The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-18
BAROMETER; OR, DARK SECRET
COMEDY BY WILLIS MOORE, Gov
ERNMENT WEATHER GUESSER.

-fhe Lord knows Why This W1hin1sy,
The local Weather Bureau, acting on
instructions from Chief Forecaster Willis
Moore, head Of the Weather Bureau at
Washington, has just begun TO refuse to
the newspapers and to all persons CON-
neoted with them the official readings OF
the barometer. Reports on temperature
from New York and other points are still
given out with the daily forecast but the
barometno readings are withheld. This
reading Is also refused to the Maritime
Exchange, where the newspapers might
get hold Of IL. Private persons may ascer-
tain the state Of the barometer by TELEPHONY
Ing to the bureau, but only after they have
declared that they are not asking for the
information for the newspapers. The
cause for this extraordinary ruling ielocked
In the bosom of Mr.. Moore. Chief Fore
caster Emery is only acting under orders.
There was some trouble in getting Mr.
Emery to admit this. For the past three
days the barometrio report has been miss
ing from the formal statement Of weather
conditions given out to the newspapers
Yesterday q representative Of THE Sun
called up Mr.. Emery on the telephone
and asked him for the reading Of the baron
eter. Mr.. Emery lodged the issue for
some time but finally In answer to a direct
question he said that he had orders from
Washington not to give II out to the news
papers.
This is only q trihe in detail, but 1t mounts
up In the aggregate. Every newspaper
Of any size in the United States prints the
daily weather reports as they come from
the nearest office Of the Weather Bureau.
In the Middle West and otherinterior points,
not n person in a hundred ever looks
at the barometrio reading. In a seaport
city, however, it lie Of great importance
70 shipping men. The skipper ashore or
the shipping man reads the report on the
barometer before he looks at anything
else In his paper, From that he makes
his own forecast Of the weather. 1t is
probable that he has q barometer on board
his ship, but that doesn't help him when
he is ashore, and h mariner has come
30 depend on the newspapers for that.
che very organization Of the Weather Blu
reau that the newspapers shall be the main
channel of information to the people. "To
disseminate to the people through the
newspapers for the benefit of commerce
and agriculture, says the original act Of
LIZ nulVuu.
Practically every one who can read takes
q newspaper or has access to one in this
day, and the newspaper, 30 long as the
information is kept accurate, is the best
method Of general dissemination. In this
respect the newspapers without a single
exception lave been accurate. One and
all, they print the daily weather report and
forecast just as it comes from the local
weather bureaus,
Mr.. Moore has shown a disposition all
.l.a - 80, e ,.nN kLA snFA L
Department into the hands OF the people
ahead Of the newspapers, independently
OF the law. As q consistent policy, this
cannot win ont until the Bureau has as
many local stations as there are daily ne VS.
papers in the United states. The sub
stations OF the newspaper organization,
so to speak. are in erery town of more than
a thotHand inhabitants in the [ nited States.
Where they have not direct access to a
station of the Weather Bureau, they receive
their information by telegraph from one
OF the press associations.
Two or three years ago Mr.. Moore. put
into operation a system Of weather cards
designed to reach farmers before the ne VS.
papers. In beating the newspapers this
has been a failure. The quickest work
the card to the farmer on rural delivery
routes with the first mail in the morning.
In that first mail, however, ninety nine
farmers out Of a hundred get their papers
containing the same information for all
practical purposes. Where the farmer
10 served by carrier he gets his paper be-
fore the mail. In the towns. the news
papers arrive so much earlier that there is
simply nothing to it. This card system,
while it gives In many cases more extended
information, has allied entirely OF beating
the newspapers in rapidity of service.
As q sop to the public the wind velocity
and the precipitation have been added to
the daily reports given the New York news
papers ever since the barometric readings
were withdra wn.
The reasons which caused Mr.. Moore-to
take this course are, as said before, locked
up in his own mind and memory. Some of
weather experts, who review weather con-
ditions more extensively than do the formal
Government reports. M~eteorology is not
yet an exact science and the Government
predictions frequently go wrong. At the
time of the second Inauguration of Presi-
dent Mckinley the Weather Bureau at
Washington publicly agreed to stake its
reputation on the prediction that it would
be a bright. clear day. 1t rained buckets
full. The data are established, but any
expert may draw his own conclusions.
The newspaper which have their own
weather experts invariably publish the Gov
ernment predictions separately.
This change is not a vital thing. ANY
newspaper is privileged to keep its own
barometer and read It. But this refusal Of
barometric readings to the newspapers,
coupled with an absolute willingness to
give them to private citizens, is described
as simply a refusal to carry out the pur-
pose of the bureau as set forth in the Act Of
Congress--to disseminate such informa-
ton through the newspapers"