Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1909-01-15

balance OF these state lands on tbs
leasehold system and see what the re-
suit may be.
l recommend that legislation be en-
acted prohibiting further grants on the
Hudson river, Newark bay or XIII o
Kull, but that the commissioners be
authorized to make leases Of these
lands for 100 years at a definite rate OF
rental per annum and with the option
to purchase at the end of the lease or
of a 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 APP
pointed by the court of chancery.
Forest Fires.
Fifty-four thousand acres of the
timbersd 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 a hopeful improvement. Thirty per
cent of the fires are definitely traced
to being started by railroad locomo-
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 Reformstory.
The opening of the Railway reforma-
tory In 1900 was welcomed by all In
terested in penal reform as a great
step in advance. The results UP 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
sttution was not the right one He
seemed to be impressed with the idea
that the institution was a 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 thar 500 acres of land, upon
which the inmates could be employed
The new Sing Sing prison has 1900
acres. The Massachusetts, refoFma-
tory has 600 acres and the Ohio TOO;
other similar state institutions have
like farms.
There is quite a little land yet pur-
chasable about the Railway institu-
ton which the state should immediate
ly secure, while It can be done at a
reasonable price at private sale, or con-
denim 1t 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 rs 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 will probably
have to pay $4,000 per mum for wa
ter from a private company. For $18,-
900 a driven well system can .be In
stalled with a 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
horita moo to xas on5 FRO pcfapo Iact xvaaR
produced a revenue to the state of
$247, 1906.
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
inquiries and Investigations that L
have been able to make lead me to be-
lieve 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 requests or devlses are
subject to tax. l recommend hat pro-
vision be made for the appointment of
an official with full power as to col
l~ections under this law. He could save
his salary many times over.
Commission and Departmental Reports.
The last Legislature either appointed