PREMIER CONGRÈS INTERNATIONAL ET EXPOSI- Report of the First International City One object of this important Congress was the establishment of an international bureau of information on community affairs in general. In conformity with the broad scope of interests thus indicated, the report offers a discussion not only of city planning subjects in the ordinary sense, but of many phases of community organization and evolution. The papers are given in French, German or English, as delivered before the Congress, a large majority being in French. This is also the language of the report proper. There are four parts, the first of which gives the organization and aims of the Congress and a list of members. Part II consists of two sections, one devoted to papers upon general problems of city planning and specific features in certain cities, and the other to the or ganization of community life viewed under various sociological and administrative aspects. In Part III are found the minutes of meetings of the Congress, also miscellaneous matter, such as lists of publications and organizations throughout the world, concerned with community interests. INTERNATIONAL HOUSING CONGRESS. Preliminary Report of the Tenth International Housing Congress. Held at The Hague, Scheveningen, September, 1913. 1913. 5 vols. 1,856 pp. 4 photographs; diagrams, tables. Duty extra. $3.00 Volume I contains the proceedings of the Congress and list of members. In the remaining four volumes there are illuminating reports upon housing problems under the following general divisions: Improvement and Demolition of Insanitary Dwell ings. Improvement of Rural Dwellings. Recent Housing Progress. The program of questions to be considered is given in French, German, Italian and English, and the conclusions accompanying the reports are in French, German and English. Otherwise, the material is in the language in which it was presented to the Congress. OSBORNE, THOMAS MOTT (Thomas Brown, Auburn, No. 33,333). Within Prison Walls. Being a Narrative The ex This remarkable narrative is in the form of a diary kept during the author's prison experience. Any attempt to arraign the prison system in general or to suggest specific improvements is disclaimed. periment, as announced at the time it occurred, was undertaken by Mr. Osborne (Chairman of the New York State Commission on Prison Reform) not for the purpose of reinvestigating material conditions, but in order to obtain a fuller and more sympathetic understanding of the actual effect of the system upon the prisoners. This is shown with a vividness which carries with it a strong emotional appeal. thor's sympathy is seen to be on the side of the humanitarian idea of penology,in accordance with which prisoners would lead as far as possible a normal life, calculated to prepare them for taking their place, at the ends of their terms, as good citizens, improved, The au rather than wrecked by the punishment. Among the subjects touched upon in a way to suggest urgent need of reform are the problems of prison cleanliness and decency, prisoners' wages, their health, education, and normal relaxation. THE MUNICIPAL JOURNAL, LIMITED. The Municipal Year Book of the United In this volume is found an epitome of municipal affairs in the United Kingdom, with statistical figures, directory of officers, and an account of the origin, history and functions of various institutions. There are sections devoted to municipal government in England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland; administration of gas, water, electricity, ports, roads, tramways, etc., motors in public service; education; housing and town planning; markets, slaughterhouses, baths and wash-houses, public libraries, museums, cemeteries; refuse disposal, sewage disposal; fire protection; old age pensions; small holdings and allotments; local taxation; municipal trading; municipal wages and labor conditions; local government legislation; etc. The present edition has been amplified in several respects, one important addition being the section on motors in public service. The sections relating to libraries, baths, and wash-houses have also been recast. In the section on town planning are included the new Procedure Regulations issued in February, 1914, and a short treatise on the practical execution of the Town Planning Act of 1909. 1913 LEVISON, J. J., M. F., Forester to the Department of Parks, Brooklyn, N. Y. Studies of Trees. (The Wiley Technical Series. Edited by J. M. Jameson.) and 1914. Loose-leaf 8 x 101⁄2-inch pamphlets. Illustrated. Five additional pamphlets. The first three, 5 cents each; the other two, 10 cents. Fifteen pamphlets of this series have already been noted in THE AMERICAN CITY (August, 1913, and February, 1914). The additional pamphlets are entitled as follows: The Oaks and Chestnut; The Hickories, Walnut, and Butternut; An Outdoor Lesson on Trees; Tulip Tree, Linden, Sweet Gum, Magnolias, Locusts, Catalpa, Dogwood, Mulberry, and Osage Orange; Our Common Woods: How to Tell Them and Their Uses. The price for the entire series, which forms a valuable guide for outdoor work or manual for school use, is $1.00 (after July 1) if purchased in a set, or $1.25 if purchased separately. A binder designed especially for this book may be obtained at 50 cents. BEARD, CHARLES A., Associate Professor of Politics, Columbia University, Editor. The City Manager Plan of Municipal Government. (Reprinted in part from Beard's Loose-Leaf Digest of Short Ballot Charters. Second Edition, printed for THE AMERICAN CITY by The National Short Ballot Organization.) 1914. 35 25 cents pp. TANNER, VIRGINIA. The Pageant of the Little Town of X. 5 cents SMITH, R. A. C., Chairman, New York State Commission to Investigate Port Conditions and Pier Extensions in New York Harbor and Commissioner of Docks and Ferries of the City of New York. The Commerce and Other Business of the Waterways of the State of New York, their Relation to the Port of New York and the Ports of the World. April 1, 1914. 118 pp. Illustrated. Free THE High Efficiency Nitrogen Filled Lamp, now produces that intensity of light desired for the business street at a moderate rate of current consumption. OUR LAMP STANDARD Similar to Marshall's design on Penn- Y thus combining Efficiency and Beauty the equal of the Pennsylvania Avenue lighting may be obtained at a great reduction in cost of installation and operation. Write for particulars UNION FOUNDRY CO. Manufacturers of HIGHEST GRADE Cast Iron Ornamental Lamp ANNISTON ALABAMA When writing to Advertisers please mention THE AMERICAN CITY. Methods, Materials and Appliances News from Engineers, Manufacturers and Supply Houses Controlling the Temperature of Shower Baths A new device, originally planned for the protection of children using the shower baths in public playgrounds, is shown in one of the accompanying pictures. Children are often ignorant of even the most elementary forms of modern plumbing, and are in danger, when left without care, of being scalded when using the old-fashioned shower apparatus in which INGHAM SHOWER MIXER the hot and cold water supplies are regulated by separate valves. In such large city parks as Holstein Park, Chicago, the attendants have found it difficult to prevent accidents occurring among the great crowds of children using the baths. Moreover, it is not hard to realize that a large amount of water goes to waste in experimenting to obtain the exact temperature desired. The Imperial Brass Manufacturing Company, of Chicago, has placed on the market the device above referred to, which consists of a chamber in which hot and cold water are mixed before entering the spray tube of the shower bath, and which instantly regulates the temperature and pressure by a slight movement of a single lever. Chicago playground institutions, clubs, gymnasiums, public and private baths, have already been equipped with this arrangement, which is known as the Ingham Shower Mixer. The use of this attachment decreases the number of attendants necessary to handle recordbreaking crowds in public playgrounds, and therefore appeals to public welfare committees which have to face the usual condition of limited appropriation. Distinctive Lighting Standards The pamphlet entitled "Ornamental Illumination with Granite Concrete Lighting Standards," which is published by the Pettyjohn Company, of Terre Haute, Ind., contains a collection of attractive views in various eities, showing the reinforced concrete standards of this company. Besides the "sparkling granite" concrete standards the company makes columns in a variety of shades and colors to match any kind of natural stone. Standards of ordinary gray concrete are also supplied where economy is of more importance than a beautiful surface, and these are also of fine texture, and are made waterproof for about two-thirds of the price of granite concrete. The core of the column serves as a means of introducing the wires inserted through the conduit, which gives additional reinforcement. The standards are inexpensive; need no painting or repairs, and are of massive proportions and beautiful finish. Designs are also prepared for gas arcs, and this company offers as well such accessories as glass globes, cast bronze holders, luminous arc lamps, etc. * * Stopping the Water Waste The tremendous waste of water in certain cities, especially where meters are not used, is indicated by the remarkable differences in per capita daily consumption in various places. The maximum is stated to be 398 gallons, the average 121, the minimum 26. It has been found that the greatest percentage of loss is due to leaky faucets. In this connection it is interesting to note the appearance on the market of a new washerless faucet manufactured by the H. W. Johns-Manville Company, of New York. This device is fitted with a conical valve bearing directly on a spherical seat, which gives a line contact, making a tight joint, so that it is not necessary to jam the handle in order to stop leakage. The new faucet should be of interest to owners of hotels, factories and other large establishments where the water bill is a considerable item. Householders will also find it of advantage, for a leaky faucet means not only plumbers' bills but the disfigurement of bowls and tubs with an unsightly yellow stain. This washerless faucet is in extensive use abroad, and has been authorized by the London Water Board. * * Destroying Germs and Insects The twenty-first annual catalogue of sprayers and spray pumps made by D. B. Smith & Co., Utica, N. Y., has just been published, and contains descriptions of a number of new items in a large collection of spraying tools and accessories. A special feature of the Smith hand sprayers is the patented plunger leather expander, which prevents the plunger leather from wrinkling or drying up. The slantingend air chamber is used in a number of the hand sprayers, and enables the operator to spray in any direction. The continuous sprayer covers much more surface in a given time than the hand sprayer and with half the labor. Compressed-air sprayers, tank sprayers and force pumps, fire pumps, bulb sprayers, dry powder dusters, bucket and barrel spray pumps are some of the useful devices included in this catalogue, and are of interest to city dwellers, suburbanites and farmers-to all who have many or few trees and plants to protect from insect growth, and who desire to keep buildings and outhouses in sanitary condition. An Inexpensive Electric Fountain An electric fountain is manufactured by The M. D. Jones Company, of Boston, in which the water spray is colored without the use of a motor. When the fountain is playing, the waste water flows over a wheel and revolves colored glasses which are around a 32-candlepower electric incandescent light, thus coloring the spray blue, then yellow, red and green, and also blended combinations of two colors. The fountain jet can be used in the metal rockery made by this company, or can be easily placed on any fountain. It can be used in flower beds on the lawn, and is an attraction in public places and on social occasions. It can be played without putting on electricity, or with the electric current in the evening. The best effect is obtained, of course, in a darkened location. This fountain is one of the features of the large illustrated catalogue issued by this company, showing garden, cemetery, lawn and park adornments and other iron and wire work. Undefaceable Signs The durability of the signs with drilled-in letters made by the Indestructible Sign Company, of Columbus, Ohio, is one of the strongest claims of the company, and is expressed in its slogan, "Legible for a Hundred Years." A number of orders have been received from the B. F. Goodrich Company, of Akron, Ohio, for signs with drilled-in letters, to be used on the Goodrich road sign advertising dials, where their lasting quality will be severely tested. Other orders for street signs have been received by this company from Kingsville, Tex., Hampton, N. H., and Fostoria, Ohio. Through the company's agents, The Good Roads Machinery Company, of Kennett Square, Pa.,. orders have come in for road signs which go to Harrisburg and Export, Pa., and Kent County, Del.; through Beall & Co. and the Hodson-Feenaughty Company, of Portland, Ore., for highway signs for Idaho, Oregon and Washington; and Edward A. Dearle, of Portof-Spain, Trinidad, British West Indies has forwarded other orders. + * Light and Water for A variety of ornamental and drinking fountains are manufactured by James B. Člow & Sons, of Chicago, many of which are pictured and described in an attractive catalogue issued by the company. The Clow bubble cup fountains are installed in the City and County Buildings in Chicago and in many places in the streets, boulevards, parks and large business houses of that city, and are also in use in many other cities throughout the country. One of the most interesting types is the combination lamppost and fountain for man, horse and dog pictured herewith. The bubbling cup is attached to the pedestal of the lighting standard, between which and the horse basin, on the ground level, is the little dog basin, which is supplied with water by the overflow from the bubbling cup. The lamp-post is of cast iron, and is 8 feet 4 inches high. The COMBINATION LAMP POST AND FOUNTAIN |