Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-01-09


gSfous1y outlineai. With prophetic arftlei-
ration the last legislature opened the way
by providing for the appointment OF COM
missions to investigate and secure intor-
nation upon many of4the questions that
will come before you. 1t is your good Tor
tune to have the opportunity of setting
these questions and of associatlng your
selves with measures that will keep New
Jersey an example for emulation.
State Finances.
Thp finances of our state continue in eN-
cellent condition. An income without a
state tax sufficient to pay the state eX-
penses and help defray municipal eX-
penses is a source of satisfaction. 1t is
not. however. a justification of eXtrava-
gance either In expenditure or aFpropria-
tion. Economy must continue TO be our
policy. The advertised surplus in the
treasury has invited many large and Of
ten t%houghtless demands upon the state
purse. Oct. 81, the close of the fiscal
year. finds a large balance on hand. rms
is an overnight balance, however, ana ls
absorbed by it's debts the next morning.
on Oct. 81, 1905, the overnight balance in
the treasury was S2,S5S. 39S1S. Nov. l, the
next morning, it was confronted by op-
legations in the way OF appropriations au-
thorized by the legislature amounting 10
Sl,3O1. 1857, so that the treasury palahce
at its highest point is less than TWO
thirds of the annual authorized eNpendl-
tire of the state. This sum is sufficient
for practical purposes, but none too large
for safe financiering and never a reason
for careless expenditure.
Care in Legislation.
7 had occasion last year to request the
legislature to exercise greater care IN inc
preparation and consideration OF hllls'
Some bills were evidently never read by
the introducers. A vast majority oil the
bills showed great carelessness in capt.
taliZation and punctuation; IN some cases
to such an extent that the meaning OIL
the language was obscured. There IS no
reason why q public act should not be so
phrased and so punctuated that it will
stand the test of good English and be
easily understood by the ordinary reader.
The titles Of a large number of the bills
were defective. Under the decisions OF
the courts defective titles are not neces-
sarily fatal to an act. For that reason l
did not feel warranted in rejecting meas
ures solely on that account. There Is no
reason, however. why the titles TO bills
should not We correct, and, having made
this suggestion to the Legislature in ad'
vance. | shall feel warranted i'll insisting
upon it's observance.
Cognate TO this subject is the growing
tendency to multiply laws, to the confu'
sion OF our statutes.
For ten years the legislature has aver
aged $50 separate acts n year. This IN
creasing mass of undigested and conflict
ing legislation, much of it passed for
specific purposes, without regard to its
relation to our general system of juris-
prudence, makes it we'll nigh impossible
to know the law and more difficult to IN
terpret the law. This burdens the people
with litigation, not so much to settle dis
,,,,ta. &C tn ascertain what tho law is. Ii
makes difficult the performance of Off
cial duty and especially the financing of
municipal expenses. Such a system must
in time fail of its own weight. Governor
Griggs laid down as the test of legislation
the rule that no law should be passed UNI
less its necessity was unquestioned. That
! rule is more applicable today than when
he stated it ten years ago.
Dependents.
In my inaugural ] called attention to
the work OF the state in the care of its
dependents. About 30 per cent of the
states disbursements are given to this
cause. The state is today caring for or
aids In the care of 5,z57 insane persons,
595 feeble minded, 80 blind and in addition
to these there are in the state prison and
the Railway reformatory 1,65S inmates.
The State tIome For Girls contains 15i
inmates ard the State Home For Boys
l73.
70 provide f5r n moro careful super
vision of the states charities the last leg
~islaturG created a department of chari-
tics and corrections. The work of that
department has fully justified its crea-
ton. Its expenses have amounted In its
eight months OF existence to, 5,S50.22. Tn
der the former system the architects fees
alone upon the sum appropriated by the
Legislature for improvements would have
,-,,,T,,tnl 40 g. 1EQ a. en- 1oA No NJ nIn than.
the total cost of this department for a
year at it's present ratio of expense.
The -legisA!ture appropriated S55S, 166. for
the erection of a new wing to the state
prison. for oha to the State hospital at
Trenton. for a raw building at the State
Home For Giris aa,3 for various improve
ments in the way OF lighting and heating.
Ordinarily deficiency appropriations are
required 10 complete contemplated i'm
proVements. Under the supervision of
this department. the purposes of the legiS-
lature in apprepriating the sum above re-
ferred to will be carried out at an eX-
pense of $500, PSI and a saving of $j5, 400.
The department has not yet had time
TO thoroughly investigate the question of
what imposition the state may be suffer-
ing in the care Of its wards. 1t is proba-
BILE that a considerable number of those
now maintained by the state should be
cared for in whole or in part by their i'm
( mediate relatives. An encpllment of the
inmates of all our penal, reformatory and
charitable institutions is now under way.
When this is finished the state will have
not only a complete record of every one
Of its dependents, but viii be able to as
certain how many are worthy of the
states bounty and how many should he
cared for at the expense of relatives, who
have a legal as we'll as a moral duty to
ward the unfortunate members of their
family.
\ conference of the heads of the vari-
Gus state institutions is held quarterly or
moro frequently at the discretion of the
commissioner of charities and corrections.
! At these conferences are discussed ques-
lions affecting the management of our in
stitutlons and the welfare of their in
mates. New Jersey is unique among the
states in this particular feature. which
would seem to provide all the advantages
of a state board Of control without any of
it's weaknesses.
a number of the penal Institutions of
the country are not only self supporting,
but add to the revenues of the state. The
commissioner of charities and corrections,
at my request. made u report upon the
cost of maintenance OF our penal institu-
tons. which will be found in his annual
,1vn,t wand If ia ,rOlv pnNstl4i4