Litchfield enquirer., 1881-01-13


 of those treated has been 654 As the asy-. lum has regular accommodations for only 450, 1t will be seen that it's capacity has been over- taxed. How exclusively this is charitable institution is shown by the fact that of the 528 patients present at the close of the year, 626 were entirely supported by the state or by the
 towns from which they were sent. No large appropriation is asked thIs year, but your at
 tentiou will be called to the need for better provisions for escape in case of fire. The re- cent disastrous results of fre in western
 asylum of this character is a timely warn ing, .jaua = 1esa sa-a a~7at asfi Te# #'4''7 THE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL. FOR GIRLS ~
 The industrial school for girls completes the eleventh year of it's existence. It has received dlris 2 this time, in all 4S0j girls from S7
 towns. This year it has received 71 has | placed in positions of usefulness or, has dis l charged, 58, and reports as in the school on the 1st of December last, 160. Seventy i've
 per cent of the girls who have been sentout from the school have given evidences of per express themselves pleased with the condition
 of the school, and think thatits usefulness and
 success have been steadily increasing. A new
 building is in process of erection for the older l girls, and you will be asked for further help | fer it's completion and for furnishing the
 school with sufficient supply of water, of which they are sorely in need. l.. THE SCHOOL FOR INBEoILEs. 5av 1 The school for imbeciles, at Lakeville. con- tinues to demonstrate it's usefulness and the propriety of its establishment. It has this 1 year cared for ninety three pupils, of whom l forty seven have been state benetCiaries. The expense to the state has heen $5, ,960, ,S7, while the entire cost of the school has been $15,- 799, 9l, the balance being paid by the friends of the other pupils. It has slso iu 8 cognate department, cared for several harmless luna- 1 tics, of whom part have been paid for by the I state at cost of$534. This charity is de- serving of continuance of the bounty which l it has hitherto received from the state gov ernment. a-a7S ..~ - | CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT AND PROPOSED l Since the adjournment of the general as- | sembly of 1880, the constitutional amendment l changing the manner of appointing judges of 1 the supreme and superior courts has been rat
 flied by the vote of the people, and has thus | become part of our fundamental law.
 From the last legislature you have sent down to you two bills, one concerning intox- I icatng liquors, and the other establishing a
 
 grounds. Both of these will doubtless be brought to your early consideration. I have | no recommendation to make regarding either.i I A commission, consisting of the governors l of the thirteen original states has maoe ar l engagements for the national celebration of the centennial anniversary of the surrender of Yorktown, to take place next autumn, and you will be asked, during this session, for such action as will enable Connecticut. as a state to take part in the festival. The papers relating | to this subject, and the details in regard to appropriations, etc., will be submitted to you
 at an early day. ..-..-. THE REPORT OF THE TAX COMMISSION, q, . Under an act passed last year 8 special com. | mission, consisting of the treasurer, cOmptrol- | Ter, secretary of state and commissioners of the school fund, was appointed by the governor l to inquire into the condition and workings of 'the tax laws of the state, and to report to the 1 governor, for the information of the general
 assembly, what changes. if any, should be
 made in such laws. This report will soon be before you. The character of the inquiry in- l tended was in truth such that it could not be l fully carried out in one year by state officers
 upon whom other duties devolved, and the
 commissioners have realized hisdifflculty and
 have made no report of any general plan of l change. They do, however, touch upon the | leading topics to be discussed in an examiua- 1 ton of our tax laws.
 Prominent among these, and in my opinion | demanding very serious consideration, is that | of the taxation of the deposits of savings l banks. It is unnecessary to state the princi- pie that double taxation is both unj just and un- l wise. It is an act of oppression, and when l the wide interest of the commonwealth is con- | sidered it is mistake. But it is difficult to hnx tc Ntlvy oA i,,r | state method of taxation, and that too, upon | large scale. We tax the depositors of the 1 savings banks in gross Now the greater proportion of these deposits is not in the hands of the banks as property, but It's place is taken | by evidences of indebtedness, and by the l pledges of security for iis payment. The l land upon which the loan of these deposits is 1 secured is taxed in the hands of the owner, l who is also the borrower; but this land repre- sents the deposits. It results, then that the l uan who is able to loan his money upon sav- iugs bank security without the aid of the bank, pays no tax upon his evidences of indebtedness | but the poorer or more ignorant man, and the .lore helples and less expert, need woman or child, who have to employ the bank to loan their money upon the same kind or security, ! have this tax to pay. know it is an easy tax to collect !; l know it is hOnored by time and custom but 1 ask you to examine the items of receipts of the state as given by the treasurer, and determine if, all things considered, it is
 fairly proportionate tax; and also if, in view of the other kinds of wealth which are or may
 be subject to tribute, it is wise to lay SO large a direct tax upon the weaker portion upon our people.
 Another subject in this connection is that of the taxation of the mutual insurance companies of this state. You will observe, by the report of the tax commission, that these institutions, 1 which have been highly creditable to our state, and whose contributions to state expen- ses have been very large, earnestly ask the legislature for some relief from the burden
 which they insist has been so great as seFlous-
 ly to interfere with their successful competi- ton with the companies or other states The facts which they present, and the reasons for their request, appear in the report of the com mission. 1 commend the subject to yoCr thoughtful and just consideration tr.l ~~, MANUFACTURING INTRREsTs. a5fa T You will, undoubtedly, be called upon to leglslate on matters pertaining, possibly di- rectly, and certainly indirectly, to the manu
 featuring interests of Connecticut, and in view of this desire to remind you of the extent and importance oftthese interests. In every county are hourisaing towns and villages which have sprung up, each about some thrift ing manufacturing establishment These es- tablishments now number nearly twenty two hundred, employing, and as rule proitably employing over $60, ,000, ,O00 of capital, and giving work to upwards of 66, 900 persons: The value of their annual product is reconed at $120, GOO, 900, and their market is the world
 Interests so important. and affecting such large classes of our people, should be sedulous- ly protected from any legislation that would embarrass or contract the energy ofinvention, or capitol. Every enactment which could possibly affect them should be carefully scru- tinized to the end that it work no injury.
 f!4< es, STATE SURVEY. at-f # attention of the general assembly. in different years. to the subject of an official survey of the state. It is the fact that the only coasid- erable portion of the state which is accurately mapped is the coast line, and this has been done by the federal government in it's coast