The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-12-21
PERSONAL
 TAX IS HIT
Courty Commissioners of State to Determine if the Law is
 Constitutional
TO WITHHOLD PAYMENTS
Fear Large Number of Arrests Might
 Result in Bankruptcy They Say.

Hartford. Dec. 21-The county com missioners of the various counties in the state have put another dent in the personal tax law by voting that no payments will be made to. cities and towns for labor done by any person who may be sent to the jails of the state for nOn-payment of the personal tax until such time as Attorney-Gen- eral Light shall render an opinion as to the constitutionality of the law.
 This action was taken after some what animated discussion of the mat ter at a meeting of the County Com house yesterday. County Commits sioner Jacob D. Walter of New Ha- ven county was in the chair.
 One part of the personal tax law reads as follows:
 Any person committed to jail un- der the provisions of the section shall be required to do such work as his physical condition may allow and shall be discharged when his. labor at the rate of one dollar a day shall mount to said tax and interest and costs, taxed as in criminal cases, and including also the sum of two dol- lars and twenty-four cents per week for board during such commitment and thereupon the county commission CTS shall pay to the treasurer of the municipality from which the delin- quent was committed the amount of ed by the authority committing such delinquent
 400 Might Be Committed.
 Throughout the state the average costs taxed where a man has been found guilty of violating the personal tax law is s6.50. This with the tax of $2 would mean that the person 3oi1 hn %o ,&o in jail about 12 days and during that 12 days the county would be obliged to pay the. committing town or city the sum of s8.50 and board the delin- quent in the meantime.
 The commissioners declared that it county might have on it's hands 400 Or 800 delinquents, for which it must pay the cities and towns and take it's chances in getting back part of it by the prisoners labor. Such a situa- tion might readily lead to the bank extreme One case in Middletown was referred to where a man was taxed costs of SAP. The Middlesex county commissioners declared that they did not know what would happen to the countys finances if the county had a for under the law the county must pay the town in cash for the costs after an equal amount of labor had been performed by him.
 It was finally voted that it was the sense of the meeting that no pay ments should be made to towns until the general was heard from.
 Sealer Law Ambiguous.
 One of the matters which caused considerable discussion was the am-! biguity of the law in reference to the county sealers of weights and meas ures to be appointed by the commits is indefinite and allows a number of interpretations. It was voted to ap- point committee of one to confer with Superintendent Egan of the state police and the attorney-general and secure an official interpretation of the law so that the commissioners could be guided thereby. This win insure uniforrrity of action in the appointments. Incidentally, the com of the sealers should be. President Walter was appointed the committee to wait upon the attorney-general with the superintendent of state DO. lice.
 The commissioners also discussed the conditions under which the law leaves the issue of certificates to men in the liquor business who have been convicted of violation of the law. county was chosen president of the association and William Bailey of Hartford county, was elected secre- tary.
 Those present were:
 Hartford county-Robert A. Potter, F. Ernest Watkins.
 New Haven county-Jacob D. Wal