increases until after a hearing, the law to be retroactive to Novem ber 1, last. The bill, it is said, will ask for an appropriation to enable the commission to make an independent appraisal of the property of the telephone company. At present there is nothing in the law prohibiting a public utility corporation from first increasing its rates and then submitting it to the public service commission for approval or disapproval. * * The legislature will be asked to pass upon bills making the production and distribution of milk by public utilities subject to the regulation of the public service commission. Those in favor of such a law declare there is a precedent for it and ample justification because of the alleged profiteering in milk, especially in New York city. * Jeremiah F. Connor who has been investi gating the operation of the workmen's com their officials, will endeavor to get through Smith recommends, some important The cities of the State, acting through pensation law, in his report to Governor the legislature a bill to suspend telephone rate amendments to the law. One of these recommendations is that the amount of compensation and death benefits should be generally increased and that all employees without regard to character of the employment should be included in the law. Mr. Connor asks also that a fourth deputy commissioner in the State industrial commission be created to handle exclusively all claims for death. Other important recommendations in clude: Extending from one to two years the time within which claims for compensation may be filed: setting up large reserves and funds in the insurance carriers for the protection of the workman; providing a method of collecting insurance premiums for the State fund for employers who fail to give security for compensation; amending the provision for pro rata dividends in the State fund so that the commission may pay dividends according to the individual experience of each employer. Mr. Connor proposes the appointment by the governor of an advisory board, of an advisory board, selected from employers insured in the State fund, "to take part in its management" and to have "extensive powers of review and regulation." The commission, Mr. Con 1917." He says also that the "final adjust ment cases against all nor also asserts, should "investigate and re insurance carriers should be reviewed." "An audit of the State fund," adds Mr. Connor, "should be made at least once each year by an outside accountant appointed by the advisory board. All profitmaking institutions such as the Wynkoop service and the Wolff medical service should be eliminated from the State fund." * * * Senator Henry M. Sage, chairman of the senate finance committee and Assemblyman H. Edmund Machold, chairman of the ways and means committee, will submit to the legislature the annual budget amounting to $141,470,083.51. The biggest item in the budget is for construction and repairs, which amounts to more than fifty-three million dollars, considerably in excess of one-third of the total budget. The next largest is maintenance and operation, exclusive of personal service, which amounts to more than one-fourth of the hear all claims against employers in special total. For personal service nearly one-fifth groups in the State fund since July 1, of the total is asked. In addition to the requests thus totaled there has been an estimate filed with the budget committee showing a shortage in the barge canal construction funds of about ten million dollars. In reaching this total of anticipated shortage it is estimated that the claims and judgments yet to be filed will reach actually nine million dollars. There will be presented to the legislature a bill to increase the wage scale of State hospitals which, if passed, will make an increase in personal services. It is interesting to note that the requested appropriations for 1920 over those allowed by the 1919 legislature amount to more than forty-five millions. The largest increase in the budget asked for is for construction and repairs, the addition being more than thirtyfour millions. While the request for personal service shows an increase of $4,368,820.32 over the appropriations actually made for personal serv ice by the 1919 legislature, the actual in crease of the requests over the amount of money available for personal service during this fiscal year is $3,938,740.13, due to the fact that there was re-appointed to carry out the provisions of the ten per ice $1,969,339 is due to requested new positions. The budget for 1920 contemplates 1690 new places in the State service. About onehalf of these are asked for in the institutions. in different sections of the State, including the State hospitals, charities and regulatory bodies. The agricultural schools and college of forestry at Syracuse ask 112 new positions. The industrial commission asks for 198 and the department of health for 106. For the summer sessions of the normal schools 97 new positions are asked. The conservation commission wants twenty more and the Palisades interstate park 55. The superintendent of public works asks for forty new positions to be created to operate the barge canal. Under the general heading of maintenance of government some of tle big amounts are for hospitals, hospital commission, more than three million dollars; maintenance and repair of State roads, nine and one-half millions; still available on July 1, 1919, $430,080.19. State share of the federal post roads more cent bonus law $680, 104.66 of which there was Of the total increase asked for personal serv than three millions; superintendent of pub |