Gloucester County Democrat., 1909-01-14
[Continued from Second Page.l


harm to Try an experiment with the
balance of these state lands on the
leasehold system and see what the re-
suit may be.
| recommend that legislation be en-
acted prohibiting further grants on the
Hudson river, Newark bay or XIII Won
Kull, but that the commissioners be
authorized to make leases of these
lands for 100 years at definite rate of
rental per annum and with the option
to purchase at the end of the lease or
of renewal for another 100 years at
a sale or rental price then to be fixed
by mutual agreement, or in default Of
such agreement by commissioners ap-
pointed by the court of chanceey.
Forest Fires.
Fifty-four thousand acres of the
timbered lands in this state were
burned over by fires the past year, and
yet this is so much less than for many
years before that, while still serious,
is hopeful improvement. Thirty per
cent of the fires are definitely traced
to being started by railroad locemo-
tives, and it is believed by the state
forester that fully 60 per cent is due
to this cause.
A bill was presented last year to the
legislature by the state forestry board
seeking legislation providing for fire
lines along the railways of the state
through forest sections. This is wise
legislation, and the present year where
such lines have existed no fires have
occurred.
Railway Reformatory.
The opening of the Railway reforma-
tory in 1900 was welcomed by all in
terested in penal reform ais a great
step in advance. The results I'D to
this time have not fully justified ex-
pectations. The difficulty has been
within and not without the institution.
The theory of the late head of the in
stitution was not the right one He
seemed to be impressed with the idea
that the institution was prison and
that the inmates should be treated as
prisoners. This idea was radically
wrong. 1t is to me a serious problem
as to whether the state should not turn
this institution into an adjunct state
prison and relocate a reformatory, con-
structing it on modern lines. A new
state prison will be a necessity very
shortly.
A reformatOry should have about it
not less than 800 acres of land, upon
which the inmates could be employed.
The new Sing Sing prison has 1900
acres. The Massachusetts reforma-
tory has 600 acres and the Ohio 700;
other similar state institutions have
like farms.
There is quite little land yet pur-
chasable about the Railway institu-
tion which the state should immediate
ly secure, while it can be done at
reasonable price at private sale, or con-
denim it by legal proceedings. Our
present farm at Railway has only
about eighty acres. The inmates can
work the farm and provide a very
large percentage of their sustenance,
beside raising considerable produce for
the market This is the best method
of employing the prisoners and is per
fectly safe and healthful
The institution also needs a water
supply of its own. At present it is
paying over $4,000, and as soon as the
new wing is operated win probably
have to pay $4,000 per annum for wa
ter from private company. For $1S,-
600 driven well system can be in
stalled with full water supply. The
economy of this is self evident Trade
schools should also be established here.
Collateral Inheritance Tax.
The collections from the collateral in
heritance taxes and transfers last year
produced revenue to the state Of
$247, 1896.
Under the late decision of the court
of errors and appeals the state will
probably lose some revenue from the
transfer of stock held by estates prior
to May Is, 1906, and we may be also
compelled under this decision to re-
imburse for payments previously made
under protest prior to this law The
A1Q QO1l1Cc dlo IlAb SSllSdtlOuS atudl l.
have been able to make lead me to be-
lieye that we are not receiving all the
revenue from the collateral inheritance
tax which we should; this probably
without the fault of any particular of
ficials. The matter is largely now in
the hands of the several surrogates of
the counties and the collections in
some counties are looked after much
more closely than in others. Counties
of about the same population should
return about the same average reve-
nue., and an examination of figures
shows this not to be true. There should
be some power somewhere for investi-
CATION into estates and examination of
executors, for the purpose of ascer-
tanning what bequests or devises are
subject to tax. | recommend that pro-
vision be made for the appointment of
ST. g. L