410 Transactions of the 



The President then presented to the meeting a communication from 

 the 



SIGNAL OFFICE AT WASHINGTON. 



"Washington, January 13th. 



I. N. Hoag, Secretary of the Meteorological Committee of the State Board of 

 Agriculture, Sacramento, California: 



Sir: By direction of the Chief Signal Officer of the Army I have the 

 honor to acknowledge and answer your communication to him of the 

 twenty seventh ultimo. This office is much gratified at the commenda- 

 tion of its labors expressed by you, and is very desirous to establish 

 more stations on the Pacific slope with reference to the enlargement of 

 the system of observation, report, and forecast for that region. At this 

 time, however, the condition of the appropriation is such that curtail- 

 ment rather than expansion will become necessary without special 

 action of Congress. What is now done is the utmost possible with the 

 means given. There will be no difficulty about the occupancy of any 

 necessary stations, provided the Secretary of War be authorized to use 

 sufficient force and Congress will furnish the necessary money to meet 

 the really economical cost. It is sufficient that a representation from 

 your Board, with petitions from corporate bodies and prominent citi- 

 zens, addressed to the Senators and members of Congress representing 

 the parties interested, and other petitions addressed to the Secretary of 

 War, under cover of this office, would be useful in accomplishing the 

 object desired. 



I am, sir, respectfully yours, 



GAEEICK MALLEEY, 

 Captain and Brevet Lieutenant Colonel United States Army, Acting 

 Signal Officer and Assistant. 



Dr. Logan said: 



Mr. President: The letter which has just been read by our Secretary 

 is the result, as }'ou have been informed, of the action which has been 

 taken b} T your Committee on the Signal Service, of which committee I 

 have the honor of being a member. It is unnecessary to consume the 

 valuable time of the meeting in discussing the advantages to be derived 

 from a more extensive establishment of this important arm of the agri- 

 cultural department — they are patent, and have been recognized and 

 appreciated by the whole community. Permit me, therefore, to offer in 

 lieu of a report from the committee I represent the following preamble 

 and resolution: 



Whereas, From the success which has attended the operations of the 

 Signal Service in predicting storms on the Pacific Coast, it is evident 

 that additional benefits may be secured by an increase in the number of 

 stations; therefore, 



Besolved, That the State Board of Agriculture be requested to memo- 

 rialize Congress urging the necessary appropriations for such increase 

 of. stations, and that proper representations be made to the "War Depart- 

 ment in favor of one of these stations being located at Sacramento — it 

 being a central point, both geographically and climatically. 



