The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1909-01-12

and its duties transferred, if<any transfer
is necessary, to the warden and supervisor,
respectively, as may be proper.
1t was my purpose to recommend in my
inaugural a year ago the consolidation OF
the Bureau of Statistics of Labor and IN.
dnstries with the Department of Labor, but
at the earnest solicitation, both in writing
and verbally, of the chief of the bureau,
l withheld recommendation in order that
! might observe the working of these two
departments for a year. This experience
has fully confirmed my original view and
| strongly recommend that the Bureau OF
Statistics of Labor and Industries be
merged into the Department Of Labor, n
that proper provision be made for a deputy
IN that department who shall have charge
of what now is the Bureau Of Statistics OF
llAabor and Industries. There is no JUSTIN
cation for the continued expense of both
these bureaus.
Experience has also convinced me that
there is no reasonable excuse for the con-
tinuance of five member of the State
Water supply Commission. This should be
q department under a single head. The
present cost of this department is $500 to
each of the five commissioners, besides
clerical expenses incident thereto. If there
were a single commissioner, with a salary
of $1,000, who should devote his time, or a
large part of it, to the performance of his
duties, equally good results would be at
tained at very much less expense: 1t does
not look to me as If there would be very
much for this commission to do for some
time, and the State ought not be put to the
expense of continuing 1t under the circum-
SIanCeS. Expenses Oh cOI1ullSSlcilS lh6
this, with no ground for their appointment
at such salaries, Is one of the Just causes
of complaint against alleged e~xtravagant
commissions that is made by the people;
l recommend that the department be
reduced to a single head.
| also think that there are too many
Oyster COMMISSIONS in the State and that
there should be a bureau with a single
dustry in New Jersey.
Inland Waterways.
The Legislature, at its last session, by an
act approved March IL, 1908, authorized the
creation of a Department of Inland Water
ways, and subsequently, by an act approved
April 6, 1903, the sum of 100000 was ap-
propriated to cover the cost of the con-
struction of a waterway, pursuant to a sur
Veyed route from Cape May to Bay Head:
of the sum appropriated, 5000 was made
available in the supplemental and annual
appropriation bills.
The act OF April 6. 1903, authorized the
Governor to determine the point or points
at which construction should commence,
and it was decided to begin first at the
Bay Head section. where about one-half
mile OF excavation would open the entire
length of Barnegat Bay, a distance Of
about twenty-seven miles, to free naviga-
tion of ali craft drawing not more than five
feet of water. This section was let to
Richard Lamb on the basis of 14h cents
per cubic yard. The excavation and the
work Is now well under way and almost
completed. The people interested in Bay
LN@Ao hNAN oASC 80 IN Will aS0Ol l "
a very large basin as q harbor
for the anchorage of boats at Bay Head,
and very great Improvement has resulted
from the work done there,
Another section of the work was COM
menced at Cape May, TO continue as far
as the appropriation would warrant toward
Ocean City. The work on this is being
rapidly pushed by the American Dredging
Company, to whom the contract was
awarded. The contract taken by this com
pany was one of the lowest in price for
dredging work ever awarded, being but SO
cents per cubic yard. They have done a
very large amount of work already and the
channel will undoubtedly be open from
Cape May to Ocean City by next summer;
and If proper appropriation is made at this
session of the Legislature, I hope that the
entire channel will be open between Bay
Head and Cape May within a year.
l earnestly recommend that provision
be made for further continuance of the
work by proper appropriation, and that a
canal be dug between Bay Head and the
Manasquan River. When this canal is
completed the head waters of Barnegat
Bay will be salt and about 5000 acres of
oyster lands will come into use. At pres
ent the water ct Bay Head is not suf-
ficiently salt for oyster propagation.
Steps should be taken by the Legislature
to request the Congress of the United
States to open M~anasquan inlet and dixie
and protect it so that ships of quite
heavy draft may find a harbor in the
Manasquan River, and smaller craft use
the inlet to approach the canal and Bar
negat Bay and thus on down to Cold Spring
hnrbor at Cane Nav