The Penn's Grove record., 1915-02-05
LEGISLATURES MANY OFFICERS.
Special Committee Named to Advise
Reduction of Force.

Special Committee Named to Advise
Reduction of Force.
Speaker Godfrey, of the Assembly,
has appointed five members Of the
Assembly incidental expense commit
tee to act with a Senate committee
to investigate the workings Of the
Senate and Assembly with reference
to the routine Of the passage of laws
and the number of officers and en-
ployes and their compensation, with
a view to a more scientific and orderly
method Of legislation. The members
OF the committee are: Stevens, of
Cape May; Conrad, of Ocean; Ham
mond, of Nero IT, and Wolf, of Essex,
Republicans; and Johnson, of Bergen,
Democrat. The Senate committee
comprises Hutchinson, of Mercer, and
Mathis, of Ocean, Republicans, and
McGinnis, OF Passaic, Democrat. Some
time ago Republican State Chairman
Newton A. K. Bugbee at a dinner in
Trenton criticised the Republican ma
jority in the Legislature for not cut
ting off some of the offices in the two
Houses. He declared that there were
too many officers and employees, and
n the interest of the economy pledged
in the Republican platform some of
them should be eliminated. Senator
Read, of Camden, answered this by
saying that the Republicans had pro-
ceeded according to an act passed by
the Democrats last year, and it was
proposed to investigate the matter
before anything different was done.
The present law provides for ~forty-two
employees in the Senate, or just twice
the number of Senators, their salaries
for a session aggregating $4,000. In
the Assembly s%ixty1seven employees
are provided, the total salaries being
$27,950. This is a total of 100 en-
ployes and SAL $50 in salaries.
The bills upon the passage of which
the present session of the Legislature
will have to rest its case, as 20 wheth-
er or not the session will be worth
while, have nearly all been introduced
and are now in the hands of commit
tee. 1t has been pointed out often that
the political elements making up both
houses intend to move with caution.
There is that ~green-eyed monster,
Jealousy, to stand in the way of any
thing that might bring too much credit
to n party or the other.
The important bills, or at least most
of them, are now in hand and the next
few weeks of the session will be de-
voted to a simmering down of opinions
so that out of the grist may come
those measures which the leaders of
the majority party think should pass.
Already there are bills in the hands of
committees which will require much
careful consideration and political
backbone to put through. In this list
may be found the eight measures pro-
Viding for the carrying out Of the
economy and efficiency program; the
three bills looking toward the aban-
donment of the Morris and Essex Can
al; the measure providing for the abo-
lition of county tax boards; the bill
that would reduce the salaries of the
members of the judiciary; the local
option measure; the equal suffrage
resolution to submit the question to
the people; the bill to make one great
city of Hudson County; the measure
that will allow the Rockefeller Foun-
dation to spend a million dollars on a
bureau of animal research in this
state; the resolution providing for a
constitutional amendment to increase
the salaries of the members of the
Legislature; the measure that will
d~isqualify Judge Heppenheimer from
sitting in the re-argument of the gas
case; the liberal Sunday measures
and a few others that bring up inter-
esting and vital questions.
The economy and efficiency meas
ures are bringing out the greatest lob
by that set of bills have had in many
years. There seems to be a feeling
among those board members affected
that ONE of the bills will be passed
and others will fall by the wayside.
The lobby is trying to convince the
legislators that the way-side is a fine
place for many of the bills. Republi-
cans and Democrats make up this
lobby, and there are many strange
alliances to defeat the economy meas
ures. On some Of the boards are
found strong party Democrats with
Republicans allied with the Baird wing
Of their party. By an understanding,
the Democratic members of the board
are to attend to the members of the
Legislature of that political party. 1t
can be seen from this arrangement,
which exists in almost every depart
ment affected by any of the eight bills,
it is a strong proposition and unless
there is some backbone to the mem
bers some of the economy bills are
going to fail.