New Britain herald., 1925-12-14

10 tell you that our system here in Connecticut IS second 10 none, and II IS due largely to his personal efforts.
 Praise For Commissioners "l might return to our motor vehicle department and say that our commissioner ol motor vehicles is recognized as one of the experts on all matters having to do with motor vehicle legislation, regulation and traffic; and our commissioner Of the highway department is considered an expert in his line. might re- for to the tax commissioner, and l want to say 70 you that our com. missioner on taxation, Commissioner Blodgctt, Is recognized as q national figure when 1t comes 10 being an authority on state and national tax. ation. The state Of Connecticut has adopted and put into effect various forms of taxation that is watched with great interest by the other states, The fact that Connecticut is able 10 set up system of taxation and pay Its expenses as 1t goes along without being compelled to lay personal income tax is what has been a stumper for most of the other states. Our neighboring states, Massachusetts and New York, and practically all the eastern states, have a personal income tax. We have always been opposed to fl in Connecticut, believing that 1t was 2 vicious practice and contained too much temptation to gradually in- crease it little by little. You know the old saying, easy come. easy go?' The more difficult it is to get money the more careful you are In spend ing it.
 After the war, or shortly there after. Connecticut found itself, like every other state, somewhat in debt; not due 10 any mismanagemeut but due 10 conditions over which the state officers or no one else had any control. We were faced with a de felt. We Immediately set to work to devise ways and means 10 gct on permanent financial basis. That has been done, but I think that is, perhaps, long story and IL is un- necessary 10 go into it this morning.
 We also have department of agriculture with q commissioner su- pervising that part of the states activities. That is a new venture and was created at the last session of the central assembly.
 The state also operates q great many institutions,-ho hospitals for the insane, tuberCulosis sanitariumS, ex- perimental stations, Storrs college for the training of young men in- terested in agricultural pursuits, and so it goes on.
 T want to say 10 you that for complication of business it is as broad and covers more than any private organization that I know of because 1t embraces every sort of activity you could possibly think Of and requires all sorts of skill and talent and members of practically every profession. It would be diff cult 10 mention any form of activity CT calling that the state does not en- gage in in some way We have ex- perts in agriculture. When it comes 10 education we have experts in that; In mechanics also. We are building institutions and are apply ing all the modern methods Of con struction and engineering to all these projects. So the range of state activities takes in every known branch of science and professorship, activities of all sorts.
 And 1t all heads up finally through the governors office, and he has to sit as a judge and pass or practically all those problems. And want to assure you that at times it is somewhat perpleXing to try and figure out and keep up with all the problems that are coming up; but we have the opportunity of calling in assistance, and we do.
 "Going off on another tack for a moment. l will take you up to Poland Springs, Me, Last June there was held there a conference of gov crnors known as the governors The governor of every state was invited to consider ways and means of handling his problems and to exchange experiences and make suggestions; in fact 10 get a grasp of what each states problems are throughout tho whole country, what they were doing, and then to apply to our own individual state as much of that as We thought would be of advantage.
 Nothing The Matter
 After that was over we had