The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-10-04

largely increased measure of expenditure.
Railroad corporations now pay from two
to five per cent of their gross earnings
transportation, steamboat and ear compa-
MES two per cent; express, telegraph and
telephone companies three per cent; saw
ings banks and trust companies six-tenths
of one per cent on their deposits. think
these corporations can be asked to contri-
butte one-fifth more than they now pay
without doing them an injustice.
DOUBLE TAXATION.
When the burdens of taxation are not
equitably apportioned there is Just cause
of complaint. The taxation of real estate
and at the same time of the mortgage
indebtedness thereon, imposes double
tax which is clearly unjust. Equity de-
mands that the mortgageor and the mort
gagee should be taxed according to their
respective interests in the land | have
been unable to formulate my own satisfac-
ton any statute by which it is practicable
to effect the needed change in our present
law, but it seems clear to me that if some
method could be devised to remedy the
evil, it would lift burden from the real
estate of Vermont, which can be removed
III no other way
COURT EXPENSES
This is a subject which the state auditor
has considered so fully in his report, which
YOU will have before Won. that he has
practically exhausted it. The unpleasant
deduction from the figures given by him
is that this branch of state expense for the
past two years has been S117,000 as
ending July 81, 1888. The average an
nual expenditure in this department for
the first four years of this decade, 1880 to
1884, was only $4,000. The auditor
points out specifically the causes for this
increase You will examine this matter
with that care which its Importance de-
mands, and | trust that with the data
found i'll the auditors report, and such
personal information and assistance as he
will be able to give you, you may find
some way to check this alarming increase
in the cost of our courts without impairing
their efficiency.
REFORM SCHOOL.
1t is unpleasant to communicate to you
any facts which seem to indicate an UNI
warranted measure of expenditure in the
management of any institution drawing its
support from the state treasury. But, in
my opinion, one of the highest duties in
cunbent upon the executive is to carefully
ascertain all important facts touching the
management of our state institutions, and
communicate them unreservedly to YOU,
whether such facts are pleasant or I'M
pleasant. | have made as careful compu-
tation as the figures at hand would permit,
and find that the net expense, including
the expense of trustees, for each scholar
cared for at the reform school has grown
from $115 in 1880 to S1S7 in 1889. The
exact figures are as follows: 1880,
S115.S0; 1881, S119; 1882, S2O710;
1888, S2OS.23 1884, $123.51; 1885,
S165.35; 1856, S139.S6 1887, S137.36
1888, S142.13 1889, S1S7.53. The ex-
traordinary expenses incurred in 1882 and
1888 were for permanent repairs. | am
pleased to be able to say that the figures
for the current year will show a reduction
of more than ten dollars per scholar as
compared with 1889 BY reference to
the report of the superintendent, it
will be seen that more than IS per cent
of the entire number of girls
were of the ages of l3 and IA years at the
tlllc WI commitments, anu llOIC lltu Ouc-
third of all commitments over eleven years
of age were for gross lewdness. Statistics
show that in these cases reformation is
effected in only small proportion of the
whole number. With no suitable facilities
FOR separating the girls according to their
offences, it seems evident that the result of
this intermingling, viewed from moral
standpoint, must be harmful. The super
intendent informs me that he does not see
how this association can be avoided with
the small number to be provided for, with
out mourning unreasonable expense. The
highest average number of girls in the
school was u in 1888. There were Il in
1885, - in 1887, and II in 1889, very like
ly one-half OF these girls might have been
cared for quite as well at home, and the re-
mainder could be more satisfactorily pro-
vided for at some other institution, even if
located out of the state. The slpernten-
dent gives it as ms opinion that the expense
per scholar, in the girls department is now
nearly or quite double that in the boys de-
partment, or nearly one dollar per day for
each girl cared for. | recommend that
careful investigation be made into the sys-
TEN upon which this school is conducted,
to the end that the expenses thereof may
be lessened, if it can be done without inter-
fering with the welfare of the scholars;
and unless better method can be devised
for caring for the girls, | believe you will
deem it advisable to abolish this depart
ment of the school.
SOLDIERS HOME.
The directors of the soldiers home will
lay before you detailed statement of this
institution | see no reason for anticipat-
ing an outlay on the part of the state in
excess of 500 per annum, for each inmate
of the home, for the United States govern
ment divides with the state the expense of
supporting our veterans there until such
expense reaches $500 per annum. | do not
recall any other institution in Vermont, re-
ceiving state aid, whose directors do not