Daily Kennebec journal., 1917-02-15

ney general or his assistant to appear
whenever the interests of the State are
involved before a legislative commit
tee, the Public Utilities Commission or
elsewhere. l also recommend that so
far as possible the detection and punish
ment of offenses of all kinds be done by
the attorney generals office rather than
by the special State department con-
cerned This will relieve some depart
ments from unnecessary friction with
the public and leave them free to do their
proper educational and administrative
work II will also prevent duplication of
effort and permit the steady employment
of a few properly trained men for such
purposes by the attorney general. Be-
cause of this recommendation an increase
of $4,000 each year has been suggested in
the appropriation for arrest and appre-
hension of criminals. Decreases amount
ing to s22o00 each year are suggested in
appropriations of various departments
heretofore charged with the entire re-
sponsibilitv of securing enforcement of
certain laws relating especially to the
work of their department.
Bank Commissioner.
No increase IN the salary of the COM
missioner is recommended until a gen.
eral revision OF the salaries of heads Of
departments is made. Only a small in
crease in clerk hire is recommended.
What is needed ut present is that the
Bank CoinmissiC be required to de-
vote his whole time TO the duties of
his office and be forbidden to make
trips outside the State for the investi-
CATION OF prospective bond issues add
! ing TO his salary the amount of COM
pens; ton CHARGED for such inVestiga-
tions.
! State Assessors.
| I'm this department an increase of
| $500 i'm the Salary of the clerk is rec
commended. Half the suggested amount
/ for exploration of timberlands for the
purpose of taxation is recommended.
| This exploration should be continued
! lut the law should be changed so that
owners of timherlands who are unable
OF. unwilling TO furnish the assessors
sufficient information should pay half
the cost of exploration on their lands
witt, the understanding that the result
ling information be made available to
them
! Commissioner Of Agriculture.
| Th, suggested appropriation for the
enforcement Of dairy laws is omitted,
the intention being to continue the
same work through the Attorney Cen
erals office The new appropriation for
seed inspection asked for by the pres
cnt Commissioner is recommended. The
appropriation for protection of trees
and shrubs Is the amount suggested by
the former Commissioner If this is
rot sufficient the law should he changed
so as to require part Of the expense to
be r9id hy local owners of property in
the case Of TIL" eradication of the gypsy
moth.
The amount recommended for the
work Of Live stock Sanitary Com
missioner is $4,000 more than the last
lapproriation but 5000 less than the
trcouest The arpropr2t ton by the last
! LEGISLATURE was Inadequate in compar
ison with tho change of the law plac-
ing a larger expense upon the State for
payment for the carcasses of
slaughtered animals. Some means
should be devised for reducing the cost
Of applying the tuberculn test but the
Law should be amended so that the
State would not pay more than half
fair appraisal value for the condemned
ianimal Nothing should be paid for
carcasHcS slauehtered outside the state.
Industrial Accident Commission.
The appropriation for salaries in this
department should remain the same
but the salary of the Insurance Com
missioner as such. should be made in
! full for all services and the salary of
the chairman of the Industrial Acct
dent Commission should be increased
from s., 800 to $4,000. This position re-
Guires y trained lawyer of unusual
ability and even the salary suggested
is hardly adequate
Inspectors Of Steam Vessels.
| The revenue in this department is
about $500 and the total cost to the
s tate nearly $1,000. The department
should be made more nearly self-sup-
porting, by requiring the payment of a
I fec from all passenger boats, including
those of less than five tons burden The
fec sho3ld bc graduated up to $25 for
the large passenger carrying steam
! boats
I Ii has become customary for the
State to appropriate something toward
tic establishment of buoys and lights
in aid of navigation on Moosehead
Lake The general theory has been
that part of the expense should be
borne by the State in the interest OF
safety of all navigators. An eXamina-
! tor of the vouchers for such eXpendi-
lures shows, however that the tenden-
/ cy has been to expect the State to
| bear the whole expense. i, therefore
recommend an appropriation by the
State of half the amount actually eX-
pended for that purpose up to $500.
| Inland Fish and Game Commission.
At the opening of the session | sug-
gested abolishing the present Fish and
Game Commission and creating instead
two separate commissions, one of
which should Ccal with the problem of
forestry and the other with both In
land Fish and Game and Sea and
Shore Fisheries. Many of you do not
agree with this suggestion, and / pre-
sent it now in modified form to accom-
plsh part of the desired results and
meet the objections that have been
suggested to me. Let the present Fish