The Penn's Grove record., 1917-02-02
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1917
State News


in the Assembly yesterday lOf Tie OCdle
Motor Vehicle Department. 1t likes a
minimum fee of SIS for motor trucks Of
1000 pounds or less, and the fees ad-
vance at the rate of 81 a thousand until
the maximum of $50 for trucks of 25,OOO
pounds and over is reached. The present
maximum is $50.
Former Senator Everett Colby, of
Orange, head of the Governors Com
mission to probe the high cost of living,
was at the State House yesterday, and
said it had not yet been decided when
the Commission would begin its work.
He is counsel for the Civil Service In
yestigating Commission and stated that
the report of that Commission would
soon be completed.
=
Middlesex County Republican leaders
are urging Governor Edge to appoint
Alfred S. March, of New Brunswick,
member of the Republican State Com
mittee, as Public Utility Commissioner,
to succeed John ]. Treacey, Democrat,
of Jersey City. The term is six years
and the salary $500.
.
aITduScmtuIS AdNC Z maui W
Secretary of State Martin to mail copies
of all the bills introduced to subscribers
who pay $40 for the service, the annual
fee prescribed in the Pierce act passed
in 1915.
Residents of this state will soon learn
something officially about the reasons for
the soaring of the cost of living. Cover
nor Edge having just appointed his COM
mission to inquire into and report upon
the subject of the high cost of living.
Those appointed are Former Senat r
Everett Colby, of Orange; John I. Dor
rance, head of a soup manufacturing COM
pany, of Camden; Frank S. Dodd, a
market man of Newark; H. w. Jeffers,
of the Walker-Gordon farms at Plains
boro, Middlesex County and William j.
Couse, a banker of Asbury Park, who is
interested in transportation. The COM
mission will take up its work at once
and will have the cooperation of Cover
nor Edge.
The bill of Senator Stevens, Republi-
can, of Cape May County, reducing the
term of the State Purchasing Agent from
five years to three years, is aimed at
State Purchasing Agent Edward e.
Grosscup, who is chairman of the Dem
ocratic State Committee. Mr.. Grosscup's
term of five years will not expire until
May, 1921, so that he cannot be dis
turbed during the present administration
unless some such act as that of Mr..
Stevens be passed. The Purchasing
Agent is employed by the State Purchas-
ing Commission, composed of the Cover
nor, State Treasurer and State Comp
t%roller, all of whom now are Republicans.
If the term of Mr.. Grosscup be cut to
three years it would expire in May, 1919,
insuring the selection of a Republican to
succeed him by the present Purchasing
Commission. 1t is understood that Gov
ernor Edge and the other state leaders
did not know of the Stevens measure
until after it was introduced, but there
is talk that it may be taken up and
passed, though Governor Edge has no.
thing to say on that subject.
y y y
Following out the idea expressed in
his inaugural address, Governor Edge is
planning to confer with several of the
state boards, with the purpose of prom
noting an efficient business administra-
ton. He will appear before the Board
of Commerce and Navigation at it's next
meeting as the starting of this program.
The pork barrel" legislation at Wash
ington was given two hard raps within
the past few days by prominent New
Jersey officials. They were called forth
by the passage of the bill in the House
of Representatives appropriating $685.
100000 for new Federal buildings in all
sections of the country, it being claimed
that many of the buildings are unneces-
sary and were voted as political sops to
members of Congress. United States
Senator-elect Joseph s.. Frelinghuysen ad-
ministered one of the slams.
Senator-elect ~Frelinghuysen as presi-
dent of the State Board of agriculture.
was addressing the annual State Agricul-
tural Convention at the State House. He
was referring to the development of
waterways and the need of a merchant
marine, when he said "The money APP
propriated by Congress for profitless
PORK should have been applied to legiti-
mate advancement of our merchant
marine.
Governor Edge in a paper written by
him on the state budget system to be
read before the Congress of the National
Security League at Washington, D. c.,
declared that politics rule state finances
when there is no annual budget, and
maintained a national budget is the
remedy for pork in national legislation.
The Governor was unable to attend the
Congress, so sent his paper.
The Agricultural Convention adopted
a resolution endorsing the enactment of
a law to exempt farm laborers and
domestic help from the operation of the
employers liability act. 1t also passed
a resolution favoring a law compelling
all vehices on the public highways to
carry a lamp showing a clear red light
at night. F. NJ. Curtis, of Bergen
County and f. A. Sexsmith, of Mon
mouth county, were reelected to the