XVII. Two thousand five hundred copies of the report of the Board of Public Charities: five hundred for the Senate, one thousand for the House of Representatives, four hundred for the Board of Public Charities, fifty for the Governor, fifty for the State Librarian for distribution and exchange with the several States and Territories, and five hundred for reserve work. XVIII. Four thousand copies of the Fish Commissioners' report: one thousand for the Senate, two thousand for the House of Representatives, four hundred for the commissioners, fifty for the Governor, fifty for the State Librarian for distribution and exchange with the several States and Territories, and five hundred for reserve work. XIX. Five thousand copies of the legislative and department directory, to be prepared by the chief clerk of the Senate, and to be bound in cloth: two thousand for the Senate and three thousand for the House. All documents for the use of the Senate and House of Representatives to be delivered by the Superintendent of Public Printing and Binding to the librarian of the Senate and resident clerk of the House of Representatives. That the act entitled "An act to regulate the publication of apportionment and distribution of the pamphlet laws, executive and legislative documents, reports of heads of departments, and the annual and biennial message of the Governor," approved the fourth day of June, Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and eighty-three, and any laws or parts of laws inconsistent with this act or any of the provisions thereof, be and the same are hereby repealed: Provided, however, That nothing contained herein shall be so construed as to interfere with any special or general contract, unless by consent of the contractor or contractors, obtained without cost to the State, now binding for executing the public printing or binding, and all laws or parts thereof inconsistent with this act or parts thereof, or with any provision thereof, be and the same are hereby repealed. EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR, HARRISBURG, Pa., June 9, 1885. To the Honorable the House of Representatives of Pennsylvania: GENTLEMEN: I herewith return, without my approval, House bill No. 175, entitled "An act to regulate the publication and distribution of the annual or biennial message of the Governor, pamphlet laws, and reports of the heads of departments." At the session of 1883, a general law was passed regulating the printing, number, and distribution of the reports of departments and other public documents. That act, which was approved by me on the 4th day of June, 1883, was passed in response to a general demand for a reduction of the great expense of the public printing. The excessive number of public reports printed, the very limited utility of many of them, and the evident fact that a great quantity of them was unused and wasted, gave rise to the desire for a general and systematic curtailment in the whole matter of printing public documents. Such curtailment was made by the act of June 4, 1883. While the reduction made by that act was not great, yet it was considerable and of material benefit to the cause of economy. It was a well-considered act, and while probably not so perfect in all its provisions as could have been desired, was still in the right direction. That law has been in operation only two years, and now, at the very next succeeding ses5 VETOES. sion, the present bill is sent me undoing all that was done for economy in 1883, and making a large, sweeping, and uncalled-for increase along the whole line of public printing. The total increase in volumes authorized by the bill approximates one hundred thousand. In the matter of Smull's hand-books alone the increase is fifteen thousand. As to a few of the reports, the increase provided would probably be wise, and, I understand, is asked for by the heads of the departments. Standing alone I would probably approve the items, but the bill is so loaded down with unnecessary and wasteful provisions that I am obliged to withhold my approval. This is no time to take a backward step in matters of public expense. It is wiser to allow the well-intended economy of the act of 1883 to prevail for at least a few years longer. ROBT. E. PATTISON. VETOES. BILLS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF THE No. 1. AN ACT Relative to livery stable keepers. SECTION 1. Be it enacted, &c., That whenever, hereafter, any bailee or bailees, for hire or loan of any property of any livery stable keeper or any other owner of property in this Commonwealth, shall wilfully or with gross negligence damage or destroy the property of any one as aforesaid while the same is in the custody or possession of said bailee or bailees, the person or persons so offending shall be taken and deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction in the court of quarter sessions shall be pun. ished by fine or imprisonment not exceeding twenty days in the county jail, or both, at the discretion of the court, and shall be liable to said owner or owners of said property for the value thereof or injury done to the same in an action of debt either in the court of common pleas or before a justice of the peace as like amounts are now by law recoverable. JAMES L. GRAHAM, Speaker of the House of Representatives. CHAUNCEY F. BLACK, President of the Senate. EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, OFFICE OF THE Governor, HARRISBURG, PA., June 24, 1885. I herewith file in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, with my objections, House bill No. 183, entitled "An act relative to livery stable keepers." Without discussing the merits of this bill, I decline to give it my approval, because the title is defective and misleading. The provisions of the bill apply not only to livery stable keepers, but also to "any other owner of property in this Commonwealth." The title, therefore, does not clearly express the purpose of the bill and is constitutionally defective. ROBT. E. PATTISON. No. 2. AN ACT Providing for additional copies of Smull's Legislative Hand-Book. SECTION 1. Be it enacted, &c., That the State Printer be and he is hereby authorized to furnish ten thousand additional copies of Smull's Legislative Hand-book for the use of the Senate and House of Representatives: three thousand thereof for the Senators and seven thousand for the members of the House of Representatives: Provided, The cost of the same shall not exceed fifty cents a volume: Provided further, That the publisher may omit from said volumes pages one hundred and seventy-one to three hundred and thirty-two inclusive. JAMES L. GRAHAM, Speaker of the House of Representatives. AMOS H. MYLIN, President pro tem. of the Senate. EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, OFFICE OF THE Governor, I herewith file in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, with my objections, House bill No. 681, entitled "An act providing for additional copies of Smull's Legislative Hand-Book." A bill similar in purpose to the present one received Executive disapproval during the session of the General Assembly. The main reasons then given for withholding my signature apply with equal force to this bill. The measure entails upon the Commonwealth an unnecessary expense. The general law makes ample provision for the publication of all the hand-books needed for the legitimate uses of the Government. To increase the number of copies of the book ten thousand is, in the opinion of the Executive, an uncalled for expenditure. ROBT. E. PATTISON. No. 3. Authorizing the courts of common pleas to fix by rule the fees of witnesses. SECTION 1. Be it enacted, &c., That from and after the passage of this act the several courts of common pleas of this Commonwealth, upon petition signed by at least one bundred qualified electors of the county, be and are hereby authorized and empowered to fix by rule or standing order the fees of witnesses attending the several courts of the county, and all judicial proceedings growing out of any case commenced in said courts: the fees so fixed to be in addition to mileage now allowed by law, which rule or order shall be made at the next term of court succeeding the one to which the petition is presented, the sum so fixed not to exceed one dollar and fifty cents per day, and the rule or order to continue in force until changed by the court upon like petition: Provided also, That in counties where there is more than one court of common pleas the judges of all the courts shall act together if petition is presented as provided in this act to either of said courts, and the rule adopted by them shall apply to all the courts of the county. SECTION 2. That all acts or parts of acts inconsistent with the provisions of this act are hereby repealed. JAMES L. GRAHAM, Speaker of the House of Representatives. AMOS H. MYLIN, President pro tem. of the Senate. EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, OFFICE OF THE Governor, HARRISBURG, PA., June 24, 1885. I herewith file in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, with my objections, House bill No. 213, entitled "An act authorizing the courts of common pleas to fix by rule the fees of witnesses." The fees of witnesses are now fixed by statute law. This bill authorizes the courts to fix the compensation of witnesses by rules to be adopted from time to time. Such a system is not to be commended. It imposes upon the courts duties not strictly judicial, will give rise to want of uniformity, and changes the settled policy of years. It is better in every way, and more in accordance with the established principles of our judicial system, that the published laws of the Commonwealth and not the varying views of the judges should fix the fees to which witnesses should be entitled. Nothing would be gained, and much incongruity might result from the enactment of such a law as the one now proposed. ROBT. E. PATTISON. No. 4. A SUPPLEMENT To the act regulating lateral railroads. SECTION 1. Be it enacted, &c., That the provisions of the act of the fifth of May, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-two, entitled "An act regulating lateral railroads," and the several supplements thereto, shall be so construed as to authorize the construction of lateral railroads either under the lands of an intervening owner or owners, or over the surface of the lands of intervening owner or owners, or partly over and partly under such intervening lands, subject to the restrictions of said act as to damages. SECTION 2. That hereafter the said railroads shall not exceed fifty feet in width, and may be a single or double track railroad with the necessary sidings, wharves, chutes, machinery, fixtures and appurtenances for the delivery of limestone, iron ore and all other minerals, and may connect with any railroad or navigation company; and may be operated by steam or other motive power, and may be either standard or narroww-gauge, or part of either. SECTION 3. That in the construction of such lateral railroad partly over the surface and partly under intervening lands, the persons constructing |