The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-06

| towns, and the entire lack of facilities l i'll the smaller towns, we are forced to | recognize the urgency of immediately
 supplying, either in the present insti- ] tutions or in new ones, ample accom-
 modatioEs for any possible increase of patients.
 1 In view. of the facts that both of the | existing institutions are now located | on or east of the Connecticut river, ] and that the great number of patients
 are sent from further west, the .ques- | tion naturally arises whether the pub ! lie requirements could not be better i fulfilled by the erection of a new in stitution in the western part of the 1 State.
 It has been stated to me that there l are now in our insane hospitals a con- siderable number of mild and harm | less cases of dementia, so proven by | long observation, that are not in need of the expensive care of a State in- 1 stitution. It might be well for this body t0 appoint a commission to make a thorough inspection of the asylums with view to transferring such cases 1 to the town farms or other proper 1 pla.es where the victims can be sup | ported at far less cost, and given 1 some light employment whereby they
 might not only receive physical and
 mental benefit but earn something to- ward the expense of their keeping. If there are many such cases the present badly cOngested condition of our insane hospitals would be greatly relieved and perhaps the urgent ne cessity of a new building be overcome for the present. As, measure both of wise economy and philanthropy it seems to me desirable that such an in spection be made soon, for 1t is un- deniable that at present we are not equipped to care for the pressing
 needs of the critically insane.
 EPILEPTICS.
 The report of a special commission | on the care of epileptics was left over from the last session of the General Assembly for the consideration of this body. The report shows so conclu- sively the necessity of State care for this class of unfortunates, and that the most desirable method of such care is by the Colony System," that it seems desirable that plans should now be inaueurated for the establishment | of such system.
 . The necessity is accentuated by the realization that there are over five
 hundred cases of epilepsy within our
 borders to-day needing this form of care. This large number is exclusive of cases so mild as to be better treat ed at home and of cases so severe as to be better treated among the idiotic and insane
 JUDICIARY. The increase of population and the growth and development of business enterprises and commercial relations have been naturally followed by grow ing demands upon our courts. In our state the burden of these additional requirements falls primarily upon the
 Superior Court, but it has not been able to keep pace with the increase l@c I,i ioI1 Tod n dispose of. Tn addition to this natural increase of work, the recent legislation of the General Assembly which gives to eith- CT party to an action for damages the right to have those damages as- sessscd by a jury, has made it neces- sary for the judges to devote much more time ana attention to the dis position of such cases than they have
 required hitherto.
 Moreover, the recent changes in Fed eral legislation relating to the natural ization of aliens, by which very considerable amount of extra work will be required of our Superior Court, will certainly make it more than ever impossible for it to discharge properly the duties imposed upon it.
 So long as crime must be punished and restrained and property and civil
 rights protected, we must have. ade- quate facilities in our courts. There fore, in view of these facts, I recom- mend that you provide by law for an increase in the number of judges of the Superior Court By no other means within my knowledge can that court be enabled to meet the demands upon it.
 FIDUCIARY INSTITUTIONS.
 Our banking institutions have grown to very large proportions and the time has come when our State should fol- the. example of the most important states in the methods of supervision. It is not right that only two, men should have the vast responsibility of this work, with the hundreds of mil lions of deposits, capital and trusts, in their care.
 finder the present law no assistance of any kind is given to them. Such as they nave has to be paid for from their own private means. Many banks are to-day. keeping their securities in safe deposit vaults in the larger banking centers. including New York city, thus increasing the expense and labor or the commissioners greatly. The net salaries of these commissioners, after expenses have been paid, are not hal1 those of the average bank treasurer.
 Our commissioners must be men of ability, trained in accounting and h- nance, able to judge the legality Of investments and soundness of paper, and capable of enforcing the law. A savings bank is the granary of the poor. Consider the millions upon mil lions of dollars placed in these instl- tutions by the widow and wage-earn- CT. in many instances. their all is in these banks. Surely the bank com missioners hold a very sacred position 7 Savings banks alone pay into the State treasury over half million dol lars annually in taxes, and in view or this tax it would seem that the super vision of the bank should be paid by the State and not levied as further burden upon them.
 It seems to me that it would be step in economy and better business methods if the building and loan com mission were abolished and its duties turned over to the bank commission CTS.
 There are not now more than fir teen building and loan associations in the State, and a proper and needful investigation in of them could easily De conducted by the bank commission CTS.
 INSURANCE.
 The condition of the insurance com panies of Connecticut shows a con- stant betterment. both as to growth of business and soundness of the concerns conducting the business. The man ner in which these companies have
 CI,a1 a1ynY