The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-08-28

jured in coal mines in 1907. while Is
states reported 3.1Z5 men killed and
5,316 injured in 1908. -
Practically the entire output of coal
in the United states in consumed
within the country. our exports Of
coal in 1908 amounted to 13.215,55s
tons The domestic consumption is
stated to have been i6Z5s7.140 tons.
We imported 1.s45.444 tons in 1905. The
exports GO principally to Canada.
In the manufacture of coke. -, 32s,2i4
tons were used in Ig0~. a decrease OF
with 1907.
Whenever weather prediction goes
awry loud cry of protest goes up
from almost every citizen that the
weather bureau il a humbug.' Par
ticularly was this the case last March
at President Tafts Inauguration. when
instead OF the promised clear weather
Washington was completely isolated
and cut off from thu world by the
saverest blizzard of the year Blame,
however, for the failur" of the weather
to live up to the weather bureaus pre-
the head Of the bureau, and 1t never
does for Professor Willis l.. Moore,
its chief. gets lit" Professor Moore
IL not to blame any more than the
kicker" AS his predictions are based
on reports received from several hum
dred OF the bureaus agents in various
parts of the country, and are largely
made up by experts in the bureau. But
they go out under MoOre's name and
from his bureau, and he naturally gets
the blame 1t Is not alone in the mat
ter at weather predictions that the
weather bureau has to deal, but with
scientific questions AS well. The
weather bureau is a pretty large in
stitution with branches in all parts OF
the country, and IL it was no good
the government would not have nlain-
tanned it at u cost of several miliions
"A year for the last quarter of GEN.
tury. Professor Moore blandly admits
that he does not care snap Tor
the criticism to which he is subjected.
He has been i'm the weather bureau for
over 20 years and has had a pretty
good line on it. but 1t has not affected
him shortly after the inauguration
weather the critics of the bureau
got extremely busy with their nam
mers and a series of hard knocks were
landed on the bureau and its chief, but
not until this month did Professor
Moore say anything. But when he did
open his mouth. he brought forward
a long and brilliant array of expires
sIons of approval of the bureau from
ffaar-
cial interests of the United States. and
of the press of the country as well.
Professor Moore gave out his answer
to the criticisms of his bureau in the
shape of "A 65-page bulletin. in which
he says that of over 500 newspaper
criticisms received. from all sections,
all save three were favorable TO the
bureau. "Althcugh,' he says, the
magazine principally attacking the
bureau sought criticism of the fore
casts by advertising, no representa-
tive of any of the great industries that
use them in their business responded.
on the contrary, with unanimous
voice. they testified to their high APP
probation of the service" Professor
Moore then gives resolutions passed by
so of the most important industrial
associations OF the country and clip
pins from Il hundred of the leading
newspapers. all condemning the at
lacks on the bureau and scharactertz-
ing them as "unwarranted." The
shipper. mariner. frultgrower. general
farmer. manufacturer, dealer in agri-
cultural products, all tell their story
OF what part the bureau reports or
forecasts are useful to them. how they
are applied to their industry, how
near they are correct and what they
are worth" says Professor Moore.
The value of the interests represented
by the organizations mentioned can
hardly be realized. A faint idea may
be formed by attempting to estimate
the magnitude of the operations car
ried on by the lake and ocean traffic,
the river trade and the inland trans
portation companies. and the amount
of capital and labor invested in the
cotton, corn. wheat fruit and trucking
interests. The resolutions of the Yes
sci Owners association and of the
Shipmasters' association alone stand
for hundreds of millions of dollars
worth IF property"
The expressions of the cnmmerclal
bodies and of the press are from all
the states. and they point out that
weather foreCasting is only one OF
the many duties" of the bureau. The
southern fruit shippers in determining
the amount of straw packing To be
used are dependent not SO much on
forecasts as upon reports of conditions
in sections to which shipments are
made. The daily reports of the stages
of the rivers also afford cattlemen
opportunity of protecting their stock
from loss by flood stages. the lnrn-
hermen to prepare for extensive log
ging in swamp lands, and all river
steamers are dependent in their move
ments on these reports. The cold
wave. the frost and storm warnings
are declared by the writers from al
sections To be very valuable and save
the growers and shippers much money
annually,
Among the letters Is one of particu-
lar interest IL is from Roy Gram
dali of Washington, u. g, who says
that he Mas a passenger On a Lake