fifty bedrooms where transient guests are allowed to lodge for pay. A transient guest is described as one who puts up for less than one week. There is an interesting provision that the judge of the Circuit Court, upon the application of fifty free holders, may order an examination and audit of the affairs of any board, commission or office of any county or district. The effect of this act is limited to those counties which alone constitute a circuit, and therefore at present applies only to the county of Norfolk. Boards of supervisors are authorized to retire old bonds and issue new ones. Provision is also made for spending some of these taxes by increasing slightly the fees of sheriffs, constables and sergeants for summoning venires and by increasing allowances for food given to jurors kept together.

BOARDS.

In addition to the committee to revise the tax laws, several other boards, commissions and bureaus are established. Among the most important of these is the commission to revise the code. Of the ten able men nominated by the Court of Appeals, the Governor has had no difficulty in finding three gentlemen with special fitness for this important work, which has already been too long delayed. One might infer from the language of the act that the performance of this commission is expected to be chiefly a compilation, but it is to be hoped its members will not hesitate to accomplish a genuine revision. Next may be mentioned the office of State Forester, who is to be under the direction and control of the State Geological Commission, composed of the president of the University of Virginia, the president of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute, with one citizen appointed by the Governor from the State at large, thus inaugurating a system of State forest conservation. A State board of dental examiners, composed of six members appointed by the Governor, has been created to take the place of a similar board created by the act of 1910, which is repealed. A Legislative Reference Bureau under a director appointed by the Governor for a term of five years is required to collect information upon legislative matters,

and assist in the preparation of bills. An impressive experiment is being tried in the consolidation of the boards of visitors of the four female normal schools, the friends of the measure claiming it would make for greater efficiency and economy in the administration of those institutions.

CHARTERS.

There are 41 acts relating to charters, as well as 68 applying to the local concerns of the counties, all of which it would seem, might have been just as well or better decided by local authorities. This class of legislation consumes a vast amount of time, for if the Constitution be obeyed, each of these acts must be read at length three times in each house and enacted by a recorded vote, though no single vote be cast against it. Here is a fertile field for the activities of all who are zealous for local self-government. For example, the board of supervisors of Amherst county has been authorized to require tags on dogs. Moreover, there is a general statute allowing all boards of supervisors to levy a tax on dogs. Another act prohibits dogs running at large, but before it becomes operative in any county it must be adopted by the board of supervisors, and so may be said to represent a victory for the advocates of local option.

CITIES.

Several new acts are of especial interest to cities. Those having a population of more than 100,000 may hold elections for the purpose of adopting a particular form of government, which, of course, applies now only to the city of Richmond. There is another act allowing smaller cities to hold an election upon the application of twenty-five per cent. of its voters for the purpose of adopting either the city manager plan or a modified commission form of government. Cities having a population of 10,000 and less than 45,000 are given a police justice elected by the people. Excepted from this act are the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Lynchburg, Petersburg, Portsmouth and Staunton, leaving it applicable only to Alexandria and Newport News. There is a new act requiring a justice to associate two other justices in

criminal cases (as well as civil cases) upon application of the defendant, and the three justices shall decide all issues by a majority vote.

A special civil justice elected by the Legislature for a term of six years with a salary of $3,000, paid out of the city treasuries, is provided for cities having a population of 70,000 or more. Another act allows a special justice of the peace (if desired by the city council) in cities having a population of 60,000 or more for the purpose of attending to juvenile matters and those involving domestic relations. The cities of the State as well as the counties, are authorized to establish farms to be worked by men found guilty of failing to support wives and children, by incorrigible drunkards and drug fiends. The statute relating to the bonds of the city treasurers is amended and re-enacted, but the only change made is the reduction of the bond of the treasurer of Petersburg from $75,000 to $50,000. The cities, towns and counties are permitted to have the service of the State accountant for the purpose of examining the books of accounts of their financial offices.

CRIMINAL LAWS.

A few interesting amendments are made to the criminal laws. Section 3663 is so amended as to permit juries to give life imprisonment for murder in the first degree. Juries have always had the discretion to impose penitentiary terms for the other four capital offences, and there has never been any reason why they should have been denied the same right in the case of murder in the first degree. Section 3298 is amended so that fines of not less than $1 nor more than $10 may be assessed for profane swearing and drunkenness, and councils of cities are allowed to determine the punishment for these offenses. Section 1682 is so changed as to designate the compensation of experts called upon by courts to examine the mental condition of persons accused of crime at $10 a day and expenses, except that the per diem of the superintendent of a State hospital is limited to $5. The former statute allowed the judge to fix the compensation. There are several new acts relating to corporations. Heat,

light, power, water and telephone companies are put under the control of the State Corporation Commission, as regards both service and rates. There is a comprehensive act relating to chartering fraternal insurance companies, which seems to be invalidated by a provision in section twelve to the effect that no such act shall operate "until actual bona fide applications for death benefit certificates have been secured upon at least 250 lives for at least $100,000 insurance each." It is said that by a mistake in the enrollment of the bill the word "hundred” was inserted before the word "thousand," which is a serious error, in view of a recent decision that a law is as it is enrolled and not as it was passed. Several new insurance laws are of interest chiefly to insurance companies. There is a general law governing co-operative associations and providing for their incorporation. It is likely to prove a most useful act, but there is a singular inadvertance in section 22, wherein stockholders are allowed to petition circuit courts in counties in which their principal offices are located for a decree of dissolution, though section 13 allows a principal office to be in a city or a county. There is some new legislation relating to railroads, such as the prohibition of the selling or giving away of keys to switch locks, the requirements of headlights of not less than 500 candle-power, and of a certain construction of caboose. Section 4 of an act concerning public service corporations is amended in regard to the physical connection of tracks and the interchange of carload shipments. Moreover, there is a new rolling stock tax law to take the place of the act of 1912, declared unconstitutional, and the new act leaves no vestige of advantage with the cities containing the principal offices of the companies.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS.

The resolution proposing a constitutional amendment restoring the ninety-day session of the Legislature is in line with a resolution unanimously adopted by this Association in 1913, and also with the recommendation of Governor Stuart's inaugural address. The other resolution for a simplification of the legislative procedure is merely to have the Constitution to conform

to what has become the actual practice of the Legislature. Quite a number of other proposals to amend the Constitution were made. Indeed, there seems to be a growing demand for a general revision of that instrument within a reasonable time.

DEFECTIVES AND DELINQUENTS.

There are several new acts regarding the protection of physical, mental and moral defectives. The State Board of Charities and Corrections is directed to make an investigation of feeble-minded persons in the State other than those who are insane and epileptic. A colony for the feeble-minded is also established on the land of the Central State Hospital. An industrial school for girls at Bon Air is taken over and made a State institution. There is a stringent act making it a misdemeanor for a person over the age of eighteen years to cause or encourage any child under that age to commit any act of delinquency or to be subjected to immoral surroundings or influences. There is another act to allow the commitment of certain delinquent children to the custody of the State Board of Charities and Corrections.

EDUCATION.

There has been no session of the Legislature of recent years in which some step has not been taken in public education, and the recent session was no exception. Increases are made in the appropriation for primary schools. An act permits the teaching of agricultural arts and the giving of vocational training. The use of schoolhouses for non-political purposes is allowed. Land for schoolhouses may now be condemned 200 yards from a dwelling instead of 400 yards, as formerly. Libraries may be established in public schools of the rural districts upon the Carnegie method of requiring each school first to raise $15; and neighboring districts are permitted to establish joint schools.

ELECTIONS.

The act providing for the election of the United States Senators by the people is necessary under the 17th amendment to the