Republican farmer., 1919-01-10

farmer who attempted to raise sheep has sold the most of his flock yearly to his town by virtue of the statute providing for damage by dogs. The stray dog as distinct from the prop erly trained and controlled variety appears to be the natural enemy of the sheep, and his principal function is to cultivate hydrophobia for dis tributfon among human beings and useful dumb animals. Lamb and mutton are excellent food and wool is desirable for clothing. The mon- grel dog contributes nothing we can wear and nothing we knowingly eat, I am confident our people would well come effective laws which would per init successful sheep raising in this state.
 Fish Propagation.
 The wisdom of utilizing all of our sources for increasing our food sup plies has been forcibly brought to our attention by recent experience.
 One of these is the waters along our coast extending more than 100 miles from Greenwich to Westerly which should supply large quantities of shell fish, and out rivers discharg- ing into Long Island Sound should supply plenty of shad and salmon in their season, and our inland lakes and ponds can be made to produce excellent food fish.
 Our Fish and Game Commission believe they can get satisfactory and profitable results if given the oppor- tunity Little can be accomplished without a sufficient appropriation, and any appropriation is useless without supplementing it by ample protective laws strictly enforced. It is useless to make an appropriation for lobster propagation and allow the Holsters to be indiscriminately trap ped before reaching the stage of re- production, or to appropriate For shad propagation and pass laws which permit all of them to be caught before they reach their spawning grounds in our rivers.
 The commission claims that the $4,0O0 yearly appropriation for fish propagation is insufficient, and it is small when compared with $75, 900 appropriated by Maine, or $21 ,00O by New Hampshire, or S175,0OO by Mas sachusetts, or $9,284 appropriated by Vermont which has no seacoast. Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well. Is it not advisable if we make any appropriation to make one sufficient to demonstrate whether eur waters can be made to produce desirable food fish in profita- able quantities. If it shall appear that it cannot be done we should cease appropriations for it and con- tent ourselves with the roach, pick erel and bull heads which are indf- genous to our streams, lakes and ponds.
 State Finances.
 During the two years last past our state has been compelled to meet unusual expenses. The cost of main taining our insane hospitals with some four thousand inmates has greatly increased because of the in- creased cost of fuel, food clothing and labor. The same is true of our School for Boys, our Industrial School for Girls, our Reformatory, and all other institutions supported by the state. To this has been added the amount expended upon our Home Guard, the amount expended by our Home Guard, the amount expended by our Council of Defense, the cost of the buildings for the feeble-mind- ed at Mansfield, the establishment of the Connecticut State Farm for Women, the separation allowances for soldiers dependents, and other expenses which were larger than in normal times, but all of our obliga- tions have been paid and our state finances are in a very encouraging condition.
 The 1915 General Assembly pro-
 vided for a sinking fund to pay off our state bonds as they matured, and
 that $50O,O0O each year be added to ir
 In my message to the 1917 General Assembly I recommended that three million dollars be transferred from the civil list fund to the sinking fund,
 which was done. At the end of the
 fiscal year ending September 30, 1915, the net indebtedness of the state was $11, 1,920, ,002.54. On the 30th day of | September. 1918, we had sufficient amounts in our sinking fund and civil list fund to pay this indebtedness and leave a surplus of S642,57229, which is an improvement in the financial condition of the state in three years of SIP, ,574.83 and is the first time the state treasury has shown a surplus since 1907.
 l recommend that the sum of $6,000,000 be transferred from the civil list fund to the sinking fund 1 think this would be very satisfactory to those who have paid the taxes which made possible this encourag- ing financial showing and would give assurance that the sinking fund
 would be sufficient to pay off bonds as they mature. If this transfer is made 1t will leave $2,025,076 in the civil list fund and is sufficient for the needs of the state until added to In 1 the regular course of business State Board of Finance. The 1915 General Assembly pro- vided for a State Board of Finance consisting of the Treasurer, the Comptroller, and the Tax Commis- sioner ex officio, and three electors
 to be appointed by the governor. This board has hearings upon all items of appropriations asked for by institu- tions supported wholly or in part by ! the state, tabulates the items and re- ports the same to the General As sembly with their recommendations. l. was the adoption for the business of the state of the same intelligent
 meth ods which are adopted by suc- cessfully conducted private business enterprises, and results in intelligent