Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-01-10

stats and of the several county cIerkn.
that all weights may be- tested there
by. So far as | am able to learn, there
il no authentic set OF standard weights
IN any of those offices, nor Is there
any supervision by the state over the
weights and measures used by deal
ers in this state. The evasion of the
law Ia this regard Is a. fraud upon Il
vast body of our people. and II is quite
extensive. (
In my view, the supervision Of all
Weighing and measuring devices
should be placed under the department
of labor. This department has a suf
hcient force to do this work and could
do 1t most satisfactorily without ad
didonai cost. l recommend such leg
islation.
State Fish and Game Commission
The state fish and game commission
Is not, in my Judgment, doing It's work
as efficiently as it could be done. The
commission should be abolished and =
single commissioner appointed at a
reasonable salary, who should be re-
quired to devote all his time to the du-
ties of the office.
The revenue which this commission
now receives under its several license
laws and from zines amounted the last
fiscal year to about -&eS.500. Besides
this, several thousand dollars were also
appropriated from the state treasury.
The department now has four COM
~missioners. a secretary, a protector and
twenty-five wardens. The salary of
the wardens should be increased and
they be required to devote all their
time to the work.
The state OF New York has but q
single commissioner, who also has all
the large forest reserves under his
charge
The work could be done to much
greater advantage by a single head
and the state. | am sure, would gel
much better results. The eyenue now
received is abundant to cover ail ex-
pense. and the cost would not be
ceeded by a reorganization as here
suggested. All expense should be paid
from the license fees and fines. They
nre abundant for the purpose.
The Oyster Industry.
The value qfthe oyster Industry of
the state last Year was about $4,000
900. Most of the oyster lands are
state lands leased to the planter. The
total revenue derived from these leases
last year was about $4,000. The high
est lease price charged per acre per
year is IS, while many are leased as
low as so cents per acre.
In my judgment this price is entirely
inadequate, The oyster growers In
other states pay as high as $40 per
acre for good oyster planting lands, In
no sense superior to ours. The truth
Is that our oyster regulation policy is
a mere policy of favor without any
general system of any kind.
We have a commissioner of shell
fisheries. We have a so called state
oyster commission and a separate COM
mission for Atlantic county and an
other for Ocean county and a single
commissioner for Shark river In Mon
mouth county. All these are paid off,
Gals, and In my Judgment after full
inspection and inquiry all are
sary.
There should be but one oyster CON-
missioner with power to engage the
necessary deputies to patrol and pro-
tect the Industry
The present system has not been self
supporting until recently. The rev
enue barely ove the expense now.
Properly and economically managed,
with Just and fair rentals, 1T would
pay sufficient to cover all the expense
Of administration, leasing. ~patrelling,
and return, az 1t should, some revenne
to the state. The system here sug-
gested also would abolish the faverit-
ism now 30 evidently prevalent, The
present system is not for the benefit
of the state.
The economical way would be TO
abolish the present fish and game com
mission and the commissioner of she'll