The Penn's Grove record., 1909-01-29
SCRAP ENLIVENS
ASSEMBLYDO|NG

Several Measures introduced to Re-
Iieve the States Serious Financial
Condition = Governor Signs Two
Measures-New Public Utilities Bill
Said to Have the Executive Approval
and Is Considered More conserva-
tive Than "New Idea" Plan.
Especial Cor~respondence.1
Trenton, JAM 28.-Aside from q
scrap Tuesday morning between the
handful of new idea" men left in the
assembly and the regulars over an at
tempt Of William P. Martin of Essex
to compel committees to promptly con-
slider bills referred to them, the pro-
ceedings of the third week Of the legis-
lature were uneventful. AS soon as
the house settled down to business
Tuesday morning Mr.. Martin moved
the adoption Of his amendment to the
rules which he offered last week. This
provided that all committees should
keep a minute book showing how each
member voted on matters considered
by the committee; that the chairman,
the speaker or any two members of the
committee meeting and any five mem
bers Of the house could have a record
of a committees vote spread on the
minutes of the house.
The debate waxed warm and con
sumed almost the entire morning ses-
sion. The Democrats supported the
amendment and on the roll call voted
with Mr.. Martin, but their combined
efforts were not sufficient to save it.
and it was defeated by a vote of 20 to
80. Some surprise was expressed when
Colonel Austin Colgate, the governors
military aid and one of the Colby
leaders of Essex, voted with the ma
jority. SO much comment was made
upon the episode that Colonel Colgate
felt restrained to explain that he voted
against the amendment because it per-
mitted five members to have spread
upon the minutes a committees vote.
That. he could not stand for, he said,
but otherwise the amendment had his
support.
Governor Fort signed his first bill OF
the session Tuesday morning. 1t was
the bill introduced in the house by
Mr.. Martin and authorizes municipal.
ties to appropriate money for the prop.
er celebration of the one hundredth
anniversary of the birth of Abraham
Lincoln. The governor also signed sen
0tA inirf rnCn1,1fton NJ . ar1,o,ssn4
the ~statehouse commission to erect in
a proper position in the statehouse a
bronze memorial tablet of Abraham
Lincoln's Gettysburg speech, together
with a bust of ex-President Lincoln
such as has been adopted by the G.
installation of the bust and address
are to be conducted by the governor
and the commander of the G.. A. r.
department of New Jersey, and the
statehouse commission is authorized tc
spend $400 from its appropriation to
cover the expenses thereof.
Partisan Scrap In the Senate.
The senate also INDUCED in a little
partisan scrap Monday night over one
of the proposed constitutional amend
ments last winter-the one which
makes the term of the senators foul
years and the ~assemblymen two years
and increases their salaries from $500
to $1,000 per mum. Senator Silzel
of Middlesex started the trouble by at
tempting to pass a substitute provid.
ing for a constitutional convention
The argument was not as acrimoni
u as that Of the house, as only Mr.
Fielder of Hudson and Mr.. Gebhardt
of Hunterdon supported Mr. Silzer
and the votes of these three gentlemen
were all there were recorded in favor
Of the Middlesex mans substitute.
The senate passed two bills on Tues
day, n relating to the taking Of oys-
tiers in the Maurice river owe and the
other relating to the district courts OF
Bergen.
There was an echo of the governors
special message on the state finances
in the senate Tuesday when, on motion
of Senator Hillery of Morris, President
Robbins appointed Senators Hillery
Bradley of Morris, Frelinghuysen OF
Somerset, Republican, and Hinchliffe
of Passaic and Cornish of Warren a
committee to consider the question and
report to the senate not later than
Feb. 16.
New Utilities Bill.
A new utilities bill which many think
has the approval of the executive was
introduced in the house by Mr.. Pierce
of Union Monday night. 1t differs
somewhat from the Martin bill, intro
duced last week, and is considered
more conservative. 1t provides for a
board of four, three of whom must
confer to make an order effective. The
chairman is to receive $4,000 per an.
mum, the other members $4,000 and the
secretary $4,000. The governor is to
appoint the chairman and members.
and politics must not enter into the
appointments.
Jurisdiction is given over all utility
corporations, and the powers of the
commissioners will include the right to
compel adequate service, uniform rates
and bookkeeping, the prevention of
discrimination and rebates, the pub
fishing of rates, the making of switch
connections and connections with 9th
er railroads, rate regulation with a
court review and the supervision of
stock and bond issues.
Both this and Mr.. Martins bill have
been referred to the judiciary commit
tee, of which Mr.. Pierce is a member.
1t is generally believed that the Pierce
bill will be reported %favorably and the
Martin measure u~nfavorably.
Bill For SchooIteachers.
An attempt to keep schoolteachers
in office during good behavior and re-
move tham from the UNCERTAINTIES of