COMPTROLLER OF THE TKEAS0RY, xxvii

ment. The importance of the subject is forced upon the whole country,
by the growth, extent and power of the corporations claiming exemp-
tions upon legal postulates declared by the highest judicial tribunal to
be false The tenacity exhibited, in insisting on these claims, is only
equalled by the danger attending their further recognition. The sub-
ject is therefore challenging the moist serious attention not only from
the speculative political economist, but from the practical legislative
bodies and judicial tribunals in the country.

STATE LIVE STOCK: SCALES.

I call the special attention of the General Assembly to the laws regu-
lating the weighing of live stock and the revenue therefrom. The de-
fects in the laws in regard to this branch of the revenue are very glar-
ing. Section 459 of Article 4 of the Local Code of the City of Balti-
more requires the weigher of live stock to execute a bond to the State
of Maryland with two sureties to be approved by the Mayor and City
Council of Baltimore, in the penal sura of five thousand dollars, con-
ditioned for the full performance of all acts and things required of him
as weigh master, and to pay all damages that may be sustained by
reason of wilful omission, refusal or neglect to discharge the said du-
ties, which bond shall be filed among the records of the Superior Court
of Baltimore city and may be sued by any person injured or damaged
by such wilful omission, neglect or refusal. The form of this bond
should be amended so as to make it more full and explicit as to the
revenue due the State, the penalty should be increased, and the bond
and security should be approved by the Governor of the State. The
Sections of the Code regulating this matter are exceedingly vague and
loose in their provisions so far as the revenue for the State is concerned
and require fundamental amendments before any certainty can be ar-
rived at, as to the amount of revenue to which the State Treasury is
entitled. No peualties are provided for the non-compliance of the offi-
cer in making his returns to the State, and other defects in the law
cannot fail to be manifest upon the most casual reading of its provi-
sions. Very little revenue has been derived from this source for a
long series of years owing to this looseness in the provisions of the
Code and the powers given to the weigh master to expend the amounts
required in improvements &c. Were the provisions of law in regard
to this branch of the revenue well guarded, a large amount of receipts
might be expected from tbis source.

LICENSES.

I call the attention of the Legislature to the want of a provision of
law by which the Clerks of the Circuit Courts in the several counties,