc receiving tho
advantages OF such scale and such
hours OF labor.
These wages arc not high or equal
to tho prevailing rates In cities. and
surely tncy arc uOt cbttuNukaut. EiAo
.wc been employing these people In
places where the cost Of living was
high. tho wages would have been pro.
portionatciy greater. II this Is evil
dcncc of cxtravagnncc and bad man.
agcmcnt Il may as well be told now
that tho wngc scale Of each and every
class OF skilled and unsktllcd labor
in the weather bureau has been matcri.
ally increased during tho past eight
years by Secretary Wilson. on my rec
ommcndation.
II believe that wherever government
oflcinls in any measure have been
recreant to their trusts. their records
should be inquired Into and they held
to n strict accountability. And also
believe that the greatest enemies OF
graft are the representatives Of the
American press. who should be given
free access to the files and records OF
every public ONCE"
Russian Rerk Written.