LEGISLATION REGARDING THE DEPARTMENTS. 45 



before any clistrirt or circuit court of the United States or Territorial court lioldea 

 within the district in which the violation of this act has been committed. 



Sec. 10. That the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, to be immedi- 

 ately available, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated, out 

 of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to carry into effect the 

 provisions of this act. 



Sec. 11. That the Commissioner of Agriculture shall report annually to Congress, 

 at the commencement of each session, a list of the names of all persons employed, 

 an itemized statement of all expenditures under this act, and full particulars of the 

 means adopted and carried into effect for the suppression of contagious^ infectious, 

 or communicable diseases among domestic animals. 



Approved, May 29, 1884. 



TRANSFER OP WEATHER BUREAU TO THE DEPARTMENT. 



The Weather Bureau was transferred from the War Department to 

 the Department of Agriculture under a law approved October 1, 1890. 

 The principal sections of this law are given here. 



AN ACT to increase the efficiency aud reduce the expenses of the Signal Corps of the Army, and to 

 * transfer the weather service to the Department of Agriculture. 



Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatices of the United States of 

 America in Congress assembled, That the civilian duties now performed by the Signal 

 Corps of the Army shall hereafter devolve upon a bureau to beknownas the Weather 

 Bureau, which, on and after July first, eighteen hundred and ninety-one, shall be- 

 established in aud attached to the Department of Agriculture, and the Signal Corps 

 of the Army shall remain a part of the military establishment under the direction 

 of the Secretary of War, aud all estimates for its support shall be included with 

 other estimates for the support of the military establishment. 



Sec. 3. That the Chief of the Weather Bureau, under the direction of the Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture, on and after July first, eighteen hundred aud ninety-one, shall 

 have charge of the forecasting of weather, the issue of storm warnings, the display 

 of weather and flood signals for the benefit of agriculture, commerce, and navigation, 

 the gauging and reporting of rivers, the maintenance and operation of sea-coast tel- 

 egraph lines and the collection aud transmission of marine intelligence for the bene- 

 fit of commerce and navigation, the reporting of temjierature and rain-fall conditions 

 for the cotton interests, the display of frost and cold- wave signals, the distribution of 

 meteorological information in the interests of agriculture and commerce, and the tak- 

 ing of such meteorological observations as may be necessary to estatdish and record 

 the climatic conditions of the United States, or as are essential for the proper execu- 

 tion of the foregoing duties. 



Sec. 4. That the Weather Bureau shall hereafter consist of one Chief of Weather 

 Bureau and such civilian employees as Congress may annuallj' provide for aud as 

 may be necessary to properly perform the duties devolving on said bureau by law, 

 and the chief of said bureau shall receive an annual compensation of four thousand 

 five hundred d(dlars, and be appointed by the President, by and with the advice aud 

 consent of the Senate: Prorlded, That the Chief Signal Officer of the Army may, in 

 the discretion of the Presidemt, be detailed to take charge of said bureau, and in like 

 manner other ofiScers of the Army, not exceeding four, expert in the duties of the 

 weather service, may be assigned to duty with the Weather Bureau, aud while so serv- 

 ing shall receive the pay and allowances to which they are entitled by law. 



Sec. 5, That the enlisted force of the Signal Corps, excepting those herinafter pro- 

 vided for, shall be honorably discharged from the Army on June thirtieth, eighteen 

 hundred and ninety-one, aud such portion of this entire force, including the civilian 



