Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-22

ana the District surveyor, to report a pIan
loi me rehumterins of the lots and squares
VI 'he city, has made its report Briefly
they recommend that a t.trcular lett. ~
Seht 10 each lot owner in the CITY whose
iot is improperly numbered, and get his
noiisent 10 change. This is considered
necessary, in view of the Questioned valid
ny OF the law, which gives the Commits
siohefs power to make the change in their
mere are at least 10000 lots in the city
mat are improperly numbered and it is
celieVed no taxes could be collected there
from. II the owners protested and went
mo mo court. The great trouble is that it is
hlposS.nie In view of the present system of
nulhhering to properly describe a lot in
tax Dill AS an Illustration man owns
an original lot, which he subdivi5es into
e,1 Imt or more lots: leaving portion un-
mencing with the highest, consecutiveIv
Until the last lot is reached, which remains
Innumb'red. The result is. when tax
NV n,,i r 10 mace out for this last lot, it sim
P-s Ieads' Ot such and such a lot" This
mas been decided to be an imperfect de-
Scf!pton, and If taken into court the tax
lnereon could not be collected. 1t is be-
lily. % i"e wi
Proposed Health Laws.
Health Ofhcer Wcodwar will lay before
'he commissioners tomorrow two important
DIS win the urgent recommendation that
tfey be submitted to Congress with their
approval. One Of these bills is known as
the quarantine bill and has for its object
medical inspection of all foreign ships
coming to this port before the sailors or the
cargo thereof is allowed to land. One of
the greatest sources of contamination Of
contagious diseases comes from ships and
there is no place in this country where
smallpox RACES more than it does on the
Island of Trinidad. 1t is from this place
mat the District gets most of it's cement
ana asphalt for pavements According to
the bill, these vessels will be reouired to
:ho" clean bill of health before it's cargo
Is deported or sailors allowed to leave the
ship. ~
The other bill is known as a bill to pre-
vent the spread of contagious diseases and
IS more IN the nature Of amendments to the
exlstlng measure than a new bill properly
speaking. AT the present time when a case
OF dlphtheria or scarlet fever occurs in the
city 1t is necessary for the attending phy-
sician 10 at once notify the health office
"hereupon the house is Immediately plac-
aIdeo. the new bill will include, beside
scarlet fever and diphtheria, smallpox, lep-
rosy, Asiatic cholera and all other CON
tagious diseases.
There is another bill in preparation but
~ VIII not be submitted to the Commission
ers 1or some time. 1t relates to privies and
It's object is a reconstruction on a sanitary
oasis Oh all such structures in the District
of Columbia.
important License Decision.
Attorney Madigan recently raised a point
involving a refund of deposit in the case
where licensed liquor dealer was con-
v1cted of selling liquor to minors, and from
the opinion of the attorney for the District
today he is sustained in his contention and
a considerable amount Of money will be
refunded
There are two sections in the new liquor
"a" relating to the sale of liquor to minors.
one is embraced in the sixth section, which
provides that no person holding a LIQUOR
incense snail In any way dispose of liquor to
minor. Section 10 also refers to the sale
Oh liquors to minors. and is more specific.
imposing severe penalty for the violation
of the section. 1t provides:
mat no icenSee, in any place, shall
knowingly sell or permit to be sold in his
establishment any Intoxicating liquor of
an! klhd 10 any person under the age of
t"enty,one years. under penalty, upon due
conviction thereof, of forfeting such license,
and no person so forfeiting his license shall
years."
1t has been quite difficult to secure con-
V1ction upon this section because of the
word knowingly To secure a conviction
the proper authorities instituted action I'M
der the sixth section, and the excise board
mas promptly forfeited the license, and
withheld the deposit. Attorney Frank Madi-
gan, Whlle investigating one of these cases.
saw the point that the license was forfeited
under one clause and the prosecution based
upon another Whereupon he promptly
made application for a refund of the de-
post and the matter was sent to the attor-
ney for the District for his opinion. That
opinion, as stated above. was favorable to
Mr.. Madigan, and, it is understood. the de-
pcsits will be promptly turned over to the
applicants. 1t is understood Attorney Madi-
gan Will next move for a reconsideration of
the cases forfeited and try and have his
clients ralicenSed