WEATHER BUREAU. 59 



Rented buildins?^, etc., owned by individuals or corporations: 



In office buildings SO 



In buildings with grounds, aerological and special meteorological 

 stations 19 



Total number rented buildings partly or wliolly occupied 09 



Total 221 



COOPERATION. 



The "Weather Bureau i?^ always ready to cooperate to the fullest 

 extent possible, and di-ring the war, at Springfield, 111., the entire 

 second floor of its buikjing ^Yas turned over for extended use by tho 

 Internal Revenue Service. At Parkersburg, W. Va., Weather Bu- 

 reau quarters in the Federal building were changed to better accom- 

 modate additional employees of tlie Treasury Department. At Sand 

 Key, FIm., at the request of the Secretary of the Navy, the station 

 ancl equipment were transferred to that department October 26, 1918, 

 by order of the President, under the authority of the Overman Act, 

 and returned to the control of the "Weather Bureau July 1, 1919. 



TELEPHONE SERVICE. 



In connection Avith its prompt and wide dissemination of storm 

 warnings and general meteorological information, the Weather Bu- 

 reau probably is the most extensive us?r of telephones of any branch 

 of the Government, and at its more than 220 central field stations 

 has direct wdre connections with local telephone exchanges. An au- 

 thorized allotment of about $14,000 was made for this local telephone 

 service for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919, and the increased 

 local rates promulgated in the Postmaster General's Order No. 2940, 

 effective May 1, 1919, called for an almost complete readjustment, 

 together with an added and AvhoUy unexpected charge against our 

 appropriations for 1918-19. For next fiscal year the total cost of 

 this service is likelv to reach $17,000. 



TELEGRAPH CONTRACTS. 



For the prompt handling of meteorological reports and weather 

 information over the greater part of the Northern Hemisphere the 

 Weather Bureau has necessarily maintained for many years past 

 formal annual contracts, arranged under special authoritj' of law, 

 with all of the more important telegraph, telephone, and submarine 

 cable companies, including also wireless commercial companies, 

 through cooperation with the Naval Communications Service. By 

 order of the Postmaster General, dated June 7, 1919, Weather Bureau 

 contracts for next fiscal year and during Federal control were made 

 exempt from increase of rates, but this affects only contracts entered 

 into by the central office at Washington. An opinion was also ob- 

 tained"^ that increased rates ^ere not applicable for wire and battery 

 service leased for maintenance of local recording river gages and 

 similar self-registering equipment used by the AVeather Bureau. 



INVESTIGATIONS IN VOLCANOLOGY. 



The act making appropriations for the Weather Bureau for the 

 fiscal year ended June 30, 1919, contains authority for investigations 

 in voicanology and appropriates $10,000 therefor. Provision for 



