Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-28
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT Is DOING

Congress passed during the closing
days of the last administration.
L. A. Fischer. chief OF the division OF
| weights and measures OF the bureau
| of standards. who Will be In direct
| charge Of the men conducting the
| work. has just received notice from
the manufacturers OF the new railroad
test car that both the equipment ana
test weights have been installed and
| that delivery will be- made TO the
ten days or two weeks. Using this
| equipment. the government experts
will make the first official test OF rail-.
way scales under the new law az
the New York. New Haven and Hart
| ford railroad. The car Will then pro-
| coed to Vermont to make an exainina
| ton Of railroad scales In that state NJ
the request OF the state commissioner
| Of weights and measures. Later the
| test car equipment Will be sent from
state to state for the examination OF
railroad scales.
This government Investigation look,
1 ing into the accuracy OF railroad
| scales. over which nearly 1000 Ooo.o oo
tons of products Of the country's fac,
| tories, farms and mines are shippeu
each year. is the beginning OF. perhaps.
| the most extensive series OF weish.
tests ever made by the United states
or by any other government The
freight revenues of all the railroads.
of the country reporting to the inter
state commerce commission are approAi-
mately 1000, 100000
:. The significance of the series OF gov
| eminent tests of railroad scales may pe
quickly seen when 1t Is understood tnaI
| even IL the scales of the country VIII
average only 1 per cent in error there
| Is loss of 500. 100000 year either 10
| railroads or to the shippers. Offciai IN
| vestigations of miscellaneous scales ana
measures in all parts OF the country nave
! oh hat
| than l per cent in error. In fact, IN
| bureau of standards test made severai
years ago II was found that 40 per cent
| of $4,000 scales and measures tested by
| the government were 3 per cent or more
| in error, often against the interests Oh
| the consumer. Both the shippers or the
| country and the railroads Will welcome
| the series Of weight tests which Uncie
Sam is just about to begin. because
| neither the shippers nor the raiiroaos
| can afford to lose money because OF
! faulty scales when such tremendous
sums as are involved in the country
| freight revenues are at stake.
! The new test car is made after the spe-
| cial design Of L. A. Fischer. the govern,
ment weights and measures expert, ana
Is made after a plan different IRON any
other which has ever been constructed IN
any country. Other test cars nave useo
the entire weight of the car as test
| weight. This plan has been unsatisfac-
tory. however, because cars frequently
and the weight is constantly changed by
alterations which have to be made be.
cause Of wear and tear TO overcome an
| possible changes in weight from TINS
cause Mr.. Fischer has planned system
! of putting the test weights inside OF a
regulation freight car especially equipped
with cranes to handle the weights care
| fully. six-wheeled truck. Weighing
1900 pounds, will be carried in the car.
This truck will be taken out each time
there is a test of scales and will re-
ceive weight up to 100000 pounds. In
the car proper there are carried elght
900 pounds and 10000 pounds of fifty
pound weights.
The new test car is of steel under
frame construction with wood super
structure, and was built at the American
Car and Foundry Company's shops al
Berwick, Pa. The lifting cranes and
other equipment were installed at Glen
brock. Conn. by A. H. Emery: Inc
weights, which were made at Whining
ton, Del, have already been tested and
adjusted by experts of the bureau of
standards Congress appropriated S2o.Vo
for the purchase of the car, which mas
cost approximately $4,000. equipped. Part
of the remainder of the appropriation VIII
+, be used in paying for the salaries of the
! crew of three experts who will travel
| with the car to make the tests.
This investigation of railroad scales,
| which will be made by the government
|
out much information on which to base
| any law for better weight regulations
which CONGRESS may enact at the next
regular session The general inaccuracy OF
information which has been brought to-
| gether by Representative Frank -.
| Willis of Ohio, who has already intro
duced a bill in the present Congress pro-
viding for the government regulation OF
freight weighing systems. Represent
! alive Willis has received facts and tis-
ures from many coal dealers of the
| country who urge the need of more ac-
| curate scales in the weighing OF freight
One coal company of PhiadelDhla in the
careful checking up of 100 cars of an
thracite coal with an invoiced weight Of
2763 tons found that IS cars contained
short weight of 134.Co0 pounds. and that
| 90 cars contained over weight of only
15s4S pounds. Fifty three tons was the
average loss for the 100 cars. or more
! than one-half ton Der car. On the same
basis the company calculated its net loss
| on $4,000 tons purchased in fourteen
| Years was more than 1900 tons which
| at the average cost of So per ton would
! show a net loss OF more than S123,Uoo
Infant Care will be the subject of
the second of the care of-children
series of bulletins to be pub
Infant lished by the United States
/ children's bureau, and to be
OaAc' distributed about January !
next The first booklet Of the series,
which was issued short while ago.
on prenatal Care" has already run
Into its second edition and a like popu-
larity is expected for the new nublica-
ton. which will be devoted to the care
| of the baby and its guidance.
| The mothers Of the country Will be
given the best information which has
States on the proper care of the child
during its first years. The work OF
writing and compiling the information
will be in charge of Mrs. Max West,
who is also the author Of the bulletin
on Prenatal Care The subjects
which are to be covered in the new
booklet are the baby's clothing, its
| food, Sleep exercise and fresh air:
habits, training and discipline: special
care in illness. accidents, emergencies.
bathing, growth and development.
| Teaching the baby to talk may also
| be a subject to be treated. Many peo-
pie have claimed that the probable
reason for children growing UP with
fects in makeup ia due to the worry
which is caused children by the So
called baby talk" which many eX-
perts claim Is senseless and does harm
| to the child in most cases and GOOD
! in none It is pointed out that many
people feel it their duty to indulge IN
.'tootsey-wootsey" lingo when visiting
| homes and talking with babies. rms
treatment of babies whom parents
hope to grow up into intelligent chill
dren is said not only to retard their