The San Francisco call., 1895-12-21
STATE PROPERTY WANTED.
The College of Practical Wit.
culture After Valuable
Reports.
Efforts to Secure the Library, ETC., of
Defunct Commission Are
Thwarted.

The State Viticultural Commission goes
out of existence On the last of this year.
According to an act passed by the late
Legislature the Commissioners were in
structed to straighten up their public
affairs by December 81 and turn over to
the Board of Regents of the University of
California all OF the books, papers, reports,
documents and other property belonging
to the State.
This property is much more valuable
than the general public might suppose.
There is library that could not be dupli-
Gated for many thousand dollars, and some
of the rare works upon viticulture and kin
dred subjects cannot be purchased for any
money. Thus in the eyes of those familiar
with these matters the property of the
Viticultural Commission becomes invalua-
BILE. AS may be suspected, there are those
who gaze with envious eyes upon these
possessions.
Foremost of these are the members of
the College of Practical Viticulture, pri-
vate corporation recently Incorporated.
Its members and officers are mostly those
who constitute the practically defunct
Viticultural Commission, and none know
better than they the value OF the property
in question. The object of the College of
Practical Viticulture is to carry on the
work of the dying State organization. To
give UP the valuable books to the Board of
Regents was a matter OF SO much regret
that the idea was almost unbearable, and
an effort has been made to retain posses
sion of the same.
A few days ago members of the Board of
Regents called upon the secretary of the
Viticultural Commission and made a for
NAL demand for the States property,
which under the act abolishing the COM
mission should be transferred to the con-
troll of the Regents. But little satisfaction
was received, the excuse being that the
property was stored IN the basement and
the secretary had no time to get it out, or
even make an inventory OF what belongs to
the State.
One more effort was made by the College
of Practical Viticulture to obtain the prop
erty in question. and a letter was written
TO the eAttorney-Generala asking if the same
could be conveyed to the college.
Yesterday Attorney-General Fitzgerald
made the following answer, which it is be-
lieved will forever settle the question:
Board OF State vitieultural Commissioners,
101 Sansome street, San Francisco, Cal.-Gen-
tlemen: am in receipt OF your letter OF recent
date asking whether or not you can convey
books, papers. documents, printed reports and
property belonging to the State TO the Col
lege OF Practical Vitculture IA private corpora
tom. | am of the opinion that you have no
to make such transfer, for the follow
ing reasons:
First-No grant or donation of property can
be made by the State TO any corporation asso-
cia ton, etc, not under the exclusive manage
ment and control OF the State as State insti-
tuition.
Second-Section 3 of the act to repeal certain
acts for the promotion of the viticultural inter-
ests OF the State and for the transfer of the
of the Viticultural Commission pro-
1-iA fhot oil r.rnr n Ia lion,
under the control OF said board belonging to
the State shall on or before the 31st day of
December, 1895, be transferred by said board
TO the Regents OF the University of California
for the further promotion of the viticultural
of the State. -
CANDIES and toys given away by Santa Claus
at the Branch Old X L, corner of Sixth and
n, y, ,Nfh horr raf oh