Litchfield enquirer., 1872-05-09

managed, and furnish home for all sick or disabled soldiers, at the expense of the State
 The State furnishes free instruction to Parkins Institute at Boston, an institu- list IS not full, which fact is, think, not generally known.
 A change has been made by the Comp troller in the manner of supplying our State paupers, which I think, an improve ment over the former system My attention has been lately directed to the practice which prevails in many towns in the State, of letting out the poor of the town to the lowest bidder This is far behind the spirit of the age, ,and should be stopped if 1t can be.
 A law now exists that no town shall send its paupers into another town, if such other town objects It seems to me that this should be changed, and that no town should be permitted to send it's poor beyond it's own limits under any cir cumstances.
 MILITARY AFFAIRS. At the last session of the General As sembly new military law was passed providing for the reorganization of the militia. Under it one brigade of four reg iments has been organized, consisting of at present, one thousand and six hundred men. These have all been provided with new uniforms, at an expense to the State of $25 each, A law was also enacted au- thorizing the Governor to provide im- proved arms for the State militia, if it could be done without expense to the State. This has been accomplished, and we now have in the State two thousand Peabody breech-loading rifles, and six hundred Springfield breech-loaders.
 Our system Is now very complete, and when we shall have enlisted about two thousand men, (which is quite enough), the Connecticut National Guard will be an ornament to the State, and fully up to any standard of volunteer troops in this country.
 There are too many men provided for in the law, however, and recommend a reduction of the number of companies to the regiment, and the number of men to the company. During the war, in the Adjutant Generals and Quarter-master Generals departments, there was much to be done, (as has been the case during the last year), and the salary of each of those officers was made g, 900 per year. I re- commend that it now be reduced one half.
 EDUCATION. The report of the Board of Education will beread with interest by every friend of the public schools. It demonstrates more clearly than ever the propriety of the free school law, and shows an increase in almost everything that is desirable. We support one thousand six hundred and thirty public schools, having two kI1 f. L CTS, at a cost, all told, of $1, ,496, ,98O9 We have one hundred and thirty-one thousand seven hundred and forty eight children in the State between four and sixteen years of age, Of these, one hun dred and thirteen thousand five hundred and eighty-eight are registered as attend ing the public school, and eight thousand seven hundred and fifty-four the private schools. A few are probably registered twice where changes are made, and there are eleven thousand nine hundred and forty-seven registered in the State who attend no school at all
 There has been an increase in the length of the school year, i'll the number of scholars in attendance, in the salaries of the teachers, and in the money raised for school purposes.
 The interest in schools Is still on the increase, as is shown by the attendance at the Teachers Institutes, which have been very successful
 The Gormal School is a great success under it's present management and sys- tenn, having had during the year about one hundred and fifty pupils in attend ance. think the appropriation of $12,- 500 to it's support should be adopted to
 bring the advantages of the school within the reach of & greater number of the teachers of the State.
 The Sheffield Scientific School of Yale ! College continues to furnish free instruc- tion to all who apply, who cannot afford to pay. Though the State scholarships are limited to forty, which number is now full, yet none have been turned away as yet, None of our institutions are more useful to the State, and its practical re- suits are much more speedy than in any other except the Normal Shool. The last General Assembly gave up to the alumni the six seats in the board ..sof corporation of Yale College, which had for many years been filled by the six sen- for senators,
 It was generous act on the part of the State and was hailed with delight both by the college itself, and the entire large list of graduates, and doubt not will prove advantageous to the college and satisfac- tory to the State.
 RAILROADS. By the report of the Railroad Commis- sioners it will be seen that there have been opened during the last year one hun dred and ffty-seven miles of road, making now in operation eight hundred and eigh- ty-one miles of road, one hundred and twenty of which is with double track, with paid up capital of thirty-one mil lions, and funded and floating debt of nineteen millions.
 These roads earned ten aR one-half millions of dollars and carried nine and one-half millions of passengers, not one of whom was killed, and but three in jured.
 A general railroad law is now in exist
 ence. Roads can be built anywhere now and by anybody who can pay for them, thus relieving the sessions of the General As
 sembly of much discussion over new char | ters, and of the corrupting influences | which, it is said, have sometimes existed. The Air Line railroad will apply to you I for relief from it's overdue taxes, which amount to $S6, 900. It has never yet paid anything into the State Treasury, Three years ago it came before the General Assembly with request that four l roads-the Connecticut Valley, the Con- necticut Western, the Shepaug, and itself might assume the taxes on town bonds
 issued in aid of the roads, and pay into
 the State Treasury one per cent. in lieu of all other taxation on the bonds
 This request was granted, and under the present law. the roads are required to pay one per cent on their bonded and floating debt and also on all bonds issued
 by towns in their aid, the owners of which | hold them free from taxation. The Air Line is the first to. ask relief
 of this kind. It has been an unfortunate l concern from the start and the Treasurer
 has been lenient with it.
 You are to judge of the expediency of
 establishing such a precedent. TOWN AND CITY INDEBTEDNESS. | VbsIa &h< ;v,I1ab&ad,,oeu r1e 4Io C4o&o =