8

REVENUE FROM CLERKS OF COURTS, &c.

Statement No. 7 also exhibits the receipts from sales of Licenses, Taxes on
Plaintiffs, on Commissions of Trustees and Receivers, Excess of Officers'
Fees, &c., which are received through Clerks of Courts, Commissioner of
Stamps, State's Attorney for Baltimore City, &c. The amount derived
from these sources, during the fiscal year, was $263,353.70. A comparison
of these receipts with those of the previous year, shows an increase in favor
of the last fiscal year, on these accounts, to the extent of $24,142.04.
This large increase is chiefly confined to the receipts from Licenses to
Traders and others.

This branch of the public revenue could be greatly augmented by a
thorough revision and amendment of the License Laws. They are scat-
tered over the Statute Books in most admirable disorder, and should be
condensed into a concise act, with such amendments as experience readily
suggests.

Since the period, at which most of the present licensee were authorized
to be granted, many new trades and kinds of business have been established,
for which no license is required by existing laws.

Many of these pursuits are very profitable, and should be made to con-
tribute a fair proportion towards the maintenance of the State Government
and the reduction of the public debt,

The preparation of such a law, reducing to a tangible form the present
acts and embracing those trades, which are not now properly taxed, would
require much time and labor. It is suggested, that the Legislature should
employ some competent person to ^prepare, for their action, such a digest of
the license laws, as was done in reference to the revenue laws, compiled
by Messrs. Hinkley and Carter under a resolution of a former Legislature.

The present system of issuing Licenses to the Clerks of the several Courts
from this Office is strongly commended. The law should, however, be so
changed as to authorise the Comptroller to affix to the Licenses a stamp,