National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-02-14

Der Of which has been attached to the Coast
Survey, and was also o member OF the commit
tee of tho National Academy. which reported
tho new plan for the surveys which is now un-
der discussion.
As every old member Of Congress knows
these meters proved tobe an utter failure, and
worse, humbuR of the most renowned class.
Distillers were obliged to incur great expense
to attach them, in some cases it being noces'
sary to raise tho entire machinery of the es-
tablishment at cost of many thousand dollars,
that the meter might be 30 placed as to receive
the product of the still Only ninety.six of
the Sl4 were attached, the trouble with these
affairs, weighing, in the iron safes which con-
tanned them, several tons-and the transporta-
tion was charged to the distillers.
For all practical purposes the National Acad-
emy might as well have recommended that
distilleries should be obliged to purchase and
attach hand-organ or an hydraulic ram.
After continued failure with the meters and
immense trouble to the Department, and loss
and direct expense to the distillers, Commits
sioner Deano thus reported upon them April
=, 1870, in answer TO resolution of tho House !:
Mr.. Tice's meter system, described by the com.
mittee of the National Academy, in the language
quoted from them on the seventh page of this re.
port as system of records, solations and checks
has not answered the entire purpose for which 1t
was designed and adopted; that the credit meter,
or meter at the doubler, was needless expense In
the beginning. Is useless now and ought promptly
TO he dispensed with and It's sale by the dstlers be
permitted for their own benefit and Chat the auto
matte feature OF this system, In so far as II under
takes to register the strength OF the spirit passing
through the meter, has been shown In practice to
be totally unreliable and been abandoned by the
inventor himself.
June 8, 1871, Commissioner Ploasantou is
sued the following circular pronouncing this
child of the National Academy an imbecile:
II having been ascertaincd by experience that
these metres, as class, do not fully answer the
purpose for which they were intended, their use is
hereby discontinued. and ull existing orders pre-
scribing the same are hereby revoked, All meters
attached to distilcries may be detached The me-
tors being the property of disillers, they will be
| permitted to dispose of them as they may desire.
February H. 1873, Mr.. Kerr, from the Com
mittee OF Ways and Means, in quoting the
above ORDER said, in report to the House:
| II may be proper to add that the present Com
| missioner of Internal Revenue (Mr. D0uglass) has
not seen fit TO either modify rescind the last pre-
ccding regulation or order, but has directed the
absolute abandonment of the use of meters OF every
| class, and has ordered their detachment where
found at dstilleres so that the complete and final
abandonment Of the use of the Tice meter is now
| an established fact
| So ended the last experience of the House o
Representatives with committee of the Ma
| tional Academy and its child, the Tice metre
Mr. Hewitt as new member, may be OK
cused from seeking practical wisdom from thu
same source. Ii, V. b.