REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE WEATHER BUREAU. 



United States DEi'ART>rENT of Agriculture, 



Weather Bureau, 

 Washington^ D. 6'., October 8, 1920. 



Sir : I have the honor to submit herewith a report of the operations 

 of the Weather Bureau during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1920. 

 Respectfully, 



C. F. Marvix, 



Chief of Bureau. 

 Hon. E. T. Meredith, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



It seems appropriate in this report to lay special emphasis upon 

 the limitations which now surround practically all the activities and 

 service the W^eather Bureau is charged by law to render. For several 

 years the annual appropriations of the Bureau have remained prac- 

 tically stationary, while costs for services and supplies of all kinds 

 have advanced greatly. To the difficulties these conditions bring in 

 maintaining the service of meteorology applied to the interests of 

 agriculture, commerce, and navigation at its proper standard of com- 

 pleteness and - efficiency' there are added the necessities of meeting, 

 as far as possible, the new demands created by simply the normal 

 grow'th of the Nation as well as needs which are now a permanent 

 part of national existence as a result of "vvar experiences and develop- 

 ments. Meteorological service for aeronautics and military opera- 

 tions must be supplied. The Weather Bureau is the logical Federal 

 agency for this purpose and needs the strongest possible support of 

 Congress and the people to enable it to meet all its new obligations. 



Every national activity', industry, and interest has become aroused 

 to the immediate practical value of Aveather advices, warnings, fore- 

 casts, and infoi-mation in the daily sequence of affairs. Aviation and 

 the aerial mail Rprvic(^ are protectee] and assured a greater |)ei'centage 

 of safety and success by a foreknowk^dge of flying conditions. The 

 total number of stations now equipped to render the special free-air 

 data required is only 11. to represent the continental T"'^nited Statas. 

 Even su]iplemented by about an equal number of reports from Army 

 posts and Xaval bases, the number of stations is ridiculously inade- 

 quate and must be increa.sed to meet the present demands and future 

 growth of aviation. 



Limited ])ersonnel, whose rate of pay has remained stationary with 

 stationary appropriations, has compelled the Bureau to make nu- 

 merous curtailments of useful activities. For example, it was for- 

 merly the custom for employees of the Bureau to prepare daily the 

 large glass weather mai)s on the principal exchanges, boards of trade, 



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