Gloucester County Democrat., 1908-04-16

be appointed sX tllc governor and to be
confirmed ~ tie evafe. The term is
10 be foar wears ard tie salary $1,000.
1t takes elfe.t ia state Offices. in six
months al.d p certain proportion
Of State Officers anseT ciTii service reg
nlation. II does sa apply TO munich
palities unless adopted by common
council OF at L pe ia election follow
ing a pesitiaa af 40 Voters.
The lesislatura's clo ing hours of in
lustry We're III marked contrast to the
leisraels u:aiHfer III which the earlier
sessions seere held Both houses were
In session .slEloSt continuously from
noon Friday nafiI .,.l0 o'clock Saturday
morning. whea tls legislative session
was declared edjogned sine die.
Public Utilities Failed.
The failnrc 10 enact any public utility
,ill was due to the inability of the
house and senate to agree. The Demo-
erats and The new idea' Republicans
insisted on House Leader Martins
measure providing for the enactment
Of bin controlling public service cor
porations with ratemaking clause
giving power to the proposed commits
sion to ascertain the cost of production
and to regulate prices to consumers.
The senate refused to pass bill with
such provision. In all other respects
The house and senate practically agreed
,n a public utility measure. Between
The contentious and the consequent dis
.ussion and wrangling over this pro-
vision no bill was passed. Governor
Fort tried to close the breach between
the adherents of the measure, but did
not succeed in getting the support of
enough members to pass the Robbins
bill Senator Colby, however, remained
firm in his determination to urge the
enactment of bill with the ratemak-
ing clause and presented a resolution
asking a continuance of the session of
the legislature until such bill became a
law Assemblyman Martin refused to
concede the practicability of the Rob
bins bill and claimed that the senate
bill would result in failure to effect the
One of the questions which will be
raised at the next election will be,
'sNho is responsible for the nonpas-
sage of a public utility bill-the regular
Republicans for not agreeing to the
Martin bill or the Democrats or the
new idea Republicans for not agree
ing to the Robbins bill?''
Despite his inaugural address, his
special message and personal appeals
Governor Fort found the legislature
could not be moyed to pass his excise
recommendations This no doubt was
the greatest disappointment Of the ses-
sion to the governor. What he wanted
above everything else was state
board with power to revoke licenses.
Apropos of the excise question, it will
he remembered also that the house de
feated local option and saved the sen
ate from the necessity of passing upon
| this question. Some of the other rec
that failed to gain the consideration
and legal enactment of the Legislature
were those for jury reform, for the
creation of the state departments of
corporations and motor vehicles, con
fcrring upon the governor the power
TO remove municipal officers from of
fee, the abolition of the county boards
of taxation and the state riparian
board The governor did not give up
hope to the last minute that the coun-
ty tax boards would be wiped out, and
it was not until midnight on Friday
that he sent his nominations to ill the
vacancies on these boards.
While the governor failed to have
many of his recommendations adopted.
all the measures. he advised, however,
We're not ignored. He succeeded in Sc
curing the passage of many of his rec
concentrations There were before the
legislature various tax bills, but the
only ones of Importance that passed
were those to regulate the taxation of
bank stock and 10 modify the Hillery
maximum tax rate law The bank
stock tax bill win greatly reduce the
assessed valuation of bank stock. The
modification of the Hillery law raises
the maximum rate for county and local
purposes from s1.75 to $2.05, provided
the county tax boards consent.
The constitutional amendments pass.
ed providing for revision of the ju-
| dietary system of the state by abolish
ing the court of errors and appeals and
the court of chancery and creating a
supreme court of three branches, law,
equity and appellate; the rediyiding OF
the counties into assembly districts
and for the election of the governor,
| senators and assemblymen in evenly
| numbered years, beginning in 1910, and
the election of county and local officers
in odd numbered years. The govern
or's term and that of the senators are
made four years and assemblymen two
years. County clerks and surrogates
will Eo nlnctad ax-n1sv civ voo,.r ana