diff --git a/src/model/ml.cc b/src/model/ml.cc
index 2d55950f9..486a84d86 100755
--- a/src/model/ml.cc
+++ b/src/model/ml.cc
@@ -397,44 +397,35 @@ namespace FT{
             // make sure the model fit() method passed
             if (get_weights().empty())
             {
-                cout << "weight empty; returning zeros\n";
+                HANDLE_ERROR_NO_THROW("weight empty; returning zeros"); 
                 if (this->prob_type==PT_BINARY) 
                 {
-                    CBinaryLabels dlabels(X.cols());
+                    labels = std::shared_ptr<CLabels>(new CBinaryLabels(X.cols()));
                     for (unsigned i = 0; i < X.cols() ; ++i)
                     {
-                        dlabels.set_value(0,i);
-                        dlabels.set_label(0,i);
+                        dynamic_pointer_cast<CBinaryLabels>(labels)->set_value(0,i);
+                        dynamic_pointer_cast<CBinaryLabels>(labels)->set_label(i,0);
                     }
-                    cout << "setting labels\n";
-                    labels =shared_ptr<CLabels>(&dlabels);
-                    cout << "returning\n";
                     return labels;
                 }
                 else if (this->prob_type == PT_MULTICLASS)
                 {
-                    CMulticlassLabels dlabels(X.cols());
+                    labels = std::shared_ptr<CLabels>(new CMulticlassLabels(X.cols()));
                     for (unsigned i = 0; i < X.cols() ; ++i)
                     {
-                        dlabels.set_value(0,i);
-                        dlabels.set_label(0,i);
+                        dynamic_pointer_cast<CMulticlassLabels>(labels)->set_value(0,i);
+                        dynamic_pointer_cast<CMulticlassLabels>(labels)->set_label(i,0);
                     }
-                    cout << "setting labels\n";
-                    labels =shared_ptr<CLabels>(&dlabels);
-                    cout << "returning\n";
                     return labels;
                 }
                 else
                 {
-                    CRegressionLabels dlabels(X.cols());
+                    labels = std::shared_ptr<CLabels>(new CRegressionLabels(X.cols()));
                     for (unsigned i = 0; i < X.cols() ; ++i)
                     {
-                        dlabels.set_value(0,i);
-                        dlabels.set_label(0,i);
+                        dynamic_pointer_cast<CRegressionLabels>(labels)->set_value(0,i);
+                        dynamic_pointer_cast<CRegressionLabels>(labels)->set_label(i,0);
                     }
-                    cout << "setting labels\n";
-                    labels =shared_ptr<CLabels>(&dlabels);
-                    cout << "returning\n";
                     return labels;
                 }
             }