The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-03-21
MERE ORDINARY THEFT
The Shameless Incidental
Bill of the Bad Legis-
latufe to Be Cut.
special 70 the Jersea on News.

Special to the Jersey Citg Neics.
TRENTON. March 20. lS93.-It is esti-
mated that the cost of the One hundfel
and seventeenth Legislature, which has
just adjourned, will be ;bout sl25,0Oo-
The exact amount cannot be stated OFF,
cially until the Governor has completed
the pruning OF the Incidental bill, which
this year went SIS, 600, and which con-
tanned more steals and jobs than any
other bill ever put through the Legisia-
ture. The Governor has made up his
mind to stop these raids on the Treasury.
and it is quite likely that by the time he
gets through with the Incidental bill
it will pc a remarkable looking docu-
ment. AS soon as he saw it. he ex-
pressed his disgust for the Legislature to
allow such a thing to pass.
CHEAP EXCUSES.
The committee OF the Senate ca me to
him last week and explained that
they allowed the bill to 20 through be-
cause they did not have time to cut out
the suspicious items during the last wee
OF the session. and that they were will
ing TO meet with him and go over each
item and explain why it was put through.
anu WHY u SuOuluO I ououio hoo w ~
out. He also requested the Comptrol-
Ter to give him a m~emerandum or
what all persons named in the bill
had collected for him in the regu-
lar way, and he intends to cut out all
items where officers Of the LEGISLATURE
nave sought extra compensation above
the amount fixed by law. 1t is more
than likely thar the bill will be reduced
10 about $13,0 O0 or S14, 600. Even with
this reduction it will be the most expen-
tive Legislature that New Jersey has
over had. 1t W as not until last year the
the cost of a session went over SlC0.0OO.
Ten years ago the sessions were longer
and vet they only cost about $4,000. In
1886 the cost was s87,627: in 1889. S8S. 4S9;
in 1891, $95, 1924; in 1882, Sl05. IA.
This session was the shortest that had
been held for many years, it being only
nine weeks in duration.
THE SHORTEST N YEARS.
The session of 1898 is also a nine
week session, Blu the expenses VIII
increase is due to a large num-
Der Of extra officers, clerks 10 COM
| mittees. doorkeepers and pages that wer g
employed. The item for pages. door
keepers and clerks will be about S35. 600.
This Legislature has consumed $l0,00O
worth of stationery. There was nearly
s 5000 of it put into the Incl
dental bill, and this. of course, does not
include the first lot of stationery supplied
| at the opening of the session by the State
Comptroller. One Jersey City concern
ONE In for over 81. 600 for stationery
supplied to the members, s~ergeants-at-
arms, clerks of the House ana clerks TO
committees. This year the old custom of
| giving the members and officers a box OF
stationery to take home was revived. For
W sessions this custom had
become obsolete. because the sum
of So was appropriated for postage
stamps and stationery. and the
members insisted on having IS worth, but
the concern that received the contract,
finding that there was no money III 1t,
| did not fiji the order. This year no par
ticular amount was named. SO each mem
| Der was supplied with enough stationery
to stock his desk at home. with a fountain
| pen, pearl handled knife, card case and
| Russian leather p~ocketbuok, all neatly
done up n ready for expressing.
The bill which Governor Werts had
| drafted TO limit the number of pages and
doorkeepers did not pass. it was discov-
cred that each Legislature has jurisdic-
| ton over its own affairs aud no one Leg
| islature can fix the amount of officers
| that will be needed by the other.