The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-01-14
GOVERNORS MESSAGE TO LEGISLATURE

work was certainly more systemati.
caiiy done. and undertaken more in
detail. than ever before In the history
Of the State he board could mot
Correct al the Inequalities; they found
many in the counties Themselves.
The law did not seem TO confer upon
the board the power TO adjust such;
and II the law had, the board would
not have had time to have gone into
these details. ss%
u was a wise provision Of the Leg
islature of 1905, which conferred upon
this board the authority to reduce the
State levies below the maximum fixed
In the law. AS long as We have levies
for any State purpose I recommend
that the Legislature fix the maximum.
giving the board authority to reduce.
below that maximum. The board is
In better position to know at the
time that the levy is to be made what
amount of money Is necessary, than
Is the Legislature, which meets only
every two years, and from the nature
Of things cannot have the same knowl.
edge Of the details as the members
Of the board have. The report Of tho
board. SO far as 1t is necessary to
make any. will be found contained in,
the report of the Secretary Of State.
His report will show the allowances
made out of the funds under the CON
troll of the board, including the emer-
gency fund. This was new fund.
created by the Legislature of 1905,
and this also was a wise provision.
This emergency fund has served very
useful purposes and has been wisely
and economically spent. Having this
money at its disposal, the board has
been enabled to save money to the
State. I recommend that the prac.
tice be continued.
Corporation Commission.
AS has ben stated above, the Board
of Publis works has too much work to
do it well. The assessment of the
property of railroads, telegraph and
telephone companies, express compa.
MES, water companies, ETC.. ETC., i'm
posed upon It by the new tax laws, re.
quires an immense amount of time.
1t is hardly fair to the officers com.
posing this board to put this burden
upon them, which they feel that they
cannot for want of time give the at
tention that justice to the State and
to the tax payers requires. I have
thought a great deal about how TO
relieve the board and at the same
time not create any new Offices, and
with a minimum extra expense to
the State. Itihas occurred to me that
I have called the railroad commission.
might be called the Corporation Com
mission, and sin addition to the, pow
ors that will be given to It as rail.
road commission, also put upon 1t
the duty Of assessing the property
that the board of public works is now
required to assess, and also to make
of 1t in connection with the State Tax
Commission a State board Of asses.
sors. The most of the States, and
especially those which have male
progress In taxation matters, have
found It necessary to have State
board to oversee and supervise tie
assessment of property in the, co,,n.
ties. That such a board is needed in
this State I have-no manner of. Ioubt.
but hesitate to suggest to you the
creation of additional Offices: and yet
I do not know that I ought. for We
ought not to consider very much
whether the doing Of thing proper.
ly involves an additional officer or
rot. The public's business ought TO
be .ell done. and there ought to be
organization adequate and machin-
cry sufficient to do that business that
way. But without organization and
machinery, It is impossible to carry
on any enterprise of largeness or mo-
ment. What would we think Of a
large business concern which would
refuse to employ sufficient foremen
or bookkeepers, or farmer who
would decline to hire a sufficient mum.
Der of men to take care Of his crops
in harvest time? The public's bust.
ness should have the same care, and
should be attended to with the same
efficiency, as any private concerns
business. This Of course cannot be
done without adequate means. sup.
pose that the three men who would
con stitute the railroad commission
would have time enough to perform
these extra fabors that I have inii'
Gated; and II so. I recommend that
the Board of Public Works be reliev.
ed in the manner indicated, and let
it be an appellate body. Instead OF
appeals being from the State assess
ing board to the circuits courts, let