Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-03-06
INCREASE OF STATE EXPENSES
From the Burlington Free Press

From the Burlington Free Press
The articles from two of our State pX-
changes, copied in another column. dis
Gus, "A subject of much Importance TO the
taxpayers. and well worthy of careful
consideration by all who are concerned
in the management Of state affairs.
State expenses are increasing faster than
the income from corporation taxes and
at a rate which cannot be kept up with
out heavy increase in general State
taxation, and it is time to call a halt.
While there is no disputing this main
proposition, the specifications in the
Argus'S article do not give very full,
nor in all respects accurate view of the
case. our State expenses are undOubted-
V as small per capita a. those of any
other Sta,e, and smaller than in many
States. Deposits in our savings banks.
largely made up of the savings of SER
wants and the funds of widows and or
phans, pay Il tax upon interest as well
as principal. and as all the deposits are
reached, directly or indirectly, they are,
we suppose. taxed at as large a rate as
any other class of property, if not AT a
larger rate than other classes. Real es-
tate is supposed to he listed at its full
value: but outside of Burlington, Mont
peler and "A few of the other larger
towns. it i'm fact goes into the list far be-
low its market value.
We are informed that there had been
no change in heating apparatus at the
Waterbury asylum IN two years past al
though improvements have been made
The erection and equipment of the new
asylum has been very heavy expense,
bur the governor and Others in position
to Judge consider the Waterbury asylum
good investment for the State. 1t is
estimated that as soon as the improve
mentS in progress permit the removal of
the other patients from BrattebOro to
Waterbury. the saving to the state will
be between $4,000 and slj.O0O a year
The State i now paying $50 per week
for 300 people ar BrattlehOro. When
they ar transferred to Waterbury a
saving of about $500 "a week is autici-
pated.
The expenses of the Acknowledgement :
Office have increased but 80 has the vol
ume of business of the office, through
the call, upon it for information from
similar offices in other States and from
the war department at Washington, and
from the heavily increased attention de-
mauded by our national guard.
one of the main causes of the increase
of State expenses was the passage of he
Poland pauper law, which transferred
the expense of supporting pauper insane
from towns to the state. Another eX-
PLANTATION of the increase in the States
expenses is to be found in the passage of
laws throwing upon the state the expense
of trials Of Il great variety of cases outside
of jury trials. Formerly referees and
commissioners were paid by the parties
interested, but now the fees of such Off
GERS are paid by the State. The change
in this direction has been made gradually
at the behest of the lawyers. who prefer
the State as IA debtor to private persons
who may be financially irresponsible.
One result of this change has been IA
large increase in litigation, among par
ties who might settle their differences if
the cost of trial WAS to come largely out
of their own pockets. OF course a gen
eral increase OF court expense follows
the increase of litigation; and it forms
heavy item of cost to the treasury.
There are some cOmpensations, of course,
to be taken into account. So far rs the
taxpayer is concerned the cost of sup
porting insane paupers, as State eX-
pense. is to a certain extent the taking
of money out of one pocket To put il into
another. The towns save what the State
spends i'm this way, or "A large portion of
it. The railroad, fish aud game and
other commissions cost something
perhaps too much; but they return some
thing that is worth while to the public.
That it will be possible or advisable to
wholly cut of many or any OF these
sources of expense, is not plain; but this
much is plain. The low prices of farm
produce, and the conditions OF business
in the state at large. are not such as 10
reconcile our taxpayers 10 any increase
in the taxes; and it behooves our State
officials and all who are charged with
any responsibility fer the management
our State finances to see TO it that the
utmost economy Is practIced, in every
branch of the government that extra