Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-05

School sites: Total awards. ... $23.322 90
For hundred and twenty-one lunacy
cases were disposed of in the equity
trict of Columbia, thirteen cases In the
Municipal Court of the District OF Co
lumbia, h,724 cases in the Police Court
of the District of Columbia. and fines and
forfeitures amounting to $74, 1888 were
recovered.
In the Juvenile Court 2,2J9 cases were
filed against juveniles, and J51 against
adults. Fines and forfeitures recovered
amounted to $2,O63.9O. and there was
collected and paid. under the non-support
law for children, $38 6S4.N.
Various bills were considered and re-
ported on by the corporation counsel. in
GLIDING the preparation Of an original
draft of a bill to create q public utilities
commission and imposing the duties
thereof on the Commissioners Of the Dis
trict of Columbia. One hundred and
ninety-six tax deeds were prepared by the
corporation counsel and 22S written opin-
ions were given by him.
Coroner.
During the year the coroner held lit
inquests and directed the performing Of
124 District Of Columbia case and forty
one United States cases. The total num-
Der of deaths from accidents and other
lOIAo "a biOlChCC woe CIV VI "ubSh
twenty-five were homicidal; 1,1O5 bodies
were received at the morgue. The total
number of cases passed upon and GER
tificates approved by the coroner during
the year was 1,6U.
Weights, Measures and Markets.
The total receipts Of the Office deposited
with the collector of taxes, District Of
Columbia, amounted to $2S.23997; ex-
penditures, $14,576: net receipts. 3d..
663 81. The total collections of the Office.
including SIS 225.S6 collected by the in
spectors of lumber, wood and flour,
and retained by them for their services
and exepnses, amounted to $50, 1858.
There were sealed "a, 165 weights and
measures. 631 condemned and destroyed.
$50 condemned for repair ia inspections
upon request, for which no fees were col,
lected; $50 inspections for the United
States government, and 119 for the Dis
trict of Columbia, for which no fees
were collected; ffty-nine cases were pre-
scented to the Police Court for prosecu-
ton, and fines to the amount of 81, 42S
collected, an increase of seventeen cases
and $40 in fines over the year preceding.
During the past seven years 4S3 cases
have been presented to the Police Court.
fines for that period amounting to $5.12
Total inspections for the year number
$685. an increase of 3.171 over the num-
Der in 1910 This number does not in
clude the inspections OF milk bottles nor
the paper ice cream measures The
diaries and drug stores and other places
where ice cream is sold are visited regu-
larly, and the bottles and paper boxes
tested in large quantities. with the super
vision of over 10000 milk bottles and
100000 ice cream boxes which. 1t Is esti-
mated, are used annually in the District
of Columbia.
For nearly fourteen years the District
has enforced a rigid inspection of scales,
weights and measures and has investi-
gated the manner Of the sale Of all COM
greatly improved over those in cities
where weights and measures laws have
more recently been adopted and enforced.
Previous to that time, while the laws
were operative the Office was without as
sistants and the necessary equipment for
a thorough canvass of the. District. Rigid
Investigations and constant vigilance on
the part of the Office are necessary TO
keep certain class OF dealers honest.
The most urgent reform necessary now
seems to be uniform laws throughout the
United States to compel the marketing
of all containers in terms Of weight or
measure. Commodities put up in pack
ages. bottles and cartons are usually put
up in such manner as to appear to rep,
resent standard weight or measure and
it is estimated that 80 per cent OF these
packages, bottles and cartons are short
of the capacity. Tests do not show an
overweight. but a condition almost In.
variably against the consumer. Nationai
legislation fixing a standard for the size
of barrels and crates is also necessary
Conditions relative to the sale of coal
are reported ~better than in previous
years. A large number Of loads were
reweighed while they were In transit
between the yards and the consumer
residence, and the greater percentage
were found overweight. With few ex-
ceptiohs our coal merchants are glad to
have their teams stopped and rewetghed
and many Of them are open In their
praise of the manner I'm which the section
under which this work is authorized Is
being administered.
The matter Of short weight OF Ice was
given constant attention. Every COM
plant was investigated and all cases. IN
which such evidence as 70 necessary for