The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-01-19
Many Radical Changes
Urged At a Hearing Be-
fore the Commission Ap-
pointed to Investigate
Them
ALL SECTIONS REPRESENTED
EDWARD A. RANSOM, JR., OF JER-
sEY CITY, AND PROSECUTOR
SPEER MAKE SUGGESTIONS TO
s THE COMMISSION.

Much satisfaction was expressed yes
terday by the members of the commits
sion that is charged with the work OF
revising and codifying the poor laws Of
New Jersey at the responses made to
their invitation to interested officials and
charitable people to attend the hearing
given in the council chamber at the city
hall. Newark. In thanking those who
had taken part in the discussions on the
need of remedial laws relating to the
public care of the poor, Judge Algernon
T. Sweeney, chairman of the commission,
said that much that was of value had
been obtained by himself and his col
leagues.
The features of the present laws that
called forth criticism in the hearing were
those relating gto settlement and to the
procedure in cases of desertion, neglect
and refusal to support by the heads Of
families.
Nearly every section of the State was
represented a number of heads of the
poor and aims departments of cities and
smaller municipalities taking part. in the
talk. Newark was represented by AS
sistant City Attorney Frederick r.. Lehl-
bach, Overseer of the Poor William A.
Baldwin and Alderman Emil Wohlfarth,
chairman of the Committee on Poor and
Aims of the Common Council. Mr.. Lehl-
bach was a prominent figure in the dis
cussion.
1t seems to be a sentiment generally
held that the present law fixing the pc
Rod of residence in a municipality at
ten years, in order to acquire legal set
riod of residence reduced. 1t was also
argued that the law relating to tenn
porary relief could be improved by
amendment so that a correlation between
the conditions under which temporary
permanent relief should be governed.
Nearly all who discussed the existing
conditions favored reducing the period of
residence required to establish a settle
ment Mr.. Lehlback suggested that five
years would be a sufficient time to ac-
quire right to receive permanent aid
from a municipality. Edward A. Ram
som, Jr., of Jersey City called attention
to the fact that the present law is favor
able alien poor, inasmuch, he claimed,
as the non-citizen was able to claim pub
lie relief without settlement. This was
controverted by statement by Prosecu-
tor William Speer, Of Hudson County, a
member Of the commission, who pointed
out that the law regulating the giving of
temporary relief gave person no legal
under residence of one year.
Mr.. Lehlbach found much to criticize
in the operation Of the law relating to
desertion and non-support cases. There
We're instances always coming up, he
said, when the existing law is inade-
quate. He referred to the process of
placing delinquent husbands under bond
to compel them to support their families.
The law. he said, does not provide for
the giving of cash bonds, yet that metll-
od had been found, by experience, 70
work successfully in many cases. He
stated that in his handling of desertion
cases he had caused on various occa-
sions, regardless Of the fact that the
statutes did not provide for it, to have
a cash bond given where convictions Of
non-support had been had
This arrangement enabled the overseer
Of the poor, in some cases. to draw upon
the sum on deposit for the payment of
alimony, when the bonded person failed
to make the required payment. He sug-
gcsted that it might be a wise thing to
write provision Of that nature INTO the
statutes.
Nj. Ransom suggested that an oppor-
tun5ty should be given a bondsman to
surrender his charge before the expira-
ton of the year fixed by the law. He
argued that many persons consent to go
on the bonds-of men convicted Of nom
support in order to give tile one con-
victed an opportunity to properly provide
for his family. These experiments had
sometimes resulted disastrously to the
bondsmen and the speaker thought It
might be good thing to meet such SIT
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