744 JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS [Mar. 23

As to the Bills accompanying these reports, I desire to say
that most of them were not in proper shape for introduction
into either branch of the General Assembly, and only one copy
was forwarded to me. I turned these Bills over to the At-
torney-General with instructions to put them in shape for
introduction into the General Assembly, except those Bills
which had already been introduced.

These reports have not been locked up in my desk, but
have been lying upon my table. Any Senator or any Dele-
gate could have had free access to them at any time.

I had believed that all of the Chase reports, with the ex-
ception of the tabulations, had been published in the papers
or distributed by Mr. Chase. The other reports, if not in
toto, have in substance been printed in all of the daily papers.

At the time of the receipt of some of the reports, what was
recommended by them had already practically been done or
attempted to be done.

I want, briefly, to give to the Legislature a report of what
the administration had done or attempted to do along this
line, and likewise at this time to give our views upon some
of the Bills which are now pending before the Legislature.

For identification and for your convenience in the examina-
tion of the numerous Bills which have been introduced for the
purposes of economy and efficiency in State Government, and
which are intended to carry out the recommendations of the
Goodnow Commission, and the pledges of the Democratic
State Convention of September 23, and which are now on
their passage through the General Assembly, I incorporate
herein the Senate and House numbers of said Bills, together
with the names commonly used in the designation of them,
as follows:

BILLS IN PASSAGE.

Senate Bill No. 395—Organization of the State Law De-
partment.

Senate Bill No. 426—Reduction in number of State Roads
Commissioners.

Senate Bill No. 158—Conservation Commission.

Senate Bill No. 398—Creating Uniform System of Account-
ing and Providing for a Uniform Fiscal Year.

Senate Bill No. 183—State Board of Prison Control.

Senate Bill No. 395—Vagrancy Bill; made necessary by the
Prison Control Bill.

Senate Bill No. 244—Creating State Board of Agriculture.