The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-04-02

wet lands. They may appropriate
money for agricultural extension
work, for public Fairgrounds and for
lands for recreation purposes.
THE weights and measures law
and the pure food law are strengthen
ed. Foreign creamery associations
must be licensed and must Ale sure
ty bond to protect customers from
such losses as have occurred in the
state in recent years. Provision is
made for certificate of purity for
agricultural seeds sold. The license
fee for the sale of oleomargarine Is
reduced from 800 to s25. An act
have been passed making uniform the
law of warehouse receipts. Some of
the possibilities of delay In legal
proceedings are done away with
Provision is made for the licensing
of pawn.brokers.
IAN appropriation of $4,000 is made
durtrial School. Provision is made
for the completion and. equipment OF
the Austine Institution at Brattleboro
and $4,000 is appropriated for new
buildings for the State Hospital for
the Insane at Waterbury. The sum
OF $4,000 is set aside for transport
ing veterans of the Civil War 10 the
fiftieth anniversary Of the battle of
Gettysburg to be observed the first
days of July, 1913. The sum OF
$4,000 Is appropriated for monu-
ment on the battlefield OF Gettysburg
to the famous Vermont cavalry lead
Uo11 %.
priation of $4,000 was made for a.
memorial to Commodore Macdonough
at vergennes and provision was
made for the erection OF tablet 10
the memory of ID. p. Thompson, Au-
thor OF "The Green Mountain Boys"
Provision was made for cooperation
with the United States Geological
Survey in Typographical survey OF
Vermont, and for continuing an in
vestigation of the water power re-
sources of the state.
This is not a complete listyof the
important acts OF the Legislature
which recently adjourned but II will
give something of an idea of the
work actually accomplished.
Among the bills that failed to be-
come laws that might naturally be
considered important we're all direct
primary and woman suffrage bills,
workmen's compensation and cam
paign measures, bill providing for
the issue of 100000 In bonds to
provide for water power develop
ment. including the building of stor-
age reservoirs. fat rate on intang-
ible property, direct Inheritance tax
measure, the increase of bank and
railroad taxation. The bills provid-
ing for the sterilization of imbeciles.
criminals and others. and establish
ing State Detention Farm were We
toed by the Governor.
ut was stated by the chairman of
the House committee on Ways and
Means that the levying Of a direct
tax of ten cents on the dollar of the
grand list was made necessary by the
failure of passage of the direct in
heritance tax bill and the bills in
creasing bank and railroad taxes.
There are several good reasons
why future legislative sessions
should be somewhat shortened. The
change OF the time of converting the
General Assembly from October to
January will do away with the
Thanksgiving and Christmas recess
es. The law relative to the amend
ment Of corporation acts and the
Constitutional amendment adopted
doing away with the passage OF
special corporation acts will tend to
reduce the number OF bills. and some
corporation bills have provoked
much discussion. The new law max
ing possible an earlier introduction
Of bills ought to expedite the bust
ness of the session. II more memb-
ers were reelected. and more room
for committee work were provided.
the session might be still further
shortened, in all probability II laws
are passed largely promoting the
public welfare. then sufficient time
should be allowed for thorough con-
sideratlon of such measures II the
laws enacted are trivial or detrimen-
tai then the shortest session devoted
to such tasks Is too long. The quail
ty OF legislation is a better test than
the length OF the session.
ut will be the opinion OF many
people after a careful examination of
the many beneficial and truly pro-
gressive laws enacted, that the legis-
lative session OF 1928 produced
much important legislation. and that
the lawmakers deserve more praise
than caneuran