Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-01-14

mpowe the board OF public utilit.
commissioners 70 order the abolition
of such grade crossings I'm such way
and ct such a rate "a will adjust thei
orders to each particular case and Sc
OF circumstances. The act conferrini
the power can and should make O
that power n legal duty imposed upoI
he commission, the discretion OF th'
commissioners to exist only In respec
OF their right to guide. direct and ad
inst the processes of elimination In .
thoroughly practical fashion. ! can
not too strongly urge this matter upor
your attention.
Urges Full Crew Bill.
And while / am speaking Of railways
permit me 10 urge another piece or leg
| wislation upon you which seems to me
essential both to the safety of travel
on the railways and to the fair protec-
ton of certain classes of railway EN-
ployees. / refer to the so called Fun
Crew bill, whose failure to pass the
last legislature was so much depl0red
by all who had noted its introduction
and its significance. II Is Of the high
est consequence that railway trains
which pass through the state should
! be manned by adequate crews, and to
me. for one, 1t Is Il matter of chagrtu
that they should now carry smaller
crews through New Jersey than through
PENNSYLVANIA, with whom we are link
ed by SO many important lines Of rail
way. This Is a matter which we can
not afford to neglect. II 1t cannot be
satisfactorily handled In an act IT
might also very well be put in the
lands of the public utility commission
ers by addition to their powers.
The legislature of 1911 went a long
way toward recognizing the right Of
| full self government on the part of the
municipalities Of the state when 1t
passed the excellent bill permitting the
towns and cities of the state to adopt
the commission form of government at
| their pleasure. That was q great step
IN advance. 1t has been distinctly to
the disadvantage Of the cities and
| GOWNS Of New Jersey that the iegisla-
tufe has undertaken to regulate their
| affairs aud their powers 80 infinitely
| from Trenton. Only the fullest and
| freest rights OF self government will
| stimulate them to serve their citizens
RS they shouid be served. The path
Of reform in that field IL unquestiona-
bly, the path of greater freedom. The
| question Of municipal government is
| perhaps the most serious question con-
corning the organization of methods OF
government that now confrOnts us as
a nation. | covet for New Jersey the
honor of showing the way Of liberty
and self respecting reorganization. We
should set our municipalities free to
organize their lives and exercise the
functions of self government with less
dependeucl upon the legislature of the
state.
System Of Accounting.
At the same time there are matters
In which uniform state regulation car
be made Of immense assistance to the
municipalities. For example, 1t seems
W LAG iiiltthlNC tha u Dyo
tenn and method Of accounting and OF
public financial reports should be pre-
scribed by statute for the financial au
thorities OF our towns and cities.
hope that this legislature will be able
to formulate and pass such n measure
The information and materials are al
hand. In this matter. more perhaps
than In any other. students of munich
pal nTairs have come to a substantial
agreement, both as to methods and as
to the practical advantages to be
gained.
While the legislature should give over
Its attempt to govern the cities from
Trenton. there are other things to
which 1t can turn Its attention In
which we are beginning to see a new
and Immensely beneficial function fot
the state. The farmer has not been
served as he might be and should be
We have set up and subsidized agri-
cultural schools. horticultural schools,
schools of poultry breeding and the
rest, and they have done excellent
wv ouk hopINtt VI ohotiN w
hearty and generous. But a more eff.
fective way still has been found by
which the farmer can be served. Lee
lures and schools and experimental
farms attached to schools like labora.
tories are excellent. but they do no
and cannot Of themselves push theil
work home.
Carry School Work to Farms.
The thing that tells is demonstration
work. The knowledge of the schools
should be carried out to the farms
themselves. Or. Seaman A. Knapp
found the way when he was sent into
the south to fight the boil weevii.
Choosing a good farm and n good
farmer here and there. he showed the
farmer how to cultivate part Of IL field.
gave him simple fundamental direc-
lions, brought him selected seed aud
made frequent visits afterward TO see
that his directions were carried out.
or course the neighbors promptly took
notice and the ext season did the
same things, with the same results
good crops, earlier crops. crops that
the weevil Was no match for. And
fighting the weeyil was only an incl
dent. The work grew in every direc-
ton. not work In the schools, but work
suggested and directed by men sent
out from the schools to take science
to the farm. until the agricultural de.