of Agriculture, and the amendment thereof contained in section 5 (e) of the Air Commerce Act of 1926 (U. S. C., Supp. VII, title 15, sec. 313), for the employment of professors of meteorology, district forecasters, local forecasters, meteorologists, section directors, observers, apprentices, operators, skilled mechanics, instrument makers, foremen, assistant foremen, proofreaders, compositors, pressmen, lithographers, folders and feeders, repairmen, station agents, messengers, messenger boys, laborers, special observers, display men, and other necessary employees; for fuel, gas, electricity, freight and express charges, furniture, stationery, ice, dry goods, twine, mats, oil, paints, glass, lumber, hardware, and washing towels; for advertising; for purchase, subsistence, and care of horses and vehicles, the purchase and repair of harness, for official purposes only; for instruments, shelters, apparatus, storm-warning towers and repairs thereto; for rent of offices; for repair, alterations, and improvements to existing buildings and care and preservation of grounds, including the construction of necessary outbuildings and sidewalks on public streets, abutting Weather Bureau grounds; and the erection of temporary buildings for living quarters of observers; for official traveling expenses; for telephone rentals, and for telegraphing, telephoning, and cabling reports and messages, rates to be fixed by the Secretary of Agriculture by agreement with the companies performing the service; for the maintenance and repair of Weather Bureau telegraph, telephone, and cable lines; and for every other expenditure required for the establishment, equipment, and maintenance of meteorological offices and stations and for the issuing of weather forecasts and warnings of storms, cold waves, frosts, and heavy snows, the gaging and measuring of the flow of rivers and the issuing of river forecasts and warnings; for observations and reports relating to crops; and for other necessary observations and reports, including cooperation with other bureaus of the Government and societies and institutions of learning for the dissemination of meteorological information, as follows:

General administrative expenses: For necessary expenses for general administrative purposes, including the salary of chief of bureau and other personal services in the District of Columbia, $138,280.

Mr. WREGG. The following statement is presented for the record:

(1) An increase of $13,440 when compared with appropriation for 1936 but no change when compared with amount available for 1936, since the Budget estimate provides for the transfer of certain administrative and service positions now carried under the appropriations for "General weather service and research" and "aerology", in which there are corresponding reductions ($13,440) for 1937.

WORK DONE UNDER THIS APPROPRIATION

General administration and business service.-General administration of the Bureau is centralized in Washington, D. C., and this appropriation is for the maintenance of fiscal and administrative units, including offices concerned in matters of personnel, accounting, contracts, files, and property.

TRANSFER OF ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS

It will be noted that there is no increase in the appropriation here, but merely a transfer of the amount of $13,440 from two other appropriations, namely, General Weather Service and Research, and Aerology.

During the past few years, in connection with increases in those appropriations, certain new positions have been set up at the central office to take care of the added administrative work resulting from the increases, but as a matter of good bookkeeping, these positions

should be carried under the appropriation for general administrative expenses.

The total for 1937 is the same, you will note, as for 1936.

GENERAL WEATHER SERVICE AND RESEARCH

Mr. TARVER. You may proceed to the second item, general weather service and research. The item in the bill provides:

General weather service and research: For necessary expenses incident to collecting and disseminating meteorological, climatological, and marine information, and for investigations in meteorology, climatology, seismology, evaporation, and aerology in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, including $3,930 for investigations of the relationship of weather conditions to forest fires, under section 6 of the Act approved May 22, 1928 (U. S. C., Supp. VII, title 16, sec. 581e), $2,227,155, of which not to exceed $800 may be expended for the contribution of the United States to the cost of the office of the secretariat of the International Meterological Committee, and not to exceed $10,000 may be expended for the maintenance of a printing office in the city of Washington for the printing of weather maps, bulletins, circulars, forms, and other publications: Provided, That no printing shall be done by the Weather Bureau that can be done at the Government Printing Office without impairing the service of said Bureau.

Mr. GREGG. The following statement is presented in explanation of this activity:

(1) The increase of $130,020 for 1937 is on the basis of a total available appropriation of $2,097,135 for 1936 (which provides for the transfer of $10,000 from "Meteorological Station, Western Montana", and $49,467 from "Horticultural Protection", and an allotment of $3,300 to the item "General Administrative Expenses"). The $130,020 increase includes:

(2) An increase of $57,600 in the project "General Forecast and Warning Service." This will make provision for an indispensable emergent need. Although the forecast and warning work conducted under this project is among the most essential activities for which the Weather Bureau is directly responsible to the people of the Nation, it has been impossible, because of economies since 1933, to maintain the adequate forecast service necessary to properly safeguard life and property. Forecast and warning message distribution is far below a minimum of adequacy and should be returned to more normal requirements. The numerous field headquarters carrying on this important work require rehabilitation, particularly in regard to instrumentation and office facilities. Only the barest necessities can be furnished by these additional funds.

(3) An increase of $9,000 in the project “Climatological Service", to provide for inspection and needed improvement of climatological cooperative equipment. The cooperative climatological service of the Bureau is unique in utilizing the observations and reports of over 4,000 cooperatives who work, often over long periods of years, without pay. The successful operation of this service depends mainly upon regular personal contact with supervisory officials. The interest of the cooperatives in their work is best maintained by personal relationships established through frequent inspections. These inspections have, as a rule, because of economy measures, been postponed in the last several years beyond reasonable periods. Equipment at many of the cooperative stations is now in poor condition and rehabilitation is imperative.

(4) An increase of $25,000 in the project "River and Flood Service." In the floods of the Mississippi basin and elsewhere, the Weather Bureau has saved

through its warnings numerous lives and property worth millions of dollars. This branch of the Bureau work requires material strengthening, however, to enable it effectively to meet the ever-increasing needs incident to the development of large engineering projects and to other changes in the industrial development of the country. The demands for river-stage forecasts and flood warnings have increased. Some regions subject to river floods are not covered by Weather Bureau service, and those regions which are covered should be given a more intensive service to the end of still further reducing flood losses. The artificial changes that are being made in an engineering way in the flood plains of most of the rivers also require a revision of the entire flood-forecasting plan to enable the Bureau to provide the service it has been able to render in the past. Strengthening of the service is required to enable some personnel to devote full time to the necessary revision and use of the flood forecasting formulas and, in addition, permit of extension and improvement of the mountain snowfall work conducted under this project. The need for mountain snowfall measurements and water run-off estimates made from these measurements has increased beyond the present facilities of the Weather Bureau, which is called upon to furnish information to the operators of the numerous reservoirs in the West, both to enable them to know approximately how much water will be available for power, domestic use, irrigation, etc., and to prepare for floods. The Bureau is also dependent upon a full knowledge of the amount and condition of the mountain snow in making flood forecasts for western rivers, such as the Sacramento in California and the Columbia in Washington and Oregon. More detailed, comprehensive evaporation data than now available must be provided to agriculture and to engineers of western reservoirs where evaporation losses are very great.

(5) An increase of $35,000 in the project "Forest Fire-Weather Warning Service." There is urgent need for improving and materially strengthening the fire-weather warning service. At the present time the organization is a skeletonized one. It is impossible to meet the justifiable demands of the agencies of the Government (Forest Service) and State and private owners engaged in the protection of forests for weather information, especially localized forecasts of conditions favorable to the inception and spread of forest fires.

The fire-weather warning service is conducted in seven districts, each district consisting of from one to several States. Only one meteorologist is on duty in each district. This does not permit proper inspection of substations, compilation and arrangement of records in a form to enable the forecaster to localize and amplify the forecasts, or to provide needed service in other directions.

Experients conducted in California for 4 years with a truck and radio equipment loaned by the Forest Service have abundantly de ronstrated that in any cases far more efficiency is obtained by the forecaster's proceeding to the region of large fires and giving to the fire fighters first-hand and frequent advices concerning weather conditions which may increase or initize the danger of fire spread. The value of such service in fire-protection operations is great.

It is the Bureau's purpose to equip each district with a truck unit and necessary personnel as soon as practicable. The increase under consideration will pern it truck units being placed in the three districts where they are most needed. Each truck will be equipped with meteorological instruments and radio receiving and sending aparatus, thereby enabling the meteorologist in charge, while at the locality of a fire, to obtain weather reports, prepare charts, and issue forecasts and information to other sections. The trucks also will be used to inspect substations and to transport instrumental equipn ent thereto.

(6) An increase of $3,420 in the project "Forecast In proven ent Investigations." The present staff of the Weather Bureau Library, probably the largest meteorological library in the world, is so small that it is with difficulty that it can perform even the most necessary routine work of accessioning, cataloging, binding, aintaining loan and periodical records, supervising station libraries, and translating correspondence. The proper functioning of the library as an aid to the research workers of the Bureau through the preparation of bibliographies and through reference work is of first importance. Much of the time of the librarian and first assistant could be released for these purposes if additional personnel were available for carrying on the ordinary functions of library service.

CHANGE IN LANGUAGE

The word "Printing" has been inserted after the word "Government" to correct an error in the 1936 text.

WORK DONE UNDER THIS APPROPRIATION

General. This appropriation provides for the conduct of most of the major service activities of the Weather Bureau essential to the maintenance of Nationwide meteorological activities serving agriculture, commerce, and many other special interests, as well as the general public. Basically, the work consists of the collection and dissemination of meteorological data and of the issuance and distribution of weather forecasts, warnings, and advices. The advisory and warning services, including those in connection with occurrence of storms, hurrieanes, cold waves, frosts, fire-weather conditions, and floods, are fundamental purposes set forth in the organic act creating the Weather Bureau.

General forecast and warning service. The preparation and dissemination of weather forecasts and warnings constitute a fundamental activity of the Bureau for which purpose Congress originally authorized a Federal weather service in 1870. Under this project the Bureau is required to take, record, encipher, telegraph and compile regular meteorological observations; to issue general and local weather forecasts daily, including frost, cold wave, and other special warnings and forecasts when injurious weather and temperature conditions are expected; and to disseminate weather forecasts, warnings, and synopses by telephone and telegraph, by printed bulletins, maps, and by forecast cards, and through cooperation with the newspapers, radio-broadcasting stations, and other available means, for the benefit of agriculture, commerce, and navigation in all parts of the United States and in adjacent ocean areas. Synoptic weather observations are collected by telegraph and entered on skeleton maps. The forecasters, from experience in dealing with many weather maps and a knowledge of the physical processes involved, are able to predict with accuracy the weather changes that will ensue. The forecasts and warnings so prepared are promptly and widely disseminated.

Climatological service.-This service was established by an act of Congress (U. S. C., title 15, secs. 311-313, 317), effective July 1, 1891, which charged the Weather Bureau with collecting meteorological data sufficient to establish the climatological characteristics of the United States. The work covers the collection and publication of climatological data for all parts of the United States, including the preparation of maps to show normal climatic conditions in different sections of the country. It involves the maintenance of 4,500 cocp rative and other meteorological stations, for which daily, monthly, and annual reports of temperature, precipitation, etc., are compiled and published. There are published 42 separate monthly and annual reports, and data for the entire country are published annually in the Report of the Chief of the Weather Bureau. Summarizations are issued in Bulletin W for all past years of record.

Hurricane and storm-warning service.-Issue of storm warnings for the Great Lakes was authorized by Congress in 1870. The service has since been extended to the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts, and use of radio on shipboard has resulted in extension of the service to ships at sea. The Bureau must locate and follow storms, including those of tropical origin (hurricanes) by means of synoptic observations assembled on weather charts; furnish information as to the location, intensity, and probable movement of storms; and issue warnings of their approach (including prediction of dangerous winds and tides which sometimes attend them) for the benefit of mariners and residents of seacoast and 'akeshore sections. Observations are collected by radio and cable from West Indian station s and from ships at sea to supplement the regular collection for general forecast purposes. Advices and warnings are disseminated by telegraph, telephone, and radio from district forecast centers. Warnings are displayed by means of flags and lanterns at 259 local display stations, which are maintained under the supervision of 53 storm-warning centers.

River and flood service.-Service was organized in 1870 by the installation of a few river and rain gages. The growth of the service has been gradual and the organization now consists of approximately 700 river-gage stations, 300 rainfall, 84 snowfall, and about 50 evaporation stations. The country is divided, for the purposes of administration and forecasting, into 71 districts, each having a central office, the whole being under the administrative control of the River and Flood Division. The river stages read daily are published annually in one volume. The primary object of the service is the making of river-stage and flood forecasts for the protection of human lives and for the benefit of agriculture, navigation, engineering interests, and all users of river water. The flood forecasts are of general use and benefit throughout the river valleys. The river-stage forecasts made from day to day are of vital importance to navigation interests and construction work in progress along rivers. Snowfall measurements in mountains

are made for determining the effect of melting snows on streams. Evaporation measurements are to determine water losses, particularly in semiarid regions. The stage publication is used principally by agriculturists, engineers, and navigators. River-stage, rain, snowfall, and evaporation observations are collected in the district offices, where they are charted, and whence the necessary forecasts and warnings and other reports are issued. The stage publication is prepared and printed in Washington.

Forest fire-weather service.-Fire-weather warnings were first issued in 1916 as a regular service from district forecast centers. Since that time several independent fire-weather districts have been organized with specialists assigned to the work. Seven separate districts are now maintained. This work requires the collection and compilation of meteorological data from forested areas to ascertain the influence of current weather conditions on the frequency and spread of fires and the issue of special forecasts and warnings as an aid to Federal, State, and local agencies engaged in controlling and suppressing fires in the forests of the United States. Observations are taken two or three times daily at special stations in the forests during the fire season. The data are communicated by telegraph or telephone to the fire-weather district centers to supplement the reports collected for general purposes. The information is charted and specialized forecasts and warnings are disseminated. The fire-fighting forces are augmented, deployed, or concentrated in accordance with the probable fire hazard as indicated by the fire-weather forecaster.

Agricultural meteorological service. In 1872 the Signal Service of the War Department published the first weather bulletin in this country, containing a summary of weather as affecting agriculture. This was finally developed into what are now known as Corn and Wheat and Cotton Region Bulletins, and Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletins, published at Washington and certain field stations. This project provides for the collection and publication of data relating to current weather conditions and their effect on crop growth and agricultural operations in general. Publication of the data and determination of their effect on crop growth and farm work are based largely on reports from numerous weather observers and weather and crop correspondents in all sections of the United States and on known relations of weather to crops, established during investigations of the relationship to crop yields.

Marine meteorological service.-Work in ocean meteorological service has been conducted by the Government for almost a century. The Navy and (successively) the Army and the Weather Bureau have maintained individually or cooperatively the continuity of this activity since 1844. The Weather Bureau is now specifically designated by law (U. S. C., supp. 7, title 5, sec. 458a) to conduct the major lines of work in ocean meteorology and to furnish meteorological information published on the pilot charts issued by the Hydrographic Office of the Navy. The primary objects of the project are the maintenance and improvement of ocean-weather observations and reports through an extensive program organized for rapidly collecting, charting, and summarizing the reports to provide maritime commerce with accurate, properly digested meteorological information and at the same time to secure data for basic studies of weather conditions and storms affecting the continental United States and the adjacent oceans. Daily weather observations at sea are taken and reported in prescribed form by ships' officers using (in the main) meteorological instruments that are regularly a part of a ship's instrumental equipment. Contacts with the observing officers and supervision of the meteorological instruments are largely accomplished through 30 field offices of the Weather Bureau located at major ports of the United States and its island possessions.

Horticultural protection service. With the advent of systematic practice of protecting orchards and truck gardens from frost, specialized local forecasts, as an aid in protecting operations, became necessary. The special horticultural protection service of the Weather Bureau began in 1917. The work consists of specialized local forecasts for the use of fruit and truck growers in their frostprotection work; also advise as to best methods of protection. The forecasts are made from synoptic weather charts and current local observations, including hydrometric formulas applicable to the particular locality.

Meteorological physics.-A knowledge of the physical processes that occur in the atmosphere is basic to an efficient meteorological service. Studies along this line have been made in the past with important results, but they are even more necessary and valuable now in view of the more abundant and more accurate data available on land, at sea, and in the air and the increasing use of the knowledge of physical processes in all practical applications of meteorology. The object of the work is to gain a wider and more accurate knowledge of the structure of