Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-02-11
ECONOMY THE ISSUE.
Lively Debate Anticipated on the
Salary Reduction Bill.

Lively OeBare anticipated on the
Salary Reduction Bill.
ALL WISH TO LESSEN EXPENSES.
Arguments For en- 1 Agatha biennial ses-
sions of the acknowledgements GU
bernatorial Apppolntments-To Reduce
the Legal Rate of Interest.
Especial Correspondence.l
TRENTON, Feb. 10.-Greater economy in
the states salary account is one of the is
sues of the hour The legislature will
have to tackle the problem in dead earnest
if Assemblyman Wildes' salary reduction
bill ever gets out of committee, and fore
taste of the lively debate that is to ensue
was afforded Tuesday afternoon of this
week when the senate took up for consid
Grafton a measure designed to increase the
compensation of the members of the state
board of taxation from So, 900 to SO, 500 q
year Several of the senator's, notably
Messrs Skirm and Parry, attacked the
proposal in the most vigorous fashion.
The former said it was preposterous to
talk about increasing the pay of public
officials in the face of existing public SEN
timent, and that there were many men
willing to accept places on the tax board
if the present commissioners could not
afford to give their time at 81, 600 year.
When Mr. Ketcham, the introducer of the
bill, set forth that the duties of the board
had increased very much of late years,
Mr.. Parry retorted that till this increase of
work came about the commissioners really
did nothing much but draw their salaries.
Even now they were well paid. Mr. DAILY
of Hudson paid a tribute to the great work
in the direction of equal taxation which
Mr.. Black of the board had brought about,
and his eloquence did much toward get
ting votes for the bill 1t went through,
however, by bare majority-11 members
in the affirmative. Those in the negative
were Messrs. Barber, Engle, Gould, Her
bert, Kuhl Parry, Reed, Skirm and Stan
ger
Want Salaries Reduced.
The close result on this measure indi-
Gates the growing feeling against big sal
aries-a marked change. indeed, from a
few years ago, when the governors annual
compensation was jumped from S.. 900 to
$40, 900, the bill going through with bells
on. Other samples of legislative liberality
were numerous. But things are different
now The hard times have pinched many
people to such an extent that they begin to
contrast their own hard struggle for a
decent livelihood with the princely income
that some state officials are possessed Of
1t is difficult, indeed, to reduce official
salaries because the interests of the Office
holders and lawmakers are closely inter
woven, but there can be no question that
the masses of the people, if they had their
way, would support the Wildes bill. Mr..
Wildes, who represents Burlington coun-
ty constituency, is making a hard struggle
for it, and it may be that he will get it out
of the Judiciary committee and before the
house, but it's prospects for enactment as
law are not brilliant. The bill provides
salaries which now amount to over SO, 500
a year. The governor, chancellor and
supreme court justices could not be affect
ed during their present term, but Their
successors would come within the law II
is figured out that the state would be saved
$3.50 year through such law, and
some of its effects would be as follows:
Governor, chancellor and chief Justice
of the supreme court would each be cut
from $4,000 year to $6,25O; the vice
chancellors, from SO, 900 to So, $50, and SUI
preme court justices the same; secretary
of state, state treasurer, clerk in chancery
and state comptroller, each from Sc, 900 &c
$4,250; attorney general, from $1,000 tc
4,750; bank commissioner, from $4,000
to So, $50.
4 At committee hearing on the bill spir
tied speeches were made by Samuel Hart
of Pemberton, Senator Parry of Burling
ton, ex-senator Barton f. Thorn and 9th
ers, all favoring the bill. They claimed
that the Democrats had been ousted from
state control for extravaganza, and that il
behooved the Republicans to stand up fol
economy If they wished to continue in
power.
One of the speakers, referring to the
present gubernatorial salary of $40, 900,
said that Governor Parker years ago re-
ceived only 81, 200 year and had more tc
do than the executives of today. The sal.
airy now paid, he added, was equal to the
value of a 200 acre farm each year, and
represents 100, 900 baskets of potatoes and
enough milk to require a string of wagons
100 miles long to deliver.
This homely but fQrcible argument was
applauded The committee promised the
bill a careful consideration.
Biennial Sessions.
Senator Ketcham of Essex on Monday
night tried to hurry up the consideration
of the proposed constitutional amendments
by asking for report from the judiciary
committee, but the committee was not yet
ready. Notwithstanding the attitude Of
Governor Griggs and Senator Sewell in
favor of the biennial sessions amendment,
there is considerable sentiment through
out the state opposed to it.
The governors chief arguments were
shat the amendment would prevent the en-
actment of so many laws and that money
would also be saved to the taxpayers. TIC
this the reply is made that the money
argument is of no account if annual meet.
ings are a good thing, and that so far as
the piling up of useless statutes is con.
cerned biennial sessions would not neces-
sari1y prevent the accumulation of laws,
as the same people who force legislation
would simply come double loaded If the
sessions were every other year. 1t is also
pointed out that Massachusetts, has just
voted dewn at apopular election proposal
for a similar innovation in that state. As
to the claim that the plan has actually
worked successfully in other states, the re,
ply is made that it has not vet had sniff
cient trial to pronounce upon It's merits,
and that, while it has been adopted, it has
not yet besn fully Endorsed by popular
sentiment. President Williams of the sen
ate, Senator Kuhl, Senator DAILY and 9TH
ers are opposed to biennial sessions. Sem
ator Kuhl says that frequent sessions tend
to make legislators more careful of the in
terests of the people, who then have an
opportunity of quickly reversing improper
legislation Yearly sessions and yearly