Gloucester County Democrat., 1899-02-09


of thirsty patrons.
Other bills passed In the senate this |
week include the following: Providing
that in cities of under 10000 population
election officers shall receive IS for each
day spent for registration and $40 for
election day. providing for redistricting
the wards of city without Increasing
the total number Incorporating the
borough of Florham Park in Chatham
township. Morris county
some New Measures.
Another proposition has been present.
ed for paying the New Jersey soldiers
Who enlisted for the Spanish war. Mr..
King stands sponsor for this bill. which
provides thar each soldier shall receive
si25.
a bill TO restore to the newspapers
the publication of the state laws each
year was presented this week. Senator
Francis of Monmouth fathered the
measure, which seems so fair in it's pro-
visions that it ought to commend itself
to the lawmakers. In the first place it
calls for the publication of only syn
opsis of the general statutes and the
text of such acts as affect the locality
wherein the publishing paper is printed.
Each publisher desiring to print the laws
is required to supply an affidavit that his
paper has been published for five years
continuously and has a circulation OF
not less than $50. The state comp
troller and state treasurer will. before
April / next. furnish list of papers
complying with these conditions to the
secretary of state, and the secretary is
authorized to appoint a suitable person
to make a synopsis of the laws passed
at this session of the legislature. In
future years the synopsis will be made
as the Legislative session proceeds, so
that the laws may have early publica-
tion. The person making the synopsis
is to receive $500 a year for his work,
which shall be deducted pro rata from
the amounts allowed TO the newspapers.
The rate paid to the newspapers shall
be 90 cents per folio. and the type must
be set up in the office of the publishing
paper.
A bill which is apt to attract some at
tention is assembly No. 102, introduced
by Mr.. Squire, authorizing the governor
to appoint two women and five men to
be known as the state board of chill
dren's guardians. They shall act as
guardians of all children who become
public charges. Children who have
been in almshouses for 80 days shall
be provided with homes in private fam
lilies. The guardians shall receive no
salaries and shall serve for six years.
The assembly this week agreed in the
senate concurrent resolutions proposing
the award of a sword to Rear Admiral
Sampson and voting the thanks of the
state to the Womens War Relief asso-
citation and to Mrs Washington A. Roe
bling in particular.
state school Moneys.
The first lively debate of the session
occurred in the senate yesterday over
Senator Stokes bill providing for an
annual appropriation of not less than
$1,000 out of the general state funds
for the maintenance of the public
schools. Senator Stokes made the ar
gument embodied in his statement inI
this correspondence last week to show
that the effect of this bill would be toI
tighten the burden of every person I'M
the state who pays school tax.
Senator McDermott. who is always onI
the qui vive for chances TO score hit
against the railroads. said the bill was
welcome for what 1t gave to the tax
payers but claimed that if property
were assessed al ii should be in New
Jersey-that is. at uniform rate and
wherever found-there would he no need
Of a distribution of the state surplus,
nor would there be state surplus. He
claimed that all property should be
taxed for the benefit Of the municipali-
ties. which should receive the money d.
rectly and not as bounty from the
state There were millions of dollars
worth of railroad property. he said.
which was located in Hudson county
and which enjoyed police and fire pro-
lection there and yet which didn't pay
a cent of taxes 10 the county
Senator Stokes declined to be drawn
into an argument relative to the taxing
system in the state. saying that it was
not pertinent to the bill under discus
sion.
Senator McDermott thought it was
pertinent. and he and President Reed
had a discussion as to whether the
schools were a state or municipal
charge. after which the bill passed
unanimously. Senator McDermott him
self in the affirmative.
Bells jury commission act was re-
ported favorably in the house. The bill
to prevent the occurrence of premature
burial was withdrawn. The bill to de-
fray inauguration day expenses was
,assed