RECOMMENDATIONS.

I have very few amendments to urge to the mining law. Some may think strange that there should be a demand made for amendments to a law only passed the last session of the Legislature, but the present mining law has about doubled the work of the Inspector, and under the old law there was too much work for one man to do; so that since the passage of the present law it becomes an absolute necessity, as justice cannot be done to operator or miner unless something is done so that the inspection force can be increased. The most essential amendment would be to allow at least two more Inspectors. It will be seen by reference to the foregoing tables that there are 489 mines in operation in this State, and it is not necessary to enter into a lengthy argument to convince any one that there is too much work for one man to do. I would therefore recommend that the law be so amended that there could be three Inspectors-one chief Inspector and two assistants. I am convinced that that would be better than to divide the State into districts, as all reports could be embodied in one, and the work be done better, time could be economized, and better results would follow. I am confident that a law similar to the one now in operation in Ohio, in regard to the inspection force, would be what is needed in this State. I have had to work under disadvantages on the account of having to run all over a judicial district to find a district attorney, but as the law authorizing counties to elect county attorneys will go into effect in 1886, I deem it not necessary to make any changes in the mining law in that respect.

I am confident that with three inspectors to enforce the mining law, that much good can be accomplished, as all the operators could then be forced to comply with the law, and in that way both operators and miners would be satisfied.