The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1890-10-09

tions le mad conform to the present
largely incrasra MEASURE o. expenditure.
Railroad corporations nov pay from Two
to Ave per cent Of their gross earnings
transportation, steamboat and ear oompa-
mics two per cent; express, telegraph and
telephone companies three per cent; saw
ipgs banks and trust companies six-tenths
Of one per cent on their deposits. ! think
these corporations can be asked to contri-
butte one-tifih more than they now pay
without dong al an injustice.
y BLE TAXATION,
When the burdens Of taxation are not
equitahly apportioned there is Just cause
of complaint The taxation Of real estate
and at the same time Of the mortgage
Indebtedness thereon, imposes a double
tax which is clearly UNJUST Equity de-
mands that the mortgageor and the mort
gage should be taxed according TO their
respective interests ia the land. ! have
been unable TO formulate my own satisiac-
tion any statute by which it is practicable
to effect the needed change in our present
law, but II seems clear 10 me that il some
method could be devised to remedy the
evil, il would lift burden from the real
estate Of Vermont, which can be removed
IN 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 you, 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 $4,000 as
against 100000 for the biennial period
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 in 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.
II 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
them unreservedly to you,
whether such facts are pleasant or un-
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 S115 in 1880 to S1S7 in 1889. The
exact figures are as follows 1880,
S1l5.S0 1881, S119; 1882, S2071O;
1888, $685. 1884. Sl23.51 /; 1885,
s165.35 1886, S139S6 1887, $13I36;
1888, S14213; 1889, S187.53. 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 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 ID and IA years at the
time of commitment, and more than one
third of all commitments over eleven years
of age were for gross ewdness. 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 interminging, viewed from a 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 II in
1885, 10 in 1887, and Il in 1889, very like
ly one-half OF these girls might have been
cared for quite as well at home, and the re-
mander could be more satisfactorily pro-
vided for at some other institution, even il
located out of the state The s'pernten-
dent gives it as his opinion that the expense
per scholar, in the girls department is now
nearly or quite double that in the boys de-
or nearly one dollar per day for
each girl cared for. / recommend that a
careful investigation be made into the sys-
tenn 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
lnent of the school
SOLDIERS HOME.
The directors Of the soldiers home will
Law before you detailed statement Of this
institutions. ! see no reason for anticipat-
an nutlay m the mart If the state in