10 GYPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. [Jan. 



amendments to the gypsy moth law, in chapter 521, Acts of 

 1907. By this additional legislation the superintendent has 

 been able, subject to the approval of the Governor, to initiate 

 or carry on necessary work against the moths in cities or towns 

 failing to provide sufficient funds in season for the necessary 

 work, or failing to perform it in a satisfactory manner, the cost 

 of the same being charged to the delinquent city or town in the 

 form of a special tax. We have also been able to give special 

 assistance, where conditions warranted it, in the work of stamp- 

 ing out the gypsy moth pest in certain parks, woodlands or other 

 places of general public resort, where there was great danger of 

 the moths spreading and dropping on persons or vehicles. The 

 amendment permitting the reimbursement of all cities and towns 

 alike every sixty days has been of particular assistance in the 

 effective prosecution of the work, and has not required any in- 

 crease in the clerical force of the central office; in fact, that 

 provision has made a notable decrease in the amount of work 

 formerly required of our clerical force at the close of the year, 

 when reimbursements were made to a large number of cities 

 and towns annually, only, as required by previous legislation. 



The financial statement presented Jan. 1, 1907, showed a bal- 

 ance on hand of $20,884.49, nearly all of which was paid out 

 in reimbursements to cities and towns which had delayed sub- 

 mitting the necessary vouchers and pay rolls for the 1906 work 

 before the closing of our books for that year. An appropria- 

 tion of $300,000 was provided by the Legislature for the 1907 

 operations, and this has enabled us to prosecute the work more 

 vigorously and on a larger scale than attempted heretofore, and 

 the results obtained show that this large outlay at this time was 

 well warranted by existing conditions, and was in the line of 

 good business policy. 



The maximum number of employees engaged in the work 

 against the moth pests in the infested cities and towns during 

 1907 was slightly over 1,800, their work being directed and in- 

 spected by a force of about 40 trained employees of the central 

 office. One most excellent result of the work against the uyp-y 

 and brown-tail moths has been the development in each city 

 and town of local trained ^aniix. whose efficiency and consequent 

 value 1o tin- community, a> well as to the State, constantly in- 



