602 JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS [Mar. 4,

every hundred dollars worth of property that each county
has been taxed on this account. It will'be seen there is a
very wide difference iu expenses in the different counties—
the comparative amount in Charles county being six times,
and other counties three, four and five times, as great as It
has been in Carroll county.

The publication and circulation of these accounts will un-
doubtedly call public attention to, and to some extent check,
the extravagance and irregularities that have, in too many
instances, been committed iu the county expenditures during
the past year.

As a further means of correcting these abuses the Commit-
tee has prepared and will report to the House three several
bills, viz: one proposing to reduce the expenses of publish-
ing Local Laws; one to reduce the expenses of publishing
statement of county expenditures, and one to prevent the ac-
counts against the counties, for officers' fees, exceeding the
legal allowance.

Respectfully submitted,

ED. L. F. HARDCASTLE,

Chr. of Special Committee.