CONNECTICUT. 



217 



the Bland bill (so called), now pending before Con- 

 gress. 



Resolved, That we request our representatives in 

 both branches of Congress to oppose the measure. 



Jtesolved, That the Secretary be requested to for- 

 ward a copy of these resolutions to each Senator and 

 Representative from this State in Congress. 



The Legislature of 1877 appointed a special 

 commission, consisting of six prominent citi- 

 zens, u to examine and report upon the whole 

 system of public expenditures in the State, and 

 report such retrenchments as may be made 

 without detriment to the public service, and 

 all expenses, if any there are, unauthorized by 

 law." The Commissioners performed the work 

 intrusted to them, and by the beginning of 

 February, 1878, presented a full report on its 

 results. They find the expenditures in almost 

 all parts of the public service to have steadily 

 increased ; stating, among numerous other in- 

 stances, that the board of prisoners, which cost 

 $8,449.74 in 1846, rose to over $39,000 in 1870, 

 and to $87,358 in 1877; that the board of boys 

 in the Reform School has run from $4,639 in 

 1870 to $46,768 in 1877; and that in the ex- 

 penses of the Legislature there has been an 

 increase of 400 per cent, during the past thirty 

 years. This increase of expenditures the Com- 

 missioners ascribe to various causes, some of 

 which they condemn, and suggest the remedies. 

 They recommend biennial sessions of the Legis- 

 lature, the abolition of some offices, and a proper 

 reduction of salaries as well as of fees and costs 

 in the various branches of public service. The 

 Commissioners specify the objects of their rec- 

 ommendations, concluding their report with de- 

 tailed tables, and the following summary : 



We estimate that the annual saving for the State, 

 if all our recommendations are adopted, will not be 

 less than as follows, viz. : 



In judicial expenses $100,000 



Legislative expenses 10,000 



Biennial sessions (reduction in each year at rate of 



$150,000 in two years) , . . . 75,000 



Account of salaries 25,000 



Account of contingent expenses 15,000 



Military expenses 20,000 



Board of Education and Normal School 2,500 



Appropriation for schools 70,000 



Public institutions 40,000 



Sundry commissions 7,500 



$365,000 



Add for cost of elections in odd years at one half of 

 $ 100,000 50,000 



$415,000 



The Legislature at this session took into con- 

 sideration the matters set forth in the Special 

 Commission's report, and acted on them by 

 bills or resolutions, some of which were passed, 

 some left undecided, or continued to the next 

 General Assembly. A noteworthy feature of 

 the report seems to be that the Special Com- 

 missioners severely criticise the manner in 

 which the State Comptroller's accounts are 

 classified, items of expenditure that belong to 

 distinct classes being there promiscuously 

 crowded under one and the same head; a 

 practice calculated to bring confusion and be- 

 come a source of mistakes and dangerous abuses. 



They at the same time characterize it as a 

 chronic evil " of over fifty years' standing," and 

 urge the immediate introduction of a more 

 simple and intelligible system. The present 

 incumbent of that office has recognized the 

 justice of the Commissioners' criticism, and, 

 with a written communication, dated February 

 28, 1878, he sent to the Legislature a supple- 

 mental analysis of his previously submitted 

 report for 1877, wherein the items of different 

 kinds of expenditure are set down under sepa- 

 rate heads, stating that he has prepared the 

 said analysis for the assistance of the Legisla- 

 tive Committee on that subject, and submits 

 his new classification to them " with the re- 

 quest that they would make any suggestions 

 that they might deem likely to improve it." 

 The following is the new method of classifica- 

 tion of expenditures exhibited in the said sup- 

 plemental analysis : 



General Account of Expenses of Departments for 

 1877. 



Expenses of sessions of General Assembly $96,813 62 



Salaries and expenses in executive offices 20,223 10 



Judicial expenses 182,419 83 



Board of prisoners in county jails 87,358 01 



Expenses of State House 6,619 25 



Contingent expenses 1.619 31 



Expense of State Board of Education 8,382 70 



State Normal School 12,600 00 



Expense of common schools 207,504 50 



Expense of State Library 6,895 02 



State Prison 5,237 09 



State Reform School 34,288 00 



Connecticut Industrial School for Girls 19,297 03 



Expense of State paupers 6,156 30 



Account of humane institutions 128,436 90 



Expense of agricultural affairs . : 8,750 00 



Expense of National Guard 82,464 73 



Printing, publishing, and circulating public laws 



anddocuments 29,861 48 



Expense of soldiers 1 children 20,646 75 



Expense of Fish Commissioners 2,104 91 



Expense of State Board of Charities 637 52 



Expense of Railroad Commissioners 14,231 06 



Expense of Insurance Commissioner 16 634 63 



Expense of Bank Commissioners 3,838 20 



Expense of building new State House 850,000 00 



Commissioners for repairing State Prison 25 875 39 



Special Insurance Commission 6,438 80 



Amount of taxes refunded 512 80 



Total $1,385,846 43 



The January session of 1878, the last one 

 held in the old State House, practically ended 

 on March 16th, when the Legislature, pursu- 

 ant to a concurrent resolution passed the 15th, 

 adjourned thence to meet in the new Capi- 

 tol building on the 26th, but transact there no 

 new business except on special communications 

 from the Governor or the Insurance Committee. 

 At the point of leaving the old hall for the 

 last time, the members of the House of Repre- 

 sentatives passed a resolution " authorizing the 

 State Comptroller to sell the furniture of both 

 Houses"; and then adopted another resolu- 

 tion unanimously "directing the Comptroller 

 to present to the Speaker the chair, the block, 

 and the gavel used in this session." The Speak- 

 er accepted the present, and thanked them for 

 the courtesy. At the appointed hour of March 

 26th the Legislature assembled in the new Cap 

 itol and dispatched the business specified in the 

 resolution before mentioned. In this place 



