Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1910-10-29
COL. EDGES ADDRESS
Delivered at Red Mems Hall to the Voters
Of Pleasantville on October 18th.

II know you are interested in union
labor, he sand. Il happen to be one Of
the members of the Employers Liability
Commission, which is composed of two
employers, two representatives of labor
and two members of the Legislature. ]
am one of the latter We have been
meeting al lover the State to investi-
gate conditions, and will hold meeting
in Camden tomorrow.
This committee purpose to bring out
and present at the next meeting of the
legislature the compensation section Of
the Labor Act. 1t means that the Com
mission will fix the amount of compen-
sation for man who shall be injured
and that he will be able to get it with
out going to the trouble and expense Of
going into court to collect damages 1t
is going to be my pleasure to introduce
this bill and do all possibly can for its
passage. The employers should be made
to pay reasonable figure on the loss
of limb or life. | am an employer and
| will be as much affected by the bill as
others.
The Game Laws
Now just word as to the game
laws. | fought for change of law
governing the hunting Of deer | voted
for bill passed in the house to permit
of the only sane and humane way Of
hunting deer-with dogs so that the
wounded animals would not wander
away in the woods ana suffer and ulti
mately die of their wounds. That bill
was vetoed. fought for the Spring
shooting, and as result we still have
our Spring shooting here and elsewhere
along the coast. And we are going to
fight, also, to extend the season for
shooting shelldrake."
Mr.. Coles Road"
The speaker touched upon the sub
ject of good, yoads and said that in spite
of all the expenditures for this object in
the State, Pleasantville had not gotten
what it wanted, although it was no
fault of the borough or the Republican
Board of Freeholders The latter had
awarded contract, but it had been
certioraried by Democratic members of
the Board, through the medium of Mr..
Cole, the Democratic leader of the coun-
ty. Hearty applause greeted these re
marks.
Touching the question of the increased
fare on the trolley lines between Allan
tic City and Pleasantville, Mr.. Edge said
it was Mr. Cole who had represented the
two roads in their merger, and then.
when the people complained through
their counsel, Mr.. Chandler had said that
it was a matter of personal grudge on
the part of the latter when he carried
the fight fora fve-eent fare before the
JT+iI;+;oe az Tranfnn
The Utilities Bill
Mr.. Edge told his hearers that the
first step in controlling corporations was
made at Trenton last Winter by the
passage of the Utilities Bill. He said
the rate making clause was not inserted
at that time, but would be at the next
session of the Legislature. 1t could not
have affected the trolley situation even
had it been in the original bill, because
that did not become operative until July,
and the merging of the trolley com
panies with their increase of fare was
effected prior to that time. In spite OF
this fact he said, criticism was made be-
cause the rate clause was not i'll the bill
| gave fair notice that we would make
the rate clause, and we are going to do
it,
On The Oyster Bill
"A word about the oyster question
am not an oysterman, but when | was
chosen to represent you IN the Legs
Iature tried to familiarize myself con
cerning one of the leading industries OF
the county Year after year the bust
ness has gone down because it did not
have the protection of the laws of the
State. and men who had made good
money at it got so they could hardly
make living. A bill was passed by the
Legislature providing for the leasing OF
grounds. There was a proviso III the
lease that the grounds shall be improved
to certain extent each year. Every
man has the chance to lease from one TO
five acres of ground at a cost OF from S3
to Sl5. There is absolutely nothing i'll
the bill that will take anything from
ANYBODY. but there is in the measure
provision to build up profitable business
of his own"
The speaker called attention to the
failing of the business at Scullvllle and
other places in Egg Harbor Township.
He said young men were leaving these
places and going to the cities because
there was nothing there for them to do.
1t became the duty Of the speaker as
representative of the county to do what
he could to remedy this condition, and
as a result of talk with a number Of
the oystermen of the county had drawn
the bill for the leasing of the grounds.
He said he was not the Oyster Commits
sioner and had no part in the parcellln2
of the lands. If any man. however, could
show where he was not getting square
deal under the bill, however, he would do
everything possible to see that he did
get it.
Brands a Falsehood
There is not a word of truth in the
statement that has been made to the
effect that the natural beds were includ-