The Penn's Grove record., 1904-02-26
JERSEY LEGISLATURE
Three Hundred Bills Now on
the Docket.
CODIFICATION OF CITIES LAWS
Commission Has Prepared Three
Measures ON This Important Sub
ject-Capital Punishment Bill Ger
tain to Pass.

Measures on This Important SUBJ
ject-CapitaI Punishment Bill Ger
tain to Pass.
Especial Correspondence
Trenton, Feb. %. More than $50
bills are now before the state legisla-
ture, but not all of them are considered
important. Among the bills Of general
interest are the tenement house com-
mission measure, the child labor bill,
the antibillboard bill, the state chart
ties bill, the Measure providing that all
executions shall be performed at the
state prison in Trenton and the bill
leaving in the hands of the juries the
fixing of life imprisonment for first de-
gree murder, the antirobin bill and the
measures to license BARRIERS, plumbers
and stationary engineers. The legisla-
tive grind as yet is rather slow, but
the pace will be rapid enough, and too
rapid to suit some, as the session draws
to a close. =
The several bills codifying the laws
relative to cities of the different classes
pending before the legislature are Of
considerable Importance. The commits.
sion composed of Justices Dixon and
Fort of the supreme court and Counsel
or Charles L.. Corbin Of Jersey City has
prepared three bills. There is an enor-
nous amount of work involved in these
Qualifications and consequent danger of
overlooking some features of this laws.
These oversights as a rule are not dis
covered until the new measure is in
practical operation, but with the dan
ger that these Qualifications may unin-
tentionally upset ONE existing condi-
ton there is a popular feeling among
the members of the legal fraternity
and public officers ~favoring the conden.
sation and reproduction on a given SUBJ
ject of the legislation Of years back.
On account of the holiday last Mon
day, Washington's birthday, the usual
Monday evening session was not held,
but the time lost was made up in the
succeeding sessions of the week. The
hearing on the BARRIERS bill scheduled
for Monday afternoon was postponed
until a later date.
Executions In State Prison.
The bill to have all executions in
murder cases take place at the state
prison is pretty certain of passage in
both houses. The sheriffs of the state
are in favor of the measure, and they
are generally successful in securing
any legislation they advocate. Then,
too, public sentiment $Aarently ia
vors the bill. The measure, if passed,
would relieve sheriffs of the distasteful
duty of hanging convicted murderers.
Many men have on this account re-
fused to accept %shrievalty nominations.
The question has been asked why
the name of Colonel Lewis T. Bryant,
who, prior to the present session of the
legislature, was appointed by the gov
ernor to succeed John G. Ward as chief
factory inspector, has not been sent to
the senate. 1t is understood that the
reason for this is that it is intended to
make him the commissioner of labor
under the new factories and work.
shops bill recently introduced with
more powers to enforce the law.
The New Jersey chapter of the
American Institute of Architects has a
| long list of amendments for the new
tenement house bill regarding the con-
struction of such buildings. 1t is like
ly that the most m~eritorious of these
will be inserted in the tenement house
bill.
The bill presented by Senator Mar
tens requiring all corporations organ
lied under the laws of New Jersey to
maintain bona fde offices in this state,
with an officer and director in charge,
should it become a law, will greatly
lessen the states revenues from mis-.
%cellaneous corporations. Thousands of
corporations at present having New
Jersey charters and doing business in
other states have in this state merely
a designated agent upon whom service
may be made. A nominal compensa-
ton, which in many cases is only $40
and seldom exceeds $50 a year, is paid
to these designated agents. In the case
of the so called trusts to maintain a
bona fde Office such as Senator Mar
tens bill calls for would probably cost
a corporation several thousand dollars
a year, as officers and directors In these
concerns are not accustomed to small
salaries. 1t is commended that the pas
sage of the bill in it's present form
would u corporations to withdraw
ed elsewhere.
The question of voting machines is
of interest in every section Of the state,
but as yet no bill has made it's appear
ance to provide additional voting ma
chimes despite the fact that the eighty
one machines that were installed last
year seem to have been received with
the greatest satisfaction. 1t will prob
ably rest with the senate and house
joint committees on appropriations
whether or not more machines will be
provided this year. The committee
thus far has not reached the considera-
ton of what is termed extraordinary
expenditures. The committee is inclin-
ed to be very frugal, but it is thought
an appropriation will be made by it for
additional machines.
Police Court Legislation.
A measure of considerable interest is
that presented by Senator Jackson to
create a police court in Elizabeth. The
bill, should it become a law, would re-
duce police courts in cities of more
than $4,000 inhabitants to a single
court, to be presided over by a police
justice, who, under the law, would
have to be a lawyer. Another impor,
tant change is the extension of the
jurisdiction of the court to assault and
Former President Cleveland has writ.