The Penn's Grove record., 1915-11-26
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER %, 1915
STATE CAPITAL NEWS.

STATE CAPITAL NEWS.
CONTINUED from page u
The Wittpenn Democrats of Hudson
County. who were successful at the cleo
ton November 2, have filed their list of
campaign receipts and expenditures. The
total expenses were $6,161. Naval Officer
Wittpenn was the largest contributor, Civ
ing $500.
The boom of Senator Austen Colgate,
of Essex, for the Republican nomination
for Governor will be launched tonight at
the ball to be held in the Fourth Regl-
ment Armory, in Jersey City. The ball
will be held under the auspices of the
Employees Mutual Aid Association of Col
gate and Co., of Jersey City, the firm
of which Senator Colgate is the head.
Political friends of Senator Colgate have
decided that the ball will be a good place
to start the Colgate g~ubernatorial cam
paign. Senator Colgate will be present
and the outlook is that his boom will get
a good send off.
=
Senator Walter e. Edge, of Atlantic
City, although he has not yet formally an
nounced himself a candidate for Governor
on the Republican ticket, is actively at
work in his campaign. He is delivering
speeches in various sections of the state
and in other ways is working to advance
his candidacy.
William L. Saunders, of North Plain
field, who has been mentioned as a pos
sible- candidate for the Democratic nomin-
alton for United States Senator next
year declares that he will not seek the
nomination. He says: "Under no circum-
stances will / be a candidate for this or
any other place. 1 am too busy"
. .
After hearing argument yesterday, At
torney General Wescott reserved decis-
ion on the application 70 Join in quo war;
ranto proceedings to test the election of
commissioners in Bayonne under the
Walsh Commission government act. The
application followed the recent decision
of the Errors Court in upholding the cleo
ton of the Commissioner upon the
ground that an existing government can
not be attacked by private citizens, but
only by the Attorney General. Having
lost their case in the Court of Errors,
the old Bayonne officials who are fighting
the new government upon the ground that
the election was not legal, have now ask
ed the Attorney General to join them in
the quo wa%rranto suit. The question of
the c~onstiutionality of the Hennessy pre-
ferential voting act of 1914 for commits
sion government cities is involved in the
proceedings.
In his annual report just submitted to
Governor Fielder, State Road Commits
sioner Stevens declares that it will cost
SOL 100000 to improve all the roads of
the state He also says radical changes
are necessary in the improved road pol
icy of the state if a proper highway sys-
TEN is to be created and maintained.
This huge cost of road improvement in
cludes all of the 15,00U miles of roads in
New Jersey, and is based upon an esti-
mate of $4,000 a mile fore state roads;
$4,000 a mile for country roads, and &c.
900 a mile for local roads.
Commissioner Stevens shows that
there is now one automobile ia this state
for every 32.4 of the population and that
the number is growing at a tremendous
rate. Looking at it from another angle,
the Commissioner says there are six autos
for every mile of road, not including city
streets. He states that as a fair av-
cTdRey all dulOIlODllc IldhInS O,OOO ulllcS !
a year in6icts a damage of from $50 to
$35 on our roads and pays a license fee
of $3.50. He points out, too, that the
increase in the motor vehicles license
fees has not been at all proportionate to
the increase in the demand for assist
ance from the several counties. This
year, he states, it has not been possible
20 provide more than about 20 per cent.
of kha rnnnar fhof chnT1d houa ham cnant ]
in road repairs and maintenance.
Commissioner Stevens declares there
is drastic need of reform in state road
legislation, and that until this reform is
accomplished the state is i'll prepared to
meet the needs of the situation.
. . .
The State Association of Boards of
Freeholders met at the State House on
Monday and discussed the bill which is
being prepared for the Legislature and
which will provide for what the Freehold
ers claim will be an improvement in the
distribution of the state funds to the
Saunties for road construction and re-
pair. It was, the general opinion of
those present that there should be import
ant changes in the distribution of the
money from the state automobile fund.
H al SOhlCA0N0 NLoN NhAO AACANJ oACoAo
be distributed on a percentage basis and
that each county should be required to
make some appropriation from its own
funds before the state would make an
allotment, as an evidence of good faith
and a guarantee that the county would
maintain its roads.
There was criticism that too much red
tape is now required to get the money
from the automobile fund, and frequently
it is received by the counties too late in
the season to make proper repairs.
. .
Here are the principal contributors to
the Democratic state campaign fund, as
shown by the statement filed with Sec
rotary of State Martin, by Gen. Dennis
F. Cillins, treasurer of the State Com
mittee Governor Fielder, 800; State
Treasurer Grosscup, $500; Deputy State
rrraaSJrar Wara Of Cumhar1apd COOK. [