diff --git a/source/net/yacy/cora/ranking/Rating.java b/source/net/yacy/cora/ranking/Rating.java
index e1a1c67f2..6b8fc80c7 100644
--- a/source/net/yacy/cora/ranking/Rating.java
+++ b/source/net/yacy/cora/ranking/Rating.java
@@ -48,19 +48,8 @@ public class Rating<A> {
         return this.object;
     }
 
-    @SuppressWarnings("rawtypes")
-    public final static ObjectComparator<?> objectComparator = new ObjectComparator();
     public final static ScoreComparator scoreComparator = new ScoreComparator();
 
-    public static class ObjectComparator<B> implements Comparator<Rating<B>> {
-
-        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
-        public int compare(final Rating<B> arg0, final Rating<B> arg1) {
-            if (!(arg0 instanceof Comparable<?>)) throw new UnsupportedOperationException("object class must implement comparable");
-            return ((Comparable<B>) arg0.getObject()).compareTo(arg1.getObject());
-        }
-    }
-
     public static class ScoreComparator implements Comparator<Rating<?>> {
 
         public int compare(final Rating<?> arg0, final Rating<?> arg1) {
diff --git a/source/net/yacy/kelondro/rwi/IndexCell.java b/source/net/yacy/kelondro/rwi/IndexCell.java
index de48ee3fc..0f80d1b32 100644
--- a/source/net/yacy/kelondro/rwi/IndexCell.java
+++ b/source/net/yacy/kelondro/rwi/IndexCell.java
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ import java.util.TreeMap;
 
 import net.yacy.cora.ranking.Order;
 import net.yacy.cora.ranking.Rating;
-import net.yacy.cora.ranking.RatingOrder;
 import net.yacy.cora.storage.ComparableARC;
 import net.yacy.kelondro.data.meta.URIMetadataRow;
 import net.yacy.kelondro.index.HandleSet;
@@ -453,19 +452,7 @@ public final class IndexCell<ReferenceType extends Reference> extends AbstractBu
     }
 
     public CloneableIterator<Rating<byte[]>> referenceCountIterator(final byte[] starttermHash, final boolean rot) {
-        final RatingOrder<byte[]> containerOrder = new RatingOrder<byte[]>(this.ram.rowdef().getOrdering());
-        containerOrder.rotate(new Rating<byte[]>(starttermHash, 0));
-        return new MergeIterator<Rating<byte[]>>(
-            this.ram.referenceCountIterator(starttermHash, rot),
-            new MergeIterator<Rating<byte[]>>(
-                this.ram.referenceCountIterator(starttermHash, false),
-                this.array.referenceCountIterator(starttermHash, false),
-                containerOrder,
-                ReferenceContainer.containerMergeMethod,
-                true),
-                containerOrder,
-            ReferenceContainer.containerMergeMethod,
-            true);
+        return this.array.referenceCountIterator(starttermHash, false);
     }
 
     public CloneableIterator<ReferenceContainer<ReferenceType>> referenceContainerIterator(final byte[] starttermHash, final boolean rot) {
diff --git a/source/net/yacy/kelondro/rwi/ReferenceContainer.java b/source/net/yacy/kelondro/rwi/ReferenceContainer.java
index 725cfaca5..0e5b2b06f 100644
--- a/source/net/yacy/kelondro/rwi/ReferenceContainer.java
+++ b/source/net/yacy/kelondro/rwi/ReferenceContainer.java
@@ -216,9 +216,12 @@ public class ReferenceContainer<ReferenceType extends Reference> extends RowSet
     }
 
     public static Object mergeUnique(final Object a, final Object b) throws RowSpaceExceededException {
-        final ReferenceContainer<?> c = (ReferenceContainer<?>) a;
-        c.addAllUnique((ReferenceContainer<?>) b);
-        return c;
+        if (a instanceof ReferenceContainer<?>) {
+            final ReferenceContainer<?> c = (ReferenceContainer<?>) a;
+            c.addAllUnique((ReferenceContainer<?>) b);
+            return c;
+        }
+        throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Objects have wrong type: " + a.getClass().getName());
     }
 
     public static final Method containerMergeMethod;
diff --git a/source/net/yacy/kelondro/rwi/ReferenceContainerCache.java b/source/net/yacy/kelondro/rwi/ReferenceContainerCache.java
index 95dd7bf3b..92dff501d 100644
--- a/source/net/yacy/kelondro/rwi/ReferenceContainerCache.java
+++ b/source/net/yacy/kelondro/rwi/ReferenceContainerCache.java
@@ -185,7 +185,6 @@ public final class ReferenceContainerCache<ReferenceType extends Reference> exte
                 if (entry.getValue() != null && entry.getValue().getTermHash() != null) list.add(new Rating<ByteArray>(entry.getKey(), entry.getValue().size()));
             }
         }
-        Collections.sort(list, new Rating.ObjectComparator<ByteArray>());
         return list;
     }