1 895-] BUSINESS PROCEEDINGS. 1 73 



" them to use all honorable means to prevent the abolishing of this 

 " Bureau on the ground that its work has not only been of great 

 " value in the past, but by continuing its work the records which it 

 " makes will acquire more value to science from year to year," 



In the discussion upon these resolutions Mr. George W. 

 Rafter spoke as follows : 



This Bureau was created by, and organized under Chapter 148, 

 Laws of 1889, and re-organized and placed under the department of 

 Agriculture by Chapter 338, Laws of 1893. Up to 1893, $4,500 was 

 appropriated annually for the maintenance of the Bureau, but it was 

 not until 1893 ^^^t as much as this amount was spent in any one 

 year. The annual report for that year shows an unexpended balance 

 of $3919-66. There are now about ninety voluntary observers, who 

 each month furnish the service with meteorological observations. 



For three years Mr. E. T. Turner gave his entire time to the 

 work of this Bureau without compensation. At present he receives 

 $100 per month. 



Aside from the cost of printing and the purely clerical work of 

 preparing the monthly bulletins and the cost of instruments, the 

 service has been conducted without expense to the State. The dis- 

 tribution of the monthly bulletins and reports is effected through the 

 Post Ofifice without cost to the State, under a franking privilege 

 extended by the United States Government. A proposition to 

 abolish the Department is therefore, in effect, a proposition to pre- 

 vent a large number of earnest people from doing important scientific 

 work gratuitously. 



The resolutions were unanimously adopted. 



The first lecture of the Popular Lecture Course for the season of 

 1895 was then given by Mr. J. D. Mallonee, of Buffalo, entitled : 



THE STRUCTURE OF ROCKS AS SHOWN BY POLARIZED 



LIGHT. 



The lecture was illustrated by projections of rock sections upon 

 the screen. A vote of thanks was tendered the lecturer. 



