Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-02-07
Legislators Kept inc Mills Grind ing Merrily at Hartford
 This Morning
ANOTHER MESSAGE
Governor Talks About Railroad Com. missioners.-Siill After Men Who Receive CralutieS.- The Fee
 Systems.

l Hartford, Feb 7.--New business for
 consideration by the general assembly came ill like flood to-day. The sub-
 ject had wide range and the feature
 was the governors message relating l to the railroad commissioners:
 | He said he desired to call attention
 to the states interests in two public service corporations and to the con- sideration of the rights the general
 assembly should confer upon the states delegated officers, to control,
 regulate, and suspend such corpora
 t1ons. He disavOwed casting rehec ton upoL the railroad commission or on the corporations under consdera- ton. He asked that the general as sembly weigh his recommendations
 calmly and judiciously so that no
 harm might be worked to any honest
 corporation within the state. The pol
 ity of the general assembly should be
 to safeguard vested rights. The pres
 ent railroad commission claims justly
 that it has not been given sufficient
 authority to remedy certain evils
 which have grown up by reason of
 great increase in railroad business.
 The railroad commissioners should
 have authority to permit the issue
 of stock by any railroad or telephone
 company. until the par value thereof
 for such amount ill excess of the par
 value, as the company shall require
 to be paid, had been paid to the com
 pany in cash. They should also be
 given power to change, move or elimi-
 nate grade crossings and to move all
 Instructions to the view of grade
 crossings. He referred to the sO-caIl-
 ed watering of stocks in public ser
 vice corporations and asked the gen.
 eral assembly to take under consid-
 eration such measures as will prevent
 a repetition of such practices
 In the senate Senator Judson pre-
 scented a resolution for the appoint
 ment of committee to. investigate
 the matter of gratuities to newspaper
 men and to report without delay. Mir Judson made a speech of some length to the effect that 1t was the duty of the general assembly to take up this matter at the opening of the session and not becloud the results of the ses- sion by discussion in the press of the moral side of the granted gratuities. The resolution was passed.
 The resolution to inquire into the affairs of the county commissioners office of Fairfield county. was taken from the taken. The bill of Senator JudsOn giving the county meeting power to investigate county officers, excepting those relating to licenses was also taken from the table and read. After considerable debate the resolution of Senator Donnelly for in quiry into the conduct of the office by a committee of the general assembly was defeated by vote of 2 to 8. Sem ators Chase and Farrell voted with the democrats. Under suspension of the rules Senator Judson's bill was then passed.
 A bili for an independent telephone company to be called the Connecticut Telephone corporation was introduced in the senate today. 1t was signed by Harrison B. Freeman. jr, and Lewis Sperry. as counsel for the peti- tioning company. They asked for substantially the same rights and privileges now enjoyed by the South ern New England Telephone con- pany. They will be capitalized at $5O0.000 with the privilege of increas- ing to SJ,000,OD. The bill provides that 1t is made a part of the charter that one duct in every conduit laid in any town, city or borough. shall be given over to the use of such town, city or borough for low tension wires and for which no charge will be made.
 Abolishing Fee System.
 The special commission, consisting | of former Senator A. L. Clark and | F. A. Scott and w. | H. Warner, appointed to consider the question of fees and salaries among sheriffs, probate judges. court clerks and town clerks, presented their re- port, printed. to the general assem- bly, yesterday. It is an interesting and useful paper. The commission reached the conclusion that the judges of probate should be put on salary and abolish the fee system. They recommended that the Water bury district pay its judge s4,000 a rear. New Haven s5.00O. Hartford 5000 and Bridgeport s4.000. Some ,f the judges will get $150. They that the salaries of county sheriffs be as follows: Hart ord county, $4,000; New Haven 'ounty, $4.000; New London county, 5000; Fairfield county, s4.000; Nindham county, s1.s00: Litchfield 'ounty, s1.s00; Middlesex county, '1.so0; Holland county, sI.500.
 Clerks of courts of common pleas would be given the following sal- Iries: Hartford county, s3,000; sew Haven county tcivil and crim- nall. s4.000: New London county civil and eriminalp. s2.40e: Fair ield county fcivil and criminal), S4,- oo: Litchfeld county. $500.
 The judges of probate gave the commission the most difficult prob em- They find that the fee system alls most heavily on small estates. hey suggest abolishing all districts nd establishing twenty or thirty in heir stead, but it is doubtful if al sgislature will ever assemble ready or that action. To facilitate conn16-I ratioa q ths question the eonnfD-I