The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-01-18

be made for the delivery of the H.
cense plate and the collection Of the
fee through the Office of the clerk of
court IN each county. The state
highway commission should give its
time and attention to the matter of
the construction of highways, chief
ly the engineering part Of them. The
sale of licenses and the collection of
revenue should be performed by 9th
er departments. In addition to this,
it would be great convenience for
purchasers of motor vehicle licenses
to be able to procure such licenses at
their county seat. The secretary of
state could ship to each clerk of
court such number of license plates
as it is estimated will be needed in
the particular county. These plates,
OF course, would be charged to the
clerk and he would have to remit the
amount Of the fee or return the
plates in order to discharge his obli-
cation.
Pensions.
I recommend complete revision
of the preesnt pension law, that the
administration Of the law be placed
under the direction of the comptrol-
ler general, and that pensions be
paid only to those Confederate sol
diers and sailors, or the widows OF
such, who are in need Of financial as
sistance; It is utterly Impossible for
the state to compensate the soldiers
of the Confederate arm7, but it can,
and shorld, provide fo. those who. :.
through nlisforsane or otherwise, are
now forced TO con.en.l against The
adversities of poverty.
Conservation of Natural Resources.
Under. existing law We have two
departments for the enforcement. OF
the game and fish laws: one under
the direction of a chief game war
den; the other, under a board OF
fisheries. South Carolina has, up to
this time, adopted no definite and
comprehensive policy for the conser-
yation of our natural resources. This
generation is under obligation to
those who are to live after us to pro-
vide for the conservation of the nat
ural resources Of the state. Our for
ests are destroyed ruthlessly. Our
fish and game could be conserved and
our laws administered in such way
as to yield an increased revenue. A
severance tax on timber should also
be provided and suitable regulations
for the protection Of the forests
should be made. I believe it would
be wise, and I recommend, that the
Offices of chief game warden and the
state board of fisheries be abolished,
and that a commission of three per-
sons be provided, to be known as the
commission to employ a director, to
.be the executive officer charged with
the administration Of laws for the
conservation Of these natural re-
sources. This recommendation, of
course, presupposes the enactment OF
La law for the conservation of our
forests, as. well as appropriate
amendments for the protection OF
fish and game.
Agriculture.
The condition of these engaged in
agriculture in this state is such as to
demand our most serious thought.
South Carolina is essentially, l am
glad to say, an agricultural state and
must, necessarily, remain so. Our
material prosperity is now, and must
ever be, dependent upon agriculture.
Through Clemson college and the de-
partment Of agriculture, as well as
other agencies, the production of
our soil has been materially increas-
ed. We have now a more intelligent
agriculture, SO far as production is
concerned, but for the past 80 years
too little attention has been given to
the important matter of providing a
system of intelligent marketing OF
our agricultural products. The pres
ent state warehouse system has un-
.douhtedly been Of service to the state
along this Line. The act of congress
known as the warehouse act could be
a great help to our people if its pro-
visions were taken advantage of in a
proper way.
I recommend that the present
warehousing law be so amended as to
provide for the Standardization OF
warehouses, and that nc. warehouse
be taken into, or allowed to remain
in. the state system unless it meets