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ALBERT C. RITCHIE, GOVERNOR. 1443
issues in each ought not to be made the same. Nearly 750
non-support cases were tried in Baltimore City last year, and
to broaden the scope of such cases as this bill would do would
be sure to cause serious congestion in the criminal courts,
The bill will be vetoed.
INFORMERS' FEES.
(Chapter 325, House Bill 145)
This bill purports to do away with Informers' Fees in all
cases, except for violations of the fish and game laws. In do-
ing this the bill provides that all fines and penalties, unless
otherwise directed by law, shall be paid to the County or City
where the same are imposed. Then the bill proceeds to re-
peal the provision of the existing law, which provides that
fines and penalties for common law offenses shall be paid to
the State.
Although informers' fees do not present a particularly seri-
ous situation in this State, yet I would like to see them abol-
ished, and would sign a properly drawn bill with that end in
view. There is, however, no occasion for the bill to deprive
the State of fines and penalties it has always received from
common law offenses. Last year these aggregated about $45, -
000, and they are thus a substantial part of the State revenues
which are counted on in the Budget.
I will, accordingly, veto the present bill, because it deprives
the State of this long established source of revenue.
MISCELLANEOUS AUTOMOBILE BILLS.
(Chapter 441, Senate Bill 91)
This bill provides that the Police Commissioner of Balti-
more City shall sell at public sale all abandoned, stolen or
lawfully seized motor vehicles which are in his possession and
are unclaimed for 90 days, the proceeds of sale to become part
of the special police fund. At present, the Police Commission-
er cannot sell such cars, before the expiration of one year, and
it would be desirable to enable him to dispose of them in 90
days. Senate Bill 91, however, does not require any adver-
tisement of the sale, nor does it authorize the owner to re-
ceive the proceeds of sale in the event that he afterwards be-
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