WEATHER BUREAU. 117 



Conditions at Cape Henry, Va., were also greatly improved during 

 the year by connections with the Norfolk Southern Railroad power 

 line, thus securing better electric-light service for Weather Bureau 

 buildings and storm- warning night displays made at that place. 



SURPLUS BUILDINGS AND PROPERTY. 



Weather Bureau buildings and grounds at Narragansett Pier, 

 R. I., and Mount Weather, Va., remain surplus and unoccupied, in 

 charge of caretakers. The sale, disposition, or rental of this valuable 

 Government property has not been authorized as yet. Cost of only 

 the most urgent repairs and upkeep amounted to about $2,500 per 

 annum, which expense is necessary in order to keep the property 

 from being rendered wholly worthless. In the interests of economy 

 and good business management something should be done in the 

 matter without further delay. 



TELEGRAPH DIVISION. 



Telegraphic transmission conditions throughout the country dur- 

 ing the year were what may be considered as normal, although gen- 

 eral use of the multiplex system for message business by the princi- 

 pal telegraph company, instead of " hand " sending which prevailed 

 previous to the war, reduced efficiency in some sections. This latter 

 method, however, is still used for forwarding " circuit " reports, and 

 the system was maintained at a uniformly high standard, despite 

 varying weather conditions of adverse character. 



Local service was performed during the first half of the year with 

 difficulty, owing to shortage of operators due to resignations of 

 trained men because of inadequate compensation and to harassing 

 delays in securing successors. This situation resulted largely by 

 reason of the low salaries paid by the Weather Bureau as compared 

 with the more attractive ones which commercial establishments are 

 enabled to offer for the services of first-class telegraphers. Equali- 

 zation and adequate j)aj' will doubtless ensue when reclassification 

 becomes effective ; meanwhile, further losses may be expected and are 

 imminent. 



Performance of the audit work of the division suffered somewhat 

 until the disturbing conditions above referred to were remedied. 

 Earnest and continuous efforts by the division force during the 

 winter, however, brought this work up to date in the late spring. 

 No opportunity occurred for revision and improvement of division 

 records and other nonessential activities of a desirable character re- 

 ferred to in the last report which have lain dormant since the imme- 

 diate post-war period because of frequent and long-continued losses 

 in personnel. 



Contracts were renewed on favorable terms with the various 

 telegaph, telephone, wireless, and cable companies, with the excep- 

 tion of one telegraph company, with which there has been no formal 

 agreement for several years, although the rates for service named in 

 the last executed contract are continued indefinitely by informal 

 agreement. 



An important element of the communication service during the 

 hurricane season is the prompt reception of cable messages from the 



