Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-12-14

The important event in the legislative
session Tuesday was the reading in both
houses of the report of the joint special
committee appointed before recess to In
vestigate the accounts of the state boards.
In the House joint resolution, intro
duced by Mr.. Dewart Of st. Adams, was
unanimously adopted, commenting the
committee for its conscientious and Inn
partial work. The text of the report is
as follows:
To the Honorable Senate and House of
Representatives.:
Your committee appointed under joint
resolution, a copy of which is attached
hereto beg leave to report concerning
the accounts of the several commissions
examined as follows:
Fish and Game.
The fish and game commissioner has
under him II county wardens and 1853
deputy wardens, whose duties are de-
fined by law. The county wardens are
all on a per diem basis, but the deputy
wardens are paid by a moiety of the
fines imposed, unless they perform some
specific service, under the direction of the
fish and game commissioner or a county
warden, when they are paid by said Off
cials. Their bills for services are rem
dered to the fish and game commissioner,
and upon his approval, the state auditor,
no matter how Illegal they may be- must
draw an order therefor. While in the
hands of the present commissioner, whose
capability and honesty is demonstra ted
by the evidence before us, no harm has
come; yet this power in the hands of a
dishonest or incompetent official would
work great injury to the state. We
therefore recommend the passage of the
accompanying bill
Cattle Commission.
We deemed it unwise to investigate the
cattle commission because the subject
matter thereof is now pending in the
courts.
Railroad Commissioners.
From the accounts of said commission
ers allowed and paid by the auditor, from
testimony taken and from the commits
sioners report itself, we find that the ex-
peHse of the commission to the state is
out of all proportion to its usefulness un-
der the law as it now is. While supreme
court decisions have diminished its as
sumed or supposed powers, its cost has
constantly increased. The auditors books
show the total cost thereof for the two
years ending June l. 1902, to have bee
$7,651.01 for the like period ending June
/, 1904, the cost to the state was 81, PAS 25
and during the two years ending June l.
1906, its cost to the state was $12,96S.46
These several totals include the amounts
paid for witness and officers fees, print
ing of report, stenographer, many minor
incidental expenses and the per diem and
personal expenses of the commissioners
Upon this point of increased expense JUS
tice to the commissioners demands that
we call attention to the fact that the act
of 1902 seems to confer additional duties
upon the commission without materially
increasing its power. We further find
that the number of public investigations
held during the two years ending June /,
1902, was q while for the like period end
ing June l, 1906. the number was SIS. These
public Investigations are necessarily more
expensive than private inquiry by an
individual commissioner. This, however,
is a matter left wholly within the discre-
ton of the commissioners except in the
case of accidents where death has re-
suited.
Where Smith Erred.
We do not find any fact that tends to
substantiate the suspicion that any of
these hearings have been unnecessary,
save possibly in one instance, when Com
missioner Smith appeared before Commits
sioners Howard and Bingham at Milton,
where they held a public investigation,
the subject whereof being the cause of
the death of a young man whose father
employed Commissioner Smith, a lawyer,