The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-02-03
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF VIRGINIA.
SENATE PROCEEpTNGs.
~ A'NOs
TUESDAY, Feb


SENATE PROCEEDINGS
TUESDAY, Feb 9.
| A communication was received from the House
announcing the passage OF certain bills.
The committee on General Laws, reported ad
versely to 20 amending the Code o. to allow depo
sisons to be used as evidence in civil cases. where
witnesses reside out Of the county, or ffty mile.
from the court house, where the suit is tried
Bills Reported Incorporating the Citizens De
posit BANK Of Wheeling. For the relief of Richard
Z. Trace. Authorizing title 10 be made under
certain conditions, TO VIM, Dinwiddis, Of AIhe.
marie, 30 certain land Of his condemned by the
Blue Ridge Railroad. Amending an act. proyid
ing for the appointment of commissioners to con.
tract for the construction of the Coal river bridge
Incorporating the Virginia Gas Company, at Port
Mayo. in Henrico.
Mr.. BEALE offered Joint resolution. which lies
over, under the rule fixing Saturday the 9Th inst,
for the election of Auditor of public Accounts I'd
Auditor; Secretary of State; Treasurer; and Regis
ter of the Land Office.
Resolutions Of Laqairy.-By sFr. AUGUST, for pro-
vidipg for an investigation of the causes of ares
10 the State, aad appointing fire marshals in the
cities and counties; by Mr., L92aN, of anu ending
sec. OF chap. 207 of the Code: by Mr.. WHITE, Of
authorizing the faculty Of Ashland Female Col.
lege to confer collegiate degrees; by Mr.. wARrH,
of Incorporating the Independent Bank of Charles.
ton. kanawha; by Mr.. SMITH, of constructing a
certain turnpike road in Greenbrisr ceuuty; by
Mr. HAIRsroS, OF Incorporating the Citizens Sa
Mr. BoaaS, of refuhding to John Wilson. n Com
missioner of the Revenue in Halifax, the sum of
Sl4, erroneousiy paid by him; by Mr.. PAxroN, of
allowing claim of Messrs. Binford & Boyd for
work road.
The committee Of Finance was discharged from
the consideration of the petition of ". A. Mason
and others asking a reduction of the tax on hotel
keepers. The petition was then referred to the
committee of Courts Of Justice.
btuS Sfussed.--lncorpOrating the Atlantic Steam
COmuauy. ha COda sn a tn lIou
Justice, after all due efforts to find the friends of
aiunafic, who comes from another State, to OBJ
tain his admission into of the lunatic asylums
of this State; amending the incorporating act of
the Odd Fellows Hall Association of Wheeling so
rs to allow any person to purchase not more than
one hundred shares therein; incorporating the
Hughes Creek Oil and Coal Company; incorpora-
ting the Fayette Oil and Coal Company; incor-
porating the Virginia Slate Company, in the conn
ties OF Albemarle and Buckingham; establishing a
separate election precinct at the Good Will School
House, in Brooke county; Incorporating the Ma
senic Temple of Virginia. (This association is one
organized to erect a building in Richmond, to cost
about 100000, for the use chiefly of the Masonic
fraternity
F9o,9 LnYsctions--The bill amending the law
so as more fully to define the powers and duties OF
inspectors of -four, came up
Mr.. AMBBER alluded to the fact that one of the
chief values of the flour manufactured here was
that it resisted the action of tropical climate
By the inspection laws. authority is given the in-
spector for boring hole half an inch in diameter
Every barrel treated is injured, inasmuch as it
must be more liable to injury than under other
circumstances it would be. The French Govern
ment has made experiments In packing -four in
air-tight cases, and found that no flour can be
hurt in that condition. BY the bill before
the Senate, the barrels to be perforated
an inch instead of half inch, and the bar
rel made still less air-tight. He had letters
from merchants showing that serious mage
was caused to flour sent to more Southern eli
mates, by the melting of the wax used i'll sealing
up the holes made by the inspectors. BY increas-
ing the size of the augur from half iuch to one
inch, the chances of injury were increased. The
average quantity of -four drawn by the inspector
from each barrel is a half pound. The loss falls
on the miller as O shown from | o ier, Tread by
the Senatorl showing loss of barrels in 200 on
shipment to Liverpool, where the -four is sold by
weight. From another paper he showed the flour
drawn from the barrels in a year by the inspector
amounted to $4,000, and his fees for inspections
$1,000. In the case of Crenshaw & Fisher, the
average amount lost by them in the inspection of
every 360 barrels was about 1917 pounds, which.
with the inspection fees was a loss of about q of
per cent on every bushel of wheat bought by
them that year. He said that enlargng the diameter
OF the aueur hole would enable the trier intro
duced by the inspector, though of no larger size
than heretofore, to draw more -four from the bar
rel What is to be gained by this change in the
size of the augur, except increase of the salary
of the Inspector 1t was now proposed to iegalize
the pocketing of the millers' -four and he would
offer an amendment requiring the inspector, when
it is demanded by the party owning the -four, to
weigh the amount taken from the barrel.
Mr. WHITE said the bill was not intended to In
crease the receipts of the inspectors, but TO pro-
tsct them from harassing suits. He thought the
opposition of the mllers might be explained by
the fact that the present inspector for Richmond
had condemned 10000 barrels of -four, as uufit for
use He went on to combat Mr.. AABLER's views
with regard to the increased size of the augur-
The augurs used for years past had been an inch
and onesixteenth in diameter so that the present
bill materially lessened its siZe-fxiug it as it
does at one inch. The triers bad always been
fveeighths of au inch in diameter, that this
was no new feature. As to the quantity of draft
-four taken out by the inspectors, 1t on the
petition of the millers themselves that tho couI-
pensation OF the inspector was reduced to cent
per bb he receiving the draft -four taken out in in
spection. Abont the damage done by inspections
to the -four destined for South America, he would
say that Mr. Haxall had said that if the inspection
was voluntary matter, he would prefer having
his -four, intended for that quarter, inspected
Warwick Barksdale had also expressed their pre-
ference for the inspection of their -four. With re-
gard to the enormous emoluments arising from the
office of inspector, he read letter from Mr.. Della
plane, stating that his nett income did not exceed
$1,000 per annum. In conclusion, he would ask
the Senate to pass the bill explanatory of the law
and shield the officers of the State from annoying
suits, and to legalize the use of the inch augur.
Mr.. CAMPBELL favored the amendment of Mr.
ly the amount inspectors shall be allowed to take
from the barrel. He showed that the net salary of
the inspector of Petersburg il 81 100, though the
gross receipts of the Office s2,300 In New York.
Philadelphia, Baltimore, one cent Is allowed for
inspection, and the inspectors retain the boring
of draft -four. In all of the States of the Union
the inch trier is used, except ia two, where 5sfh
of an inch is prescribed by law. In Petersburg
the augur now used is an inch and q quarter in
diameter, and the trier is 56th of an inch.
TunlJ ctn tod he incr, nfs ip.
spector for Richmond to be 39,4t7. The hire OF
two assistants, he pnt down at $l1O0 each. lie
puts four negroes at $500 office rent, fuel, lights
and stationary, 500, timber for plugs and saving
the same, $780, livery Of horse and wear and tear
of cart, $3.50, other expenses, $500, reducing the
sum to $4,000. After this, prospective expense is
put down. 1t will reduce the sum to So 500. lie Of
fered an amendment by which tho Inspector is fB-
,tructed to hand over one half Of the draft -four
drawn from barrels, to the superintendent Of the
penitentiary, for the use Of conyiets.
The bill was laid on the table.
On motion the Senate adjourned
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.
TUESDAY, Feb. I'll, 1858.
The House met ut u o'clock.
Anumber of bills were reported from standing
committees. ,.as also several dfrersc reportsDearly
all of which were of local interest.
The Literary Fttnd.-Mr. PRESTON, frem the COM
mite of schools aud colleges, presented q report
on the condition Of the Literary Fund, etc. in
which it is stated that
'sThe hrst aud most important reform sought to
be accomplished is tbc preservation from waste OF
the fund dedicated to education. By the system
now in operation the county treasurers or sr-
perintendents draw from the Second Auditor the
entire annual quota, of each county, at the begin
ming Of the year. Balances Of former years re-
main still In their hands, and, hence, the rapid
cumuiaticns from 1852 to 1855, at the rate of $tU,
$50 per year. Tho county tressurers In the great
majority of instances, usa the money for their own
purposes, charging themselves with the amounts
received. and crediting those paid out. They hold
il without interest; nay, more than that, they re-
ceye upon all sums expended, five per cent. To
prevent, in future, these heavy charges upon a
fund the greater portion of which is dedicated to
the poor children of tho Commonwealth, and to
arrest the waste consequent upon small balances
left in the hands of las treasurers scattered over
the entire State, the accompanying bill proposes
that the school quotas shall remain in the State
Treasury 10 tho credit Of the Second Auditor, and
ouly be drawn ont for services actually rendered
by the teachers. upon accounts properly certified
A for tpa 70.