The Penn's Grove record., 1917-02-02

ture while serving as United States
Senator.
The annual report of the State De-
partment of Health just submitted to
the Governor shows that there were 81
694 marriages in New Jersey last year,
a decrease of S34 from the preceding
year. A ~stricter enforcement of the law
requiring marriage certificates is attri-
buted as the cause for the falling off, this
having taken this state out of the Gretna
Green class for couples from other states
There was an increase in birth rate for
the year, number of births being 66,476.
compared with 65,403 the previous year.
The death rate shows a decrease. Last
year it was 1870 to each 1000 of the
population, while for the preceding year
it was 14.02 to the 1000.
= =
Testimony Just placed before the As
sembly Committee to investigate the mu-
nitions explosions in North Jersey, shows
the need of a ~stricter law to regulate
munitions plants. 1t is expected that
the committee will recommend a law for
strict regulation of the manufacture.
hctbSN III IdhSpOI ldllOu VI Explosives.
1t is also proposed to require munitions
manufacturers to give bonds to the towns
in which the factories are located indem-
nifying them against loss from explosions.
y + y
The resolution on national prepared
ness introduced in the House of Repre-
sentatives by Congressman Edward w.
Gray, of Newark, is attracting wide at
tention and is being commented on favor
ably even outside of this state. The
resolution provides that the President
shall call a conference to be composed of
the Secretary of War, the Secretary of
the Navy, representatives of the Army
and Navy, designated as the heads of
those departments the Adjutants General
Of the several states and state school
superintendent. The purpose of the
conference is to recommend to Congress
a plan for uniform military training and
naval science in the public schools of the
country. This is the first step of the
kind taken by Congress and it is claimed
that it will pave the way for practical
steps in the national defense.
The question of whether or not the
members of Governor Edges staff will
be permitted to wear the Regular Army
uniforms has been settled by the Secre-
tary of War, who has decided that
section 125 of the national defense act
should not be construed as prohibiting
the members of the Governors staff from
wearing the uniforms. The decision was
rendered for the State of Massachusetts,,
but is a guide for all the other states.
Lively times are looked for in the in
%vestigation of the Newark Common
Council which has just been ordered by
Chief Justice Gummere upon the appli-
cation of % citizens there. The Chief
Justice has appointed former Assistant
Attorney General Nelson G. Gaskill, of
Treston, and Judge Frank M. Taylor,
of Hackensack, a member of the Court
of Errors and Appeals, to conduct the
probe. In view of the fact that Mayor
Thomas L. Raymond, Republican, and the
other Republican officials of the city, and
the Common Council, which is Demo-
cratic, have been at loggerheads for
months, interesting developments are ex-
pected. The Common Council is con-
trolled by james Nugent, the big Demo-
cratic leader of Essex. The Investigators
are divided politically, Nh. Gaskill being
a Republican and Judge Taylor a Demo-
crat.
An unusual compliment has been paid
to State Superintendent of Weights and
Measures William L. Waldron, of Tren-
ton, a Democrat. Nearly so weights
and measures officials of the State met
here and passed resolutions endorsing
Mr.. Waldron for disappointment. Then
they called ON Governor Edge and form
ally asked him to name Mr.. Waldron for
a second term of FIVE years. There
were many Republicans in the company
and they all voted for the resolutions