Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 26.djvu/707

 FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS. Sess. I. Ch. 1265, 1266. 1890. 653 accordance with the provisions of "A resolution for the relief of settlers upon the Absentee Shawnee lands in Kansas," approved April ven. 16, p. ss. sevent, eighteen hundred and sixty-nine, and an act explanatory of said resolution, approved January eleventh, eighteen hundred and V¤1.18. v.¤¤¤. seventy-five. Approved, October 1, 1890. CHAP. 1266.-An act to increase the eliiciency and reduce the expenses of the www L IM- Signal Corps of the Army, and to transfer the Weather Service to the Department of W Agriculture. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Re esentattves of the United States of America in Congress assembler;'. That the civilian Wenther Bureau. duties now performed by the Signal Corps of the Army shall here- Sig`R""“C,,‘f,‘§°*°;‘{.,n'Z,{ after devolve upon a bureau to be known as the Weather Bureau, f,*;TA°é*Hfgn{>_$P¤¤¤¤¤¢ which, on and after July iirst, eighteen hundred and ninety-one, m' shall be established in and attached to the Department of Agriculture, and the Signal Corps of the Army shall remain a part of the Signal mips wie Military Establishment under the direction of the Secretary of War, §,,,{’“’1'°""’ and all estimates for its support shall be included with other estimates for the support of the Military Establishments Sec. 2; That the Chief Signal Officer shall have charge, under the cme: sigma omcer. direction of the Secretaryo War, of all military signal duties, and  °° of books, (papers, and devices connected therewith, including telegraph an telephone apparatus and the necessary meteoro ogical instruments for use on target ranges, and other military uses; the construction, repair. and operation of military telegra h lines, and the duty of collecting and transmitting information for the Army by telegraph or otherwise, and all other uties usually pertaining to military signaling; and the operations of said corps shall be confined . to strict y military matters. Sec. 3. That the Chief of the Weather Bureau, under the direc- cmemmewmner tion of the Secretary of Agriculture, on and after July first, eighteen B“§‘,,,‘,; hundred and ninety-one, shall have charge of the forecasting of weather, the issue of storm warnings, the display of weather a11d Hood signals for the benefit of agriculture, commerce, and navigation, the gauging and reporting of rivers, the maintenance and operation of sea·coast telegraph ines and the collection and transmission of marine intelligence for the benefit of commerce and navigation, the reporting of temperature 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 taking of such meteorological observations as may be necessary to establish and record the c imatic conditions of the United States, or as are essential for the proper execution of the foregoing duties. · Sec. 4. That the Weather Bureau shall hereafter consist of one rom of www Chief of Weather Bureau and such civilian employees as Congress B“’“‘* may annually provide for and as may be necessary to properly perform the duties devolving on said bureau by law, and the chic of said bureau shall receive an annual compensation of four thousand C,,m,,,,,,m0¤d five hundred dollars, and be appointed by the President, by and with Chiefthe advice and consent of the Senate: Provided, That the Chief Sig- mmm. nal Officer of the Army may, in the discretion of the President, be detailed to take charge of said bureau, and in like manner other oiii- mm mm Army. cers of the Army, not exceeding four, expert in the duties of the weather service may be assigne to duty with the Weather Bureau, and while so serving shall receive the pay and allowances to which they are entitled by law. _ Sno, 5. That the enlisted force of the Signal Corps, excepting those l_ D£c¤¤rg<§i¤f:;·i hereinafter provided for, shall be houorably discharged from the  m°°’ g