Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-02-12
STATE LEGISLATURE.
Especial Correspondence


when Assemblymen Stalter and Van
Blarcom of Passaic and Assemblyman
Miller of Cumberland engaged in a
lively controversy over the Newark
armory bill, which was passed last
week, providing an appropriation of
$125,00O for the building of an armory
for the Essex troop.
Mr.. Miller asked to have the house
journal corrected as far as the vote on
that bill was concerned on the ground
that the Passaic men were recorded as
having voted for the bill when they
should have been recorded in the mega
tive. The bill was passed by close
margin, and the two votes when prop
erly recorded showed that the bill had
been defeated. Mr.. Miller's motion was
passed, but the Newark men succeeded
in having the matter tabled. 1t will
be taken up at some future time.
1t is understood that the New Jersey
Forest council will come to the front
before long with a request for good
sized appropriation for the carrying
out IF the law on the statute books
for the prevention and extinguishing
of forest fires. State GeologiSt Kum-
mel is prepared to show that a hun
dred thousand acres of New jerseys
timber land had been burned over last
year. 1t is claimed that the preserva-
ton of the forest lands of the state
involves question of loss or gain a
year of millions of dollars to the farm
erS of the state.
Automobile Legislation.
The much discussed automobile meas
ure has at last been compromised, a
conference between Assemblyman SEQ
vel of Camden and Karl G. Roeblin
and John S. Broughton of the New Jer-
sey Automobile club having resulted
in an agreement to report the Camden
mans bill by substitute, which is to
eliminate the drastic features of the
bill and, while not working a hardship
to the Automobiles, is strong enough
to protect those who use the public
highways Mr.. Scovel found the de-
mands of the automobilists within rea-
son and was willing to meet them half
way, and they decided on the changes
in-the bill. Governor Murphy, who in
his annual message recommended that
the legislature take some definite ac-
ton toward the regulation of the auto
mobiles in this state, is understood to
be agreeable to the proposed changes
I1sI NJ IN, h Nv
now be passed without opposition and
will receive the executive signature.
The substitute bill provides that on
public highways in the built up sec
tons the rate of speed is to be ten miles
an hour, and twenty miles an hour in
the rural sections is to be the maximum
speed This bill will not affect physi-
clans and surgeons while going to or
returning from professional calls when
the emergency requires them to travel
at a faster rate of speed. According
to the new bill, every operator of mo-
tor vehicle shall, at the signal from a
person riding or driving FESTIVE horse
or team, cause the motor to remain sta
tionary so long as may be necessary to
After conference this week between
Assemblyman Boyd of Essex and the
committee representing the Federation
of Catholic Societies it was agreed that
the Boyd bill providing for a general
revision of the tax laws should be
so amended as to exempt from taxa
ton all parochial schools and other
Catholic and public school property.
This class of property is exempt under
the present law, but the Catholic
school property was omitted in the ex-
empt class in the general revision bill.
The Religious Society of Friends of
Plainfield and Shrewsbury, Burlington
and Haddonfield has petitioned the
legislature to favor the establishment
of a reformatory for women in this
state.
The Ocean boulevard.
The Ocean boulevard bill has made
its appearance, having been introduced
in the senate on Monday night by Sen
ator Brown of Monmouth. 1t author
ICES boards of chosen freeholders to
lay out, open and improve public roads
upon petition of two-thirds of the mu-
inequalities through which it is to run.
The proposition is to construct wide
ocean boulevard from Sandy Hook to
Cape May.
The senate has confirmed these nomi-
nations sent in by the governor last
week: Port warden, Hudson county,
John J. Toffey; prosecutor, Union coun-
ty, Nicholas G. ]. English; judge, Hud-
son county common pleas court, John
A. Blair; judge, Warren county COM
mon pleas court. George NJ. Shipman.
Senator John Kean seems to hold the
keynote to the situation relative to the
appointment of a successor to William
Bette as state commissioner of bank
ing and insurance. 1t is generally ac-
cepted that District Attorney David o.
Watkins will be the man-at any rate
he is the individual Governor Murphy
is said to have in mind for the berth,
but the question of Mr.. Watkins sue
cessor seems to have much to do with
the case. The governor would like to
see his genial private secretary, John
L. Swayze of Sussex, elevated to the
position of district attorney for New
Jersey, but Senator Kean has received
from President Roosevelt permission 10
appoint that official in case Mr.. Wat.
kins is named to succeed Mr.. BEETLE,
and it is known that he is not friendly
to Mr.. Swayze and that he has in his
minds eye candidate from south Jer-
sey.
A bill for the revision and codinea-
ton of all the oyster and clam laws
has been introduced in the house by
AssembIyman Miller of Cumberland,
and it is believed that the proposed
law will satisfy both the oystermen
and the clammers, between whom there
has always been bitter and sometimes
riotous contention. The bill, which
was prepared by the commission to in
vestigate the matter. makes few sweep
ing changes and creates no new condi-
tons. 1t takes all the provisions Of the
laws now applying to Delaware bay
and Maurice River cove and applies
them to all the waters of the state In
so far as is practicable.
The Railroad Bills.
It is expected that strenuous fight
will be made by the railroad lobbyists
IL, -,~,vx- H. foro tho Inrfclo.