The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-01-12

higher rate of wages IS paid to attend-
ants tnan is necessary, and an inferior
order Of service is obtained. They state.
and 4 concur in their opinion, that the
growth of such institutions VIII tn the
end work many evils. besides detractints
fr1m e On the efforts of the State in the es-
great institutions. which compare fayor-
aa,;n aply with all other Of their Kind in this
On the subject Of the Palisades, the
Governor says
I suggest that the act of 1895 be amend
ca SO as to make it perfectly clear and
aeInite that the term Palisades shall
De construed to include not only the
hiHs lying between the crest and the
bottom of the level land below"
Ihe Governor speaks at length about
S1 SHe voilme or the statute law of this
The compilation Of the general sta
tutes of this State authorized by act
OF Of the legislature. approved April i, 1894,
nn,,, laaS peen completed IN three volumes,
E}l GE1}mprising with the index, 4,09S pages.
Inc Inc compilers deserve great credit for
the pains, care and accuracy with which
they have sifted and classified the almost
pamphlet laws of the State passed since
the last general revision in 1877. An ex-
animation of these ponderous volumes
ITeseais rev. sueh condition of our statute
stead Of clear and logical classification.
simplicity and condensation. most Of tbs
titles reveal large numbers of separate
acts, arawn without any special reference
TO each other, often covering in different
ways, and sometimes in Inconsistent
ways. the same subject, and constftlting
g, mass Of legal enactments incomprehen-
and the Judge often of doubtful meaning
ana application. The citizen who desires
to Investigate the laws regulating the as
sessment and collection of taxes will And
al1fx,. sEc
embracing S23 different sections. the whole
covering l70 pages of closely printed mat
ter s*
'Ths citizen who desires to faniliarize
CITY IT which he happens to live will have
still more difficult task Under the
caption Cities he will find 4)S different
statutes, covering s45 pages. But these
siyely to cities. Under The heading of
Municipal Corporations he will find 167
addltionaI acts, covering 1856 pages which
he viii be required to examine if he de-
sires 10 be certain that he is acquainted
with all the law that may possibly relate
to the city of which he is an inhabi-
tant.s'
Concerning Passaic pollution the Gov
ernor says, that the Commission which
ne appointed in compliance with the act
OF last year, viz: Elias j. Marsh Her
mann H c. Herold and William r. Hunt
nave been actively engaged in the inves-
able to complete their work so as to
make their report before the opening OF
the legislative session. They expect to
submit It before the sessioa shall have
The subject is of the utmost Importance
not only to the immediate district known
as the Passaic Valley, but also to every
district in the State lying alohs a fresh
water stream. It Is manifest that the
greatest growth of population and manu-
featuring industry is along she valleys
and hills that border such streams as
the Passale, the Hackensack, the Rari-
tan, the Shrewsbury and the Delaware.
Whatever plan is found best for the
Passaic section will necessarily, in time
be applied to the others. These condi-
tions are the result Of growth and pros
must be paid. probably at large expense,
in news and improved plans for the pre-
servation of the health and comfort of
the inhabitants.
All the suburbs of ollr State in the
ne.ghborhood az New York on the cne side
and Of Philad eEpilsa on the other are fifl-
ing up rapidly with popHlahion- New
neighborhoods are constantly forming old
settlements are growing, and There is a
constantly increasing demand for the
creation of separate municipal govern
nrents-towns, iboroughs, c,ties-wherein
mere minute careful oversight OF all de-
partments of civil comtrol-taxes, schools,
healdh, police regulations can be had
than under the township laws or the older
forms of suburban government
Two objects of government, the preser-
vaition OF public health and public safety,
have been heretofore usually left to the
local governments entirely. 1t is evident
however, that in cases like RIVER pollu-
tion, mere local control is Insufficient. The
subject requires for proper treatmeIIt the
operation of ONE system operating uni-
formly through every localIty Through
which the river runs.
1t will, in the near future, become a
n
and dra mage of 'two-score different local
governments lying in the region directly
west of New York Bay and the Palisades,
SO as ITO give to each the benefits of sys-
tenn OF sewers and drainage, and, ait the
same time, preserve each against the in
jluIiious systems of the others
After a word about the gradual aboli-
ton of grade. crossings. the Governor
begins with a dry review of the existing
taxation system. and then taxes up the
report Of the Commission as follows:-
st IS manifest that there has been a
tendency on the part of the Legislature
to coneede from time to time something
more to the localities than was originally
granted, and the practical question now
is, whether or not it is expedient 10
make further concession In the same
direction. All the Commissioners agree
adopted by the act of 1884 should Be
maintained. That principle has resulted
very bene1cially to al the people OF the
be carried on without the Imposition Of
direct taxes upon the people.
The report Of the Commissioners rec
ommends that the State relilquish to
the localities the tax of one-half Of one
per cent. now collected by it upon rail-
road property of tho second class above
described. This would. on the basis Of
last years income, add about s205, 900 to
the amount directly paid to The localities
and would diminish the State revenue
by the same sum
Whether or NOT this additional conces
sion is justified under the circumstances
and whether or not the State can af-
ford to reduce It's revenue, are ques-
tons for the Legislature to decide Such
a concession would leave the policy Of
railroad taxation practically uniInpaired
but 1t would be necessary that the Leg
islature should exercise a correspondence
retrenchment in State expenditures in or
der to offset the reduction in revenue
To what particular objects of State sup
port such retrenchment can be applied
is for you to decide, 1t is circunl-
stance 'of great Importance that this rec
ommendation is unanimously concurred
in by the Commissioners, ard it is de-
local irritation and agitation should be
satisfactorily settled, If possible.
This is. the only recommendation which
the Comm ssioners unite in making. They
DO, however, unite in calling attention to
the fact that the local assessors do not
succeed in LISTING all the taxable property
in New Jersey, and THAT this is either
from design or from a careless perform
ance Of their public duty. They ind. cate
that an act providing for the removal of
local assessors who wdlfully refuse to
obey THE law in this respect might be eff
cierjt to correct this evil.
They also recommend ltllaf the policy
of the State hereafter should be toward