Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1910-10-07
GOV. }. A. MEAD

Governor Mead in his inaugural dis
cusses the subject of agriculture at
length, and recommends the establishment
Of an agricultural school. one chapter is
devoted to the worthless dog, "A pest which
forced the farmers into keeping cattle.
one successful breeder Of Merino sheep,
after spending 20 years in pertecting his
herd, was compelled to dispose OF the
remnant and substitute cattle after he
had shot on his premises the 14th dog
chasing sheep. Governor Mead believes
each owner of a dog should be required to
furnish bond for 500, this sum to be
available for idemnity to people who sus-
tain loss through the depreciation OF the
dog. State reserves are advocated as a
part of our forestry policy In this con-
nection the governor says
First. Can the method of taxing tim
Der lands of our state be revised, so as
to encourage the preservation and growth
of our forests?
Second. Shall the state share in a
small way in protecting our larger lumber
tracts from fires?"
The governor says: THE suggestion has
been made that the state should estab-
fish fish and game preserves in different
parts OF the state, upon which fish and
game can be allowed to propagate freely
scattering thence over the surrounding
country l see no reason why some of the
money available for the protection Of fish
and game and some of the money appro-
priated for forestry cannot be united in
the establishment of forest reserves which
shall at the same time be game pre-
serves" and under the joint control of
the state forester and the state commits
sion of fish and game.
Governor Mead recommends that the
same rate of taxation be imposed upon
intangible personal property like loans,
bonds, credits and mortgages on property
within our state as that levied upon de-
posts in our savings banks, and that our
statutes be so amended as ito provide for
state central authority in some form that
shall have a proper degree of authority
and oversight of the administration of the
laws in our cities and towns" relating to
taxation.
The governor says that common bust
ness demands that the enormous annual
expenditure for slaughtering tubercuous
cattle shall cease unless it can be demon
strated more conclusiVely than has yet
been done that we are obtaining common
surate results. He asks that the cattle
commissioner be authorized to inves tigate
the subject of rendering calves immune
from tuberculosis, with power to furnish
and use the virus until a thorough trial
has been made, at the expense of the
state.
After discussing the highway problem
the governor says. Great as are benefits
of good roads, l can but feel that we are
adopting a safe and businesslike method
| in dealing with this subject l cannot
feel that our people are yet ready to bond
our state for trunk highways, so-caled
The improvements during the last four
years are great and another two years
will certainly show still greater progress
along this line, and if the appropriation
could be quite considerably increased, and
l think it can be, with no fear of a state
tax, the improvement will be that much
the more"
The governor recommends that an en-
ployers' liability bill be passed in accord
ance with platform pledges that a law
providing some equitable form of arbi-
tration in labor difficulties be given atten-
tion.
BY far the strongest part of Governor
Mead's message is found in his discussion
of education. He says in part
1.-THE children are the subjects of our
ambition, and the teacher is the instru-
ment for their betterment. If the teacher
is not fully equipped for the task, what
are the results? My fear is that our sys-
| tenn is the weakest where it should be the
strongest, namely, in its teachers in our
rural schools.
vermont employs a larger percentage
of unframed teachers than any other New
| England state, the percentage being about
! rs per cent. More than three fourths of
! our teachers, then. are unframed, In
! Rhode Island, on the other hand, less
! than one third Of the teachers are not
trained for their work.
"Our fathers were proud of the fact that
as to the education Of her children, Yer
mont, of all the states in the Union, was
second only to Massachusetts, but today
we have fallen to discreditably low rank