Morning journal and courier., 1881-01-06

| kncl0 VIII DG no GXGrdOEQ1naTY demand uDO7 the treasury at the present session. and con sequently no call for large expenditures aside from the regular expenses of the gov ernment. In this condition of affairs, witl judclous economy in your appropriations, i
 is possible for you to begin course of prepa
 ration for the retirement of the maturing ob lgations of the State which coming Assem- plies can follow.
 SAVINGS BANKS.
 It will be seen from the different reports ] of the State government, which will be sub.
 mitted to you, that in general the affairs oi the commonwealth are in satisfactory state The report of the Bank Commissioners shows ! every sign of a healthy and progressing com 1 mercial condition. This is specially evident in the state of the savings banks The re-
 turns of these corporations fo= the year show
 an increase in the number of depositors and | 1n the gross amount of deposits, and a de- crease in the number of amounts closed and | in the amount of money withdrawn from the banks. It is observable that the dividends which the banks have paid to depositors have been withdrawn from the banks to a much less extent than during the year previous, showing that our people have been able to add this to their savings. It shows a good condition of things when this interest is not needed for the necessities of life. The total | number of depositors is 231, ,913, or over one | third the entire population of the State. This is gain of 9,692 over the preceding year, and of this increase g, ,4OS are deposit prs of less than five hundred dollars. The total of deposits is something more than $76,- 500, 900. The increase of business is happily accompanied by decrease of expenses, and in the amount of non-income-p producing property held by the banks. The number of savings banks remains unchanged. In the other departments of which the Bank Con- missioners have charge, there is nothing that calls for remark.
 RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS.
 The report of the Board of Railroad Con- mlssloners contains the usual statistical ta- bles and returns, and in the text of the re- port will be suggestions of minor changes in the laws relating to their duties, to which I may call your attention as deserving careful consideration. The returns show that these important corporations have had prosper ous year, with an increase in both the freight Ing and passenger traffic. Nothing of note has occurred, however, aside from the appli- cation of the color-blind law, to make the year one of mark in railroad administration.
 THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH
 The returns of this Commission show that in general the health of the State has suffered during the year. Although there have been no serious epidemics, the general average of health has not been so good as during the two years preceding. It is, however, en- couraging to learn that the sanitary condi- tions of life, as regards drainage, ventilation, and water supply, receiving constantly increased attention. This must result in 8 permanent improvement in the public health For the detail of facts and statistics refer ence must be had to the report itself, but your special consideration is asked to the proposition for an examination and revision of the whole body of sanitary legislation now upon our statute book.
 The most important subject connected with lr-- L1~ A 1~IAI I.s has been the administration of the statute passed by the last Assembly entitled ''An act directing the Examination of Railroad Emy ployes in regard to Color Blindness" I rG- fer you to the report and it's accompanying papers for details of the execution of this statute When it is considered that no rail- road accident ill this State, or in the other States of the Union, has ever been traced to color blindness, or to defective visual powers of railroad employees it would seem that no good reason exists for the continuance of this law, and I recommend to you it's repeal. If any enactments are deemed desirable, I would respectfully suggest that the whole subject be left, by some simple provision of the law, to the railroad corporations them selves Their experience and their interests are such as to enable and impel them to de- eide wha5 t5reSsFdtions sss bSste fit tsd-so se- cure the safety of the travelling publie-4 would also suggest that whatever the law may De, US 6X0CuG1On D0 0uJrubIeQ GO IQ0 general Railroad Commissioners. It Is an exercise of the police power of the State over the railroads which more properly de- wolves upon this Board.
 THE NATIONAL GUARD.
 The National Guard is reported as composed of 1S3 commissioned officers and 2, 731 en- listed men, giving total of 2,914 as the &C., tive military force of the State. This is a slight decrease from last year. The report of c1,oxr l,oA 1, usual work of the year has been performed, and that in matters of equipment and disci- pline the force is in satisfactory condition. By general order the maximum of enlisted men has been somewhat reduced, resulting in & saving of expense and in no impairment of efficient force. The expenditures of this de- of the State service have amounted to $ss, eos 67, and for the Governors Guards and independent companies it has been $l5,- O21. .O8 more making total military expen allure of $103, 630.75. think that the people of any State may well congratulate themselves when the cost of so efficient an establishment forms, as with us, only the fifteenth part of their general expenses.
 COMMON SCHOOLS.
 The second largest item of expenditure up- on the civil list accounts is that of common schools. It is exceeded only by the sum that the people pay for the support of their judi ciary system. The results of this large ex- penditure have for many years been most gratifying and the reports of the State Board of Education and of their secretary show the continued efficiency and thoroughness of our system of free popular education. In respect to this department of public interests you will not be called upon for any but the usual legislation, except perhaps in matters of de- tail. It is worthy of remark that in our State there is experienced none of the bitter and ignorant opposition to the enforcement # k1aa oSTo,r>u1cnrv attendance laws that baS been met with in some neighboring States. The law has this year been more efficiently and perfectly enforced than ever before. and there is not the report of lisp of complaint. This shows not only the temper of our peo- pie toward education, but also that there does not exist with us the necessity for the earnings of the children of school age which supports the defiance of similar laws in other communities.
 Closely connected with the matter of edu- cation is a movement for rural improvement which has been begun in this State, and which has, under individual and private en- souragement attained considerable import ance, and is worthy of all support. It is the endeavor of local associations to beautify in all reasonable, simple and inexpensive ways our smaller towns and villages Thisis not subject which will come before you in any legislative capacity, but desire to allude to it fh appreciation of what has been done
  such movement has. It tends most direct y to the cheerful, intelligent and enduring happiness of our people that their surround ngs should be such as to attach them to their homes and to the communities in which those homes are placed It also makes our own attractive places in which strangers may settle and renders the remembrance of them the pleasanter to the large number of guests which our shore towns are called upon every summer to entertain. This movement owes it's beginning and it's progress to the efforts ,f the present Secretary of the State Board of Education.
 STATE PRISON.
 At the State prison the year has been a continuance of the reformed methods of ad- introduced by the present assist ant warden when temporarily in charge. The results have been very satisfactory. Never before has the proportion of punishments been so small and the attempts at escape so few. A record of twenty months without single attempt forcibly to break the bonds of confinement is very unusual thing in the history of prison management This is un- 1oubtedly largely due to the steady and judi ,ious application of wise and reasonable reg nlations. Much, also, we are told by the directors, is due to the character of the Sun day services. For this credit should be given tr, fha ca1f. .saorifica and charitv of