Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-01-10

fahar1ss ana 81 existanx o5stsr cpuu'
missions and put thena aIl under ! New
ttthe Of **oysters aah M game de-
partnenf' with i well sAlasfed com
missioner at sts head with full power,
with the approval of tins governor, to
appointesIi assistants neceesary TO con
duct the department and enforce the
law.
The esenu from gunncrs' licenses,
oyster leases, fines and the like would
amount, even at the present rate of
charges, to not less than 100000 per
year, aud this would amply provide
for all the cost of the department
With this Arrangement would come
greater econon IN administration. as
the assistants would be busy all the
year In the different branches OF the
service In their respective seasons.
There are no branches OF the state
service which need systernatizfng more
than those relating 10 oysters, fish and
game.
The Ripsriaa Lands.
Liz "CAA VI tdO IAkoAAaa fV14
for the past year Is worthy of high
praise. 1t has increased the price Of
riparian lands and leases. During the
past three years over 100000 has
been turned into the permanent school
fund OF the state. This Is equal to
ene-flfth OF all revenue derived from
this source since 1874. 1t is q splendid
G Hrrytan Thn rxrocApf roxa<nor nAti-
fed the commissioners to Increase the
price Of all state lands, and this has
been done. In some cases the raise
has equaled several hundred per cent
OF the old sale price. Even at this
price the demands have been great.
There is but q limited supply OF these
lands IN the harbor Of New York and
Its vicinity. and their value is very
great. The prices fixed have IN no
case retarded great industries from
coming to us, nor will they hereafter.
The present riparian commission and
the governor have worked In perfect
harmony. with splendid results to the
state. BY proper management and by
securing fair prices for the remaining
riparian lands the permanent school
fund Of the state can easily be in
creased In a few years to at least $780,
100000, thus assuring a very large In
crease IN the interest account for free
public school purposes.
R~evaiuation Of Railroad Property.
BY Joint resolution No. 3, laws OF
1909, the legislature authorized the be-
ginning Of a systematic r~evaiuation OF
railroad property for the purposes OF
state taxation. BY chapter BOT of the
laws of 1910 that work was directed
to be continued and to be completed
done and win be fully completed and
reported upon. So far as surface In
dfcations can determine, 1t appears to
have been well done. 1t has had the
most competent appraisers that the
governor was able to secure.
The act Of 1909 directed the appoint
ment of three commissioners and
named Sept. l of the same year as the
date for completing the work. OF
course 1t soon became apparent that 1t
would take more than a year to do the
work. The appropriation OF 1909 was
exhausted by Sept. l, 1909, and the
commissioners were In the midst of
important work to make necessary the
very intelligent preliminary report
which they made to the legislature OF
1910. At the suggestion OF the gov
ernor they continued with their work
during the months of September ara
October. 1909, without my L WAS ex-
pected to pay them for this service out
of the appropriation In the supplement
tai bill of 1910. but-it was found to be
so worled that the governor and comp
troller did not feel justified In so doing.
with the result that over $4,000 of the
appropriation for this work lapsed on
Oct. 81, 1910. The amount due the threa
commissioners for the two months de-
voted 10 the state was under the terms
OF their employment $2,oo0 each, being
$1,000 in all (half the lapsed sum above
stated, and I recommend that this
money so earned be appropriated at
the present session that they may be