Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-12-15
PLENTY WORK FOR THE
1905 Legislature.
Equal Taxation Most Important Mat
ter to Come Before Lawmakers,
Must wait on Report,
NAL ABANDONMENT. roo.
[From True American, December L. ]

the legislature draws near, the question OF
possible legislation is being agitated. AS
required by the state constitution, the law
makers will assemble at the capitol Tues
day, January 10.
Unless some over-zealous members should
get in bill or two, nothing beyond swear
ing in the new members, organizing both
houses and appointing the committees to
arrange for the inauguration of the COVER
nor-elect the following Tuesday will be
done at the opening session.
Both houses will then adjourn till the
following night, when the big influx OF
bills will commence. Judging from the
reports of prospective legislation, the in
dications are that enough work is already
cut out for the lawmakers to give them
no reasonable excuse for wasting the first
weeks of the session as has been the prac-
tice in recent years.
It is expected that as soon as possible
after the legislature settles down TO work
there will be conference of the Republi-
can leaders to consider the question of
equal taxation and formulate bill on the
question. Governor Murphy and Cover
nor-eIect Stokes are both considering the
matter, the one for his annual message and
the other for his inaugural address By
its platform the Republican party stands
committed to the policy Of the taxation Of
second-class railroad property at local rates,
and in his speeches in the campaign the
governor elect again and again declared
that the main stems would be taxed in a
manner to do away with all Inequalities
which might exist between that and the
property of the individual citizen.
This was not to be done, however, until
the subject had been investigated by Gov
ernor Murphy's equal taxation commission.
The commission will complete its labors
as far as investigating is concerned with
sitting in this city this week, and then
it's report will at once be formulated for
presentation to the legislature. This
means, OF course, that nothing will be done
as to enacting taxation laws until the re-
port has been received and fully discussed.
TAXATION AND CANALS.
Whatever is done it is certain that the
equal taxation question will be the most
important matter before the lawmakers
this session.
Another measure which is expected to
make It's appearance in the early stages of
the session, and which the people of the
northern end of the state at least consider
of almost equal Importance with the equal
taxation matter, is the bill for the aban-
donment of the Morris canal This mat
ter was presented to the legislature in the
dying hours Of the last session and was not
considered before final adjournment The
governor tried to have it considered at the
special session, but that, too, adjourned
without taking it up.
Action on this question will be of great
interest to this city and vicinity, because
should the abandonment proposition be-
come a law it is believed the Pennsylvania
railroad would Immediately take steps to
employ the same legislation to abandon the
Delaware q Raritan canal, which is under
the control of the Pennsylvania. There
have been indications for several seasons
shat the company was anxious to abandon
tIse canal.
Fhe boating business grows less each
xear. and for several years the waterway
~ been operated at a total loss. tits also
atated that the railroad company is spend
iaD very little money on the stream in
fspairs. No permanent improvement work
Il done and the canal is merely kept in
sbs3e to be nayigable to the comparative
fs~ boats which use it.
10 permit it to be generally known that
atzz bin for the abandonment OF the Morris
ea13al would also open the way for the
abandonment OF the Delaware and Raritan
anal would be fatal to it, and if an aban-
aUnment act is passed it must be a general
srk 10 be constitutional, and a general act
,csnld give the Pennsylvania railroad the
~;,x;,t IL desires. The bill introduced al
a. special session was general act, but
I'D Pennsylvania railroad authorities
.ouoht to divert attention from the advant-
age ii would give that company by declar-
;,v that they had no thought Of abandoning
the local waterway and by urging host
81 reasons why it would be detrimental foI
yheir company to do so.
TEACHERS ARE LOADED.
The school teachers Of the state are pre-
4aripg to swoop down upon the lawmakers