Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-02-26
STATE LEGISLATURE.
Especial Correspondence

1reuIOn, rep. Z0.-W aSlinStOn'S D1rtn-
day interfered with the usual Monday
night session of the legislature this
week, but the solons got to work brisk
ly enough on Tuesday morning and
soon made up for the time lost in OBJ
serving the natal day anniversary of
the Father of His Country. The law
makers are at last down to work in
real earnest, and the end may be said
to be in sight. There are some who be-
lieve final adjournment should be
reached in about three weeks more,
which would make the session eleven
weeks long, but there are others who
profess to know the inverness" of
things and who assert that it will be
at least four weeks more before the
legislators are ready to pack up and go
home.
1t will be interesting to watch during
the closing weeks of the session how
the legislature will deal with the sever
al recommendations contained in the
governors message submitted at the
opening of the session. The subjects
upon which the governor urged legis-
lative action were as follows: A trunk
sewer outlet for the Passaic valley to
be built with state aid; primary cleo
ton law; the purchase by the state of
voting machines to be used in all To-
calities; the abolishing of fees in coun-
fv of3iaoc apd pIa oinor c11ab of4foio lie IN a
Salaried basis; raising the minimum
age for children employed in factories
from twelve to fourteen years and Civ
ing the governor the power to remove
the factory inspectors and his deputies;
a liberal appropriation for the estab-
lishment of the State Hospital For
Consumptives; to increase the govern
or's emergency fund from $4,000 to
$25, 900; increasing the salary of the
state banking and insurance commits
sioner from $4,000 to $4,000; the crea
ton of commission to investigate and
report bills for regulation of tenement
houses; to limit the speed of autemo-
biles to fifteen miles an hour; the ex-
tension of the statehouSe grounds and
the purchase or erection of an eXecu-
tive mansion; passing of the constitu-
tionaI amendments for the reorganiza-
ton of the judiciary, and the require
ment of indemnity bonds from litigants
enjoining corporations.
1t is not at all likely that all of these
suggestions will receive favorable con-
at the hands of the legisla.
ture. In fact few of them are already
doomed, and dozen governors could
not bring them back to life. Notable
among these are the anticounty fee
bill and the primary election law. The
voting machine bill is hanging back
for some unaccountable reason, and it
may be that this important measure
will be introduced too late to enable it
to be passed.
Up to the Committee.
One half of the session has passed
into history and only one of the bills
recommended by the governor has been
passed. This is the bill embodying
judiciary amendments. The tenement
house bill did not make its appearance
until last week, and this will probably
go through without any question. The
bill for increasing the salary of the
state banking and insurance commits
sioner will probably be sent to the gov
ernor in a few days, having gone
through the senate without opposition
The proposition has yet to be consid-
cred by the appropriations committee,
which must also act upon few of the
other recommendation of the governor
before they are finally determined
upon. The bill to appropriate liberal
sum for the State Hospital For Con
sumptives has been introduced, but
the committee will have to fix the sum.
The amount asked for is $500,000 The
appropriations committee also has au-
thority over the governors emergency
fund increase, but there will probably
be no difficulty about this, as there is
no provision for an outlay of money,
the governor being authorized to call
upon any or all of this amount in case
it is needed, this move being prompted
by the fact that the governor was
without authority to pay the state
troops ordered to Paterson last spring
to quell the labor riots, the money nee
essary having to be raised on the per-
sonal notes of the governor, state comp
troller and state treasurer. The bill
for the statehouse grounds extension
and a gubernatorial mansion is half
way on its journey, but this is another
matter which the appropriations COM
mittee will have to take into considera-
ton. 1t is thought likely that the mat
ter will receive favorable consideration.
Child Labor and Automobiles.
The Newark members have broken
away from the governor in the Passaic
pollution matter and disregarded his
advice to have the bill provide for state
aid in this gigantic proposition by hav-
ing the section relating to this matter
stricken from the bill now before the
house. There is a serious doubt as to
whether this bill will pass. The child
labor bills suggested by the governor
have created no little stir, but it may
be that the bills now before the house
may die in committee, unless the labor
men agree to accept them as they are,
being CONTEXT to get a half loaf rather
than no bread. The automobile bill is
another that has caused no little inter-
est, and the original bill presented by
Mr.. Seovel of Camden, which was ex-
tremely drastic, has been replaced by a
bill which is said to be acceptable to
the Automobiles. The corporation
measure suggested by the governor
relative to requiring the furnishing of
bonds by litiganfs enjoining corpora
tons will meet little or no opposition.
Railroad Legislation.
Some of the pending railroad bills re-
ceived an airing before the committees
this week There were important hear
ings on the three men in cab" bills,
the ColcIough bill empowering common
councils to grant railroad companies
the right to use streets and the Haines
bill authorizing railroads to condemn
for freight stations and other
purposes within 1000 feet of their
tracks. This last named bill is thought
to have for its object the laying of a
double track through the streets of
Burlington, and it has provoked harsh
criticism. other municipalities being IL
able to its provisions if it passes. The
Colclough bill has created stir in
Hudson county, where it is claimed the
measure takes away certain preroga-
&c.,, Tho sl1oad