The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-04-25
-Dietz on Science
MAINTAIN NAVY
OBSERVATORY,
PLEA TO U. S.
Retrenchment Would Cause
Setback of Merchant
Marine, Is Claim.
BY DAVID DIETZ
Soripps- Howard Science Editor

Astronomers throughout the ma
ton are hoping that the federal
program to reduce expenditures will
not prevent the United States naval
observatory from carrying on its
services.
a resolution TO this effect has
been sent to President Roosevelt
and other government officials by
the Rittenhouse Astronomical So
ciety of Philadelphia.
Signers of the resolution include
James Stokley, president of the So
ciety, and associate director Of the
Franklin institute museum; Profess
sor William H. Barton Jr., director
of the Pennsylvania Military college
observatory; Professor Charles P.
Olivier, director of the University
Of Pennsylvania observatory. and
Or. John H. Pitman, professor of
mathematics and astronomy in
SWarthmore college.
The committee takes exception to
an article appearing in a national
magazine last month which said
y
grown institution that costs 100000
a year exclusive of an admiral, his
aids and other navy personnel.
Time Signals Significant
At the observatory they study the
stars with telescope made in 1910,
and the two major duties are to set
a clock each day and get out the
naval almanac, task which is the
last word in perfuntoriness
In a memo attached to their reso-
luton, the committee replies to this
statement, pointing out that the an
nual cost of operating the observa-
tory as about S193, 900, not 100000
and that its work, far from being
perfunctory, is of the utmost impor-
lance to the entire nation.
The committee points out that the
daily observations of the naval OBJ
servatory set the clocks of the ma
ton. Time signals from the OBJ
servatory, sent out by radio, are
used to regulate the clocks of the
railroads, the ships of the United
States navy, the merchant marine
and so on.
Would Cripple Navy
The committee also points out |
that the publication of the observa-
tory is known as the Nautical AL |
manac and that this book is so i'm
portant that without its data
neither the United States navy nor
the merchant marine could navi- |
gate
IF such a book were not avail
able the navy would quit sailing,
as one navigator put it," the COM
mittee says. I'VE would be back
to the time of Christopher Column
bus"
The scientific Investigations of
the observatory also are praised by
the committee, which says:
Faith in Roosevelt
The work of its scientific staff
is a credit to the nation, and is as
modern and accurate as the work
of any national observatory in the
world
Inc equipment or the obSerVa-
tory consists not of "a telescope
made in 184O," but of group of
instruments, the oldest of which
was installed in 1873. Much of the
equipment has been installed since
1910.
mo country in the world, in spite
of the grave financial difficulties
which each is facing, has aban-
doned or seriously curtailed the
work of its national observatory"
the committee says Ill concluding
its report.
We do not believe that our
President intends to disrupt bust
ness and put in jeopardy those
upon the seas by such a curtail-
ment of the budget"