The San Francisco call., 1905-01-04

For a number Of years the expense
OF arresting criminals without the
State and returning them for trial has
been increasing, while the appropria-
tions have remained the same, being
made at the rate of $2500 per year.
The consequence has been the incur
ring of deficiencies. which recently
have tended to equal or exceed the
amount of appropriations.
/ have endeavored to impress upon
District Attorneys the advisability of
refraining from making applications
for extradition, except in cases of seri-
Gus crimes, and upon Sheriffs and po-
lice officers, acting as State agents, the
necessity of rigid economy in their ex-
pense accounts. In cases which ap-
peared unimportant 1 have refused to
issue acquisitions, and, in a few in
stances, l have issued acquisitions only
upon the condition that the arrest and
return of the fugitive should be with
out expense to the State.
At the same time 1t would be an
encouragement to crime and to crimi-
mails not to send for murderers, forgers
end embezzlers who flee to other
States, and the expense of doing this
is properly a public one, which indi-
viduals or corporations cannot be- ex-
pected to assume. l respectfully rec
ommend that the appropriation made
for this purpose be increased to $4,000
for the next two years.
One of the business practices of the
State which is of questionable ex-
pediency is the refusal to insure its
property (with some exceptions)
against loss by fire. Because in for
mer years abuses were discovered in
connection with the placing of poll
cies, the Legislature passed an act pro-
hibiting insurance and it has remained
the law for fourteen years. Moreover,
the biennial appropriation bill usually
contains a prohibition against the ex-
penditure of any money to buy insur-
Rnce.
Since the enactment of the law of
1881 the State has been fortunate in
escaping any very heavy losses by fire,
but buildings have burned and there
have been number of narrow escapes
from the destruction of some of the
most expensive structures. During the
past year one of the buildings of the
Preston School of Industry was
burned. causing considerable incon-
venience, and if one of the larger and
more costly State buildings, say one
of the hospitals for the insane, should
suddenly be swept away, the lack of
insurance would make rebuilding a
serious problem.
Whether 1t be wise to continue the
prohibition of insurance is a question
the Legislature might profitably con-
slider; but should the prohibition be
removed. it would be well to require
the assent of the State Board Of Ex-
aminers to each insurance policy ac-
cepted.
1t may be that the conditions are
such as to justify the State in carry
ing it's own risks; but at least, there
should be some provision made to meet
sudden calls for funds to make good
losses sustained through fire. To that
end, / recommend the establishment OF
an insurance fund to be made up of a
moderate sum set apart from the pro-
ceeds of taxation each year. The State
Board of Examiners might be author
ized to invest this fund in the same
class of securities in which the per-
nanent school fund is invested, and
also to sell these securities and apply
the money to rebuilding when fires oc-
cur during recess of the Legislature