WEATHER BUREAU. 85 



saving of $6,701.98 was effected, making a total credit for the year 

 about $32,700. 



TELEGRAPH DIVISION. 



Telegraphic conditions, both national and local, were more satis- 

 factory during the past year than for several years previous, except 

 for nearly two months, when there was a shortage of force at the 

 central office, due to resignations. 



Maintenance by the AVestern Union Telegraph Co. of the 23 tele- 

 graphic circuits has been conducted in a generally excellent manner 

 and comparative!}" few complaints of defective or delayed service in 

 transmission of special messages have been received. Reception of 

 cable and wireless reports during the six-months' hurricane season 

 beginning June 1, 1921, was not as prompt as was desired, although 

 efforts in various directifins were made to effect improvement. More 

 reports from ships were handled than in any preceJing year, the in- 

 crease being largely due to the cooperation extended by the Shipping 

 Board in transmitting reports from many ships twice daily, without 

 cost for wireless tolls, and the gradual extension of general service. 



Examination and audit of telegraph, cable, and wireless accounts, 

 all of which is performed by the division operators, was somewhat 

 delayed during the first part of the fiscal year because of the greatly 

 increased work incident to the six-months' hurricane season and of 

 the operator shortage above mentioned. This work was brought up 

 to date, however, during the spring. But little opportunity has been 

 afforded, unfortunately, for such desirable lines of work as revision 

 and improvement of division records, collecting and compiling data 

 for ready reference — largely used by other divisions — investigation 

 of the possibility of more efficient methods of conducting division 

 work, etc. 



Contracts with various wireless telegraph companies, with numer- 

 ous telephone companies, and with several telegraph companies were 

 renewed for the fiscal year 1923 on terms prevailing in former years. 

 Those with the Western Union Telegraph Co. and the New England 

 Telephone & Telegraph Co. are unexecuted at this writing. 



A saving of funds to the extent of about $1,000 per annum was 

 effected by rerouting certain forecast and crop messages destined to 

 far-western points. 



Assignment of an ai'ditional operator last fall has enabled the 

 routine telegraph work to proceed in a much more satisfactory man- 

 ner than previously, permitting, as it did, placing another operator 

 on the earl}' morning and night forces during the hurricane season 

 and thus facilitating reception of the large volume of cable and wire- 

 less business transmitted during this period. 



Weather Bureau telegraph and telephone lines. — These lines, nine 

 in number, with combined length of approximately 280 miles, in- 

 cluding approximately 6G miles of cable and 15 miles of leased wire, 

 worked without serious interruptions and in a generally excellent 

 manner, except the Block Island-Matunuck Beach submarine cable. 

 Over these lines valuable meteorological observations, forecasts and 

 warnings, vessel and wreck reports, and general Government business 

 are transmitted, and five of them carry a volume of commercial busi- 

 ness yielding revenue which accrues to the Government. 



