The sun., 1890-04-23
Laws to Fetter Business.

Every law which tends to restrict the ease
and facility with which business may hon
ostly be done In New York is an injury to
the State The effect is either to prevent
people from coming here or to drive them
out OF this State into others where CONNER
cial transactions are less hampered, and
where there is greater freedom In business
DO far as the law is concerned.
Any one who has had occasion to examine
the bills which have been introduced In the
Legislature at Albany during the present
session, must have noticed how very numer-
GUS have been measures Of the sort we have
mentioned. One member wants to make 1t
more difficult to doctor horses. and so he
proposes to establish State Board OF Veter-
inary Surgeons, and allow no one to treat
the maladles OF animals who does not hold
o license from that Board. Another
member thinks that no bag OF fertilizer
should be sold unless accompanied by an
affidavit as to the chemical constituents Of
the artificial manure. A third member is OF
the opinion that the welfare Of the commu-
nifty would be promoted by prohibiting any
person from acting as an architect unless
his fitness is proved by a certificate from
some State authority.
Scores of bills having the same tendency
might be found on the files OF the present
Legislature. One Of the most remarkable,
however, Is a bill introduced In the Assem-
bly, by the Committee on Agriculture. 1t is
entitled An act to compel commission mer-
chants or persons selling goods on commits
sion to make returns and furnish statements
OF goods sold" Its main purpose seems to
be to oblige commission merchants con-
stantly to send reports to their principals
as to what they are doing or what they have
done with the goods consigned to them for
sale. 1t might be supposed that matters OF
this kind could safely be left to be regulated
by the business interests OF the commits
sion merchants and their consgnors them
selves; and that a consgnOr who sent his
goods to a commission merchant and found
the latter slow or Negligent in making
proper reports, could protect himself well
enough by sending his next consignment OF
goods to somebody else who was moro
prompt and trustworthy. The Assembly
Committee on Agriculture. however, seems
to think that q new law is necessary to af-
ford an adequate remedy in such cases. Ac-
cordingly 1t would require in the first place
that any person doing business in this State
as commission merchant, or who shall re-
ceive goods Of any kind from a citizen and
resident OF New York to sell on commission,
shall Immediately, on the receipt OF the
same, send to the consignor a true
statement in writing, showing what
goods have been received. their apparent
condition, and the date Of receipt. In the
second place, the commission merchant,
whenever he sells the goods, or twenty-five
per cent. thereof. must Immediately send q
true account OF sales to tho consignor show
ing tho goods sold, the prices, and the names
and residences Of tho purchasers. In the
third place. the commission merchant must
send to the consignor once In every thirty
days true statement in writing showing
what goods remain unsold and what Is their
condition. A failure to observe any OF the
requirements We have mentioned subjects
the commission merchant to a penalty OF
$50, to be recovered In a suit by the person
who has sent him the goods
People who need the protection OF such
legislation as this had better not attempt to
do business at ALL