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of the Secretary of the Treasury that business conditions in the locality demand additional circulation, and he is satisfied with the character and value of the securities and that a loan in favor of the United States on such securities and on the assets of the banks composing the association will be sufficient for the protection of the United States. If the deposit include State, city, town, county or other municipal bonds, of a character described in the act, circulating notes may be issued to the extent of not exceeding ninety per centum of the market value of the bonds so deposited. No association can in any event issue any circulating notes based on commercial paper in excess of thirty per centum of its unimpaired capital and surplus. This term "commercial paper" includes only notes representing actual commercial transactions, which when accepted by the association shall bear the name of at least two responsible parties and have not more than four months to run.

The banks and the assets of all banks belonging to the association are jointly and severally liable to the United States for the redemption of such additional circulation. As between several banks composing the association, each is liable only in the proportion that its capital and surplus bear to the aggregate capital and surplus of all the banks of the association.

The provision allowing the acceptance of bonds or other interest-bearing obligations of any state, town, county, or other legally constituted municipality, applies only to those states, cities, etc., which have been in existence for a period of ten years, and which for a like period previous to such deposit have not defaulted in the payment of any part of either principal or interest of any funded debt authorized to be contracted by it, and whose net funded indebtedness does not exceed ten per centum of the value of its taxable property.

The limit to which circulating notes may be issued under the provisions of this act is fixed at five hundred millions of dollars.

In order that the distribution of additional circulation notes. may be made as equitably as practicable between the various sections of the country, the act requires that the Secretary of the Treasury shall not approve applications of associations in any

state in excess of the amount to which such state would be entitled of the additional notes authorized by the act on the basis of the proportion which the unimpaired capital and surplus of the national banking associations in such state bear to the total amount of unimpaired capital and surplus of the national banking associations of the United States. In case the applications from associations in any state shall not be equal to the amount which the associations of such state would be entitled to, the Secretary of the Treasury may, to meet an emergency, assign the amount not thus applied for to any applying association or associations in states in the same section of the country.

By the same act there was created a commission to be called the "National Monetary Commission " to be composed of nine members of the Senate and nine members of the House of Representatives. This commission is to inquire into and to report to Congress what changes are necessary or desirable in the monetary system of the United States or in the laws relating to banking and currency.

PATENTS.

By an act approved May 23, 1908, in the event of a person becoming insane after having made a new invention or discovery, the right to apply for a patent devolves on the legally appointed guardian, conservator or representative in trust for the estate of the lunatic. This provision of law is made to extend to all applications for patents now on file in the Patent Office as well as future applications.

Section 4885 R. S. has been amended, by an act approved May 23, 1908, so as to provide that every patent shall issue within a period of three months from the date of payment of the final fee, which latter must be paid within six months of the allowance of the application.

PENSIONS.

The rate of pensions for widows, minor children under the age of sixteen years, and helpless minors, now on the roll or hereafter to be placed thereon, has been increased to twelve

dollars per month by an act approved April 19, 1908. The same act provides that if any officer or enlisted man who served ninety days or more in the Army or Navy of the United States in the Civil War and was honorably discharged has died or shall hereafter die, leaving a widow, she shall, irrespective of the cause of his death, be entitled to a pension of twelve dollars per month during her widowhood.

CHILD LABOR.

Congress passed an act, approved May 28, 1908, to regulate the employment of child labor in the District of Columbia. By its provisions no child under fourteen years of age can be employed or permitted to work in the District of Columbia in any factory, work-shop, mercantile establishment, store, business office, telegraph or telephone office, restaurant, hotel, apartment house, club, theatre, bowling alley, laundry, boot-black stand, or in the distribution or transmission of merchandise or messages. No such child can be employed in any work for wages during the hours when the public schools are in session, or before six o'clock in the morning or after seven o'clock in the evening. The Judge of the Juvenile Court is given power to issue a permit for the employment of children between the ages of twelve and fourteen years, upon evidence that the labor of the child is necessary for its support, or for the assistance of a disabled parent or for the support in whole or in part of a younger brother or sister or a widowed mother.

No child under sixteen years of age is permitted to work in any of the establishments named in the act unless the employer procures and keeps on file an age and schooling certificate and posts near the principal entrance of the building a complete list of the children employed.

No boy under ten, and no girl under sixteen, is permitted to exercise the trade of boot-blacking, or to sell newspapers, magazines, etc., upon the streets of the District of Columbia. Boys under the age of sixteen years so engaged are required to obtain a permit and to wear a badge to be issued by the Superintendent of Public Schools. Even in this class of cases children are pre

cluded from selling their wares before six o'clock in the morning or after ten o'clock in the evening.

PUBLIC HEALTH.

The law to prevent the importation of impure and unwholesome tea has been amended by an act approved May 16, 1908, so as to permit the importation into the United States of impure tea or of any tea waste, tea siftings or sweepings, solely for the purpose of manufacturing theine, caffeine, or other chemical products.

By an act approved May 13, 1908, every physician in the District of Columbia is required to report in writing to the Health Officer the name and description of every person under his care in said District of Columbia, who is affected with tuberculosis. The Health Officer is required to make a microscopic examination of the sputum of persons so reported, and to make report thereof, without charge, to the attending physician. All cases showing the presence of tubercle bacilli are to be recorded in a register, but the latter is not to be open to inspection by any one except the Health Officer and his deputy. It is the duty of the Health Officer to supply in every case of tuberculosis either to the person afflicted, or those in charge of such person, unless otherwise requested by the attending physician, printed instructions as to the methods to be employed to prevent the spread of the disease. In the event of death, the apartment or premises occupied shall be disinfected by the health department at public expense, and cannot be occupied until so disinfected.

NATIONAL FOREST.

A national forest has been created in the State of Minnesota, by an act approved May 23, 1908.

NAVIGATION.

The law relating to the complement of crews of vessels has been amended by an act approved April 2, 1908, so as to provide a penalty in the event of any master failing to explain in writing any deficiency in the crew to the local inspectors within twelve hours.

If the ves

of the time of arrival of the vessel at her destination. sel shall have been insufficiently manned the master is liable to a penalty, the amount of which is increased in case of an insufficient number of licensed officers.

By an act approved April 28, 1908, the Secretary of Commerce and Labor is empowered to issue regulations to promote the safety of life on navigable waters during regattas or marine parades.

The law in respect to steam vessels has been amended in several particulars by an act approved May 28, 1908. A new provision relates to yachts belonging to any regularly organized yacht club of the United States. Whenever it is made to appear to the satisfaction of the President that such yachts are permitted to arrive at and depart from any foreign port and cruise in the waters of such port without entering or clearing at the custom house and without payment of charges, the Secretary of Commerce and Labor may extend similar privileges to yachts from such foreign port belonging to any regularly organized yacht club. These privileges cannot extend to any yacht built outside of the United States, owned, chartered, or used by a citizen of this country.

INCORPORATIONS.

By an act approved May 30, 1908, upwards of one hundred and seventy-five ladies, the wives of members of Congress, were constituted a body corporate in the City of Washington, by the name of the "Congressional Club," the objects being to promote acquaintanceship; to facilitate social intercourse; and to provide a place of meeting which may help to secure for the members the advantages of life in the national capital. Likewise by an act approved May 30, 1908, there was incorporated "The Brotherhood of Saint Andrew," the object of the corporation being "the spread of Christ's Kingdom among men."

MISCELLANEOUS.

By an act approved April 2, 1908, a legal cord of wood in the District of Columbia must consist of and contain one hundred and twenty-eight cubic feet.

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