ATTORNEYS-GENERAL The office of Attorney-General was created by the General Assembly of 1897. The incumbent is elected by the people in the same manner as the other State officers, and must be an attorney-at-law of at least ten years' active practice at the bar of this state. * Resigned to become a Judge of the Superior Court. † Appointed September 15, 1910, by Governor Weeks to fill unexpired term of Marcus H. Holcomb. Elected for full term of four years in November, 1910. REPORT OF THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL HARTFORD, January 8, 1919.. To His Excellency, MARCUS H. HOLCOMB, Governor. Sir: I herewith respectfully submit the biennial report of the Attorney-General's Department required by statute: The two years intervening since the last preceding report of this department have been marked by a continued growth of the regular business of the department, an unprecedented amount of litigation to which the state was a party, additional duties growing out of new legislation, and many problems and activities resulting directly or indirectly from war conditions. Nevertheless the business of the department has been continued without regular assistance other than the experienced and efficient secretary, and expenditures for special assistance in litigation, etc., have been kept well within the small appropriation therefor. This has been possible, however, only through the assistance rendered by the assistant tax commissioner in tax matters, and the increasing willingness of the principal state departments to accept verbal advice in lieu of formal opinions upon all except the more important and complicated questions. It is noteworthy in this connection that during the past four years no written opinion has been requested by the Governor to be given to him or his department. The duties of the attorney-general as a member of the Board of Control have been materially augmented by the important additions to the powers and functions of that board provided by the General Assembly of 1917. Under Section 28 of the General Statutes unlimited power was given said board to make and increase appropriations for current expenses of state institutions or for maintenance of inmates therein, as found necessary to supply deficiencies due to increased cost of labor, supplies, etc., or other causes, and very careful consideration and 7 investigation have been given all requests for such increases. Much of the aggregate of these increases has been due to the statutory changes made in 1917 whereby all bills for support of inmates of state hospitals for the insane and the Mansfield Training School and Hospital are collected by the comptroller and paid into the state treasury instead of being collected by the institutions and applied to cost of maintenance. The result is that the entire cost of maintenance is now paid out of state appropriations without reduction on account of income from towns on account of pauper patients and individuals on account of private and indigent patients, which income is covered into the state treasury. The rebuilding of a wing of the Connecticut Hospital for the Insane destroyed by fire necessitated a large increase in the appropriation for this institution, but the insurance thereon, amounting to over $100,000 was paid into the state treasury. These and many other similar instances suggest the advisability of a statute authorizing the crediting, to the proper appropriations for each state institution, of the income received by the state on account of such institution. The details of administration of the separation allowances to dependents of persons in the military and naval service have occasioned frequent consultation with and advice by the attorneygeneral, both as to questions of general policy and individual cases. The authority given to the Board of Control by Section 31 (General Statutes, 1918) to compromise disputed claims has permitted a prompt and equitable adjustment of many matters which otherwise must have been a subject of litigation or special legislation. Many claims against the state, on various grounds, were referred to the Claims Committee at the 1917 session, and the attorney-general represented the state at numerous hearings thereon. This committee on claims deserves high commendation for the care and fairness with which it considered the matters before it, and most of the very few claims contested by this department, which were ordered paid, were so allowed by the General Assembly against the unfavorable report of the committee. The important function of this committee in safeguarding the state treasury against unworthy claims should be regularly recognized in the appointment of legislative committees. |