izes county authorities to construct bridges over railways where the same cross roads or highways which may hereafter be opened, at the joint expense of the railway and county, if the town or towns concerned are unable to construct such bridge. Another ['03 ch.72] amends an existing law by extending county aid to cities of the third class in the construction of bridges requiring too heavy an expense for this class of cities to bear alone. A third ['03 ch.253] permits counties to accept bridges from boroughs and townships and maintain them as county bridges if the proper authorities tender such bridge to the county authorities free of charge. A fourth ['03 ch.219], an amendment, provides for bridges located within 1/4 mile from the county line and necessary for the accommodation of the inhabitants of both counties in the same manner that other county bridges are provided for. A fifth ['03 ch.15] empowers the proper county officers, in the case of the destruction or impairment of county or joint county bridges, to operate ferries or other temporary ways at the expense of the county or counties, and proceed to reconstruct the destroyed or impaired bridges. A sixth ['03 ch.167] provides for painting and repairing county bridges and the manner in which bids for this work shall be advertised and let. A seventh ['03 ch.169], which originally authorized the state to reconstruct county bridges which may be carried away by flood, fire or other casualty, is amended so as to include destruction by wind storm; a further amendment provides for the appointment of a superintendent of construction whose compensation shall not exceed 5% of the amount of the contract. Still other amendments relate to the letting of the contract. The eighth and last act ['03 ch.71] empowers cities, either alone or jointly with counties, on the approval of the proper authorities to construct and maintain viaducts and bridges within their respective municipal limits or between cities and adjacent territory. Florida ['03 ch. 80] enacted quite an elaborate statute on the establishment and maintenance of ferries across rivers where the operation of ferries on regular schedules and at frequent intervals appears to be necessary. By resolution, county commissioners may grant licenses and franchises for this purpose, prescribe the character and capacity of the boats, fix time tables and rates, and make other necessary regulations. Franchises shall be granted for a period of 15 years and no other ferry shall be operated on the same stream, under another franchise, within 1 mile. Before the expiration of the franchise a vote may be taken on the proposition whether or not the county commissioners shall acquire and operate the ferry for the county. If the vote is favorable, arbitrators shall be appointed to establish the price. Arbitration is also provided for in case of disagreement between the county authorities and ferry companies in regard to service and rates. Connecticut ['03 ch.38] fixes the rates of toll and ferriage for automobiles at 50% more than for a one horse, four wheeled carriage, if the power vehicle has only one seat; if it has more than one seat, 50% more than for a double horse carriage; and for each additional person on the power vehicle the same toll is to be charged as for additional passengers in carriages. A South Dakota law ['03 ch.143] makes it unlawful to operate a ferry without a lease, which may be granted for a period not exceeding 15 years. The law also contains an elaborate schedule of maximum rates. A Wisconsin law ['03 ch.94] authorizes the supervisors of a county bordering on any navigable stream on the state boundary line to cooperate with a county on the opposite bank of the stream in an adjacent state, and levy a special tax on the property of the county exclusive of the taxable property of cities which maintain their own bridges. Vermont ['03 ch.159] created a bridge commission of three persons to act in conjunction with a similar commission of New Hampshire for the purpose of freeing their interstate bridges of tolls, erecting new bridges, and determining an equitable manner of dividing the cost of construction and maintenance between the two states. The commission is appointed for two years, receives $3 a day and expenses, and is required to report to the Legislature of 1904. An amendment to a Kansas law authorizes the letting of contracts for bridges for any sum lower than the lowest bid within from 10 to 40 days after all previous bids have been rejected on the ground of being too high. If this can not be done within the specified period of time, the contract is to be readvertised ['03 ch.96]. County boards may take immediate action in repairing bridges by buying materials and hiring labor if the public good requires it [Neb. '03 ch.83]. California ['03 ch.15] adds tunnels connecting or forming a part of a road to the burdens which may be taken from a road district and assumed by a county. On petition of the town authorities any Wisconsin county ['03 ch.225] may pay one half the cost of a bridge if the total cost exceeds 1/%% of the taxable property in the town, the total appropriations for this purpose not exceeding 2 mills on the dollar of the equalized valuation of the property in the county; formerly the town limit was 1/4% and that for the county 1 mill on the dollar. County courts of Tennessee ['03 ch.586] are limited to 1% of the taxable values of the county for bridge expenditures unless a greater expenditure is authorized by a popular vote. New Jersey law ['03 ch.6] provides for the joint construction and maintenance of bridges by counties. Indiana ['03 ch.11] enacted a similar law, and in case of the refusal of one of the counties to pay its proper share the other may complete the work and recover from the first the amount advanced for it, not to exceed $3500. California counties ['03 ch.141] situated on opposite banks of a navigable river may jointly maintain ferries in accordance with agreements entered into on the part of their boards of supervisors. Refusal of one of them to enter into an agreement gives the other the right to establish a landing without the consent of the opposing one. Georgia ['03 p.28] has provided for arbitrators to provide for an equitable distribution of the expenses involved in constructing, maintaining and operating bridges and ferries on county lines. Townships on opposite banks of a stream forming the boundary between counties shall jointly defray two thirds of the cost of a bridge over 200 feet in length, and the respective counties shall pay the remaining third [Okl. '03 ch.29 art.2]; furthermore any person or corporation may construct a bridge across a stream, on the boundary line of the territory, 10 miles distant from any other bridge and charge toll as approved by the commissioners of the county wherein part of the bridge lies. Minnesota ['03 ch.160] legislated in regard to bridges across the Minnesota river, and Connecticut ['03 ch.32] passed a law that no railway company be required to open a drawbridge on its line except for boats and vessels.

GEORGE MYGATT FISK PH.D. PROFESSOR OF COMMERCE, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Weights and measures. The general trend in legislation on this subject is toward greater uniformity and increasing effectiveness in protecting all classes of the public-producers, consumers and merchants-against the unscrupulous. Laws relating to weights and measures have been enacted in 15 states as widely scattered as Maine, California, Texas and Idaho. Some of these states, as for instance Idaho ['03 p.87] and South Dakota ['03 ch.210], have passed general laws on the subject. The tendency toward uniformity is shown in the former wherein it is stated that the purpose is "to establish a uniform standard of weights and measures" which "shall agree exactly with the standard as recognized and furnished by the United States." Most of the laws enacted have been in the form of amendments to existing statutes, their main purpose being as indicated above. A marked characteristic is the attempt toward more definite and effective administration, special officers in many cases being provided for and penalties attached for their negligence as well as for negligence or fraud on the part of users of weights or measures. Of special interest as indicating the trend is the Wisconsin law ['03 ch.274] which empowers the governor "to employ through the chief of the United States Bureau of Standards, a competent person to repair, restandardize and properly mount in the new building of the College of Engineering, the state standards of weights and measures."

1

See also Governors Messages and Summary of Legislation, 1422.

Adulterations and imitations. Laws in this category are similar in purport to those regarding the subject of weights and measures. Thirty-one states have legislated concerning adulterations during 1903, 16 of the laws being new, 5 repeals of and 10 amendments to existing laws. Eighteen of these laws dealt with petroleum, the remainder with a variety of subjects such as false representation of gold and silver ware, the adulteration of naval stores, linseed and flaxseed oil, seeds, etc.

Some of the laws regarding petroleum prescribed new tests or raised existing tests [Ark. '03 ch.152; Neb. '03 ch.112; Id. '03 p.95]; some increased the number of inspectors and made inspection in general more effective [N. D. '03 ch.129; Okl. '03 ch.17; S. D. '03 ch.189]; some prohibited the importation or sale of adulterated oil [Or. '03 p.103; U. '03 ch.118]; while others required the labeling of benzin, gasolene and kerosene cans [Wash. '03 ch.187; Minn. '03 ch.42; N. D. '03 ch.104].

Nine governors in their messages in 1903 referred to some phase of the petroleum question, emphasizing for the most part the necessity for better inspection. Governor Davis of Arkansas said that inspection in his state was a farce because every inspector is "either or immediately becomes the employee of the Waters-Pierce Oil Company" the result being that "a poor cheap grade of oil is sold to our people" ['03 p.33]. Governor Herreid of South Dakota ['03 p.26] referred to efforts regularly made "to enact some law that would protect the state from being the dumping ground for inferior oil that can not be disposed of in other states." Similar complaints come from other governors regarding trade-marks, labels etc. Fifteen states enacted laws, nine of them being amendments. Most of these laws made more exacting requirements for registration and 10 states define trade-marks as including labels or marks on bottles, boxes and casks.

Warehouses and markets. Thirteen laws relating to warehouses were passed during 1903, five being amendments to existing laws. Some were general in character, some related to warehouse receipts while some dealt more specifically with grain warehouses and receipts, and one [Kan. '03 ch.487] with stock yards.