Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-07-25
FISHERIES BOARD
MUST GET BUSY.
Governor Has Ordered Money
Held Up Until State Sees
Some Results.

TRENTON, July 25:-No part of
an appropriation of $4,000 made for
the New Jersey State Board of Fish
cries by the legislature is to be dis
persed unless the board. which was
created by the last legislature as q
part of Governor Edges plan to re-
duce the high cost of living, can show
results. Instructions to this effect
have been received by State Comp
%troller Newton A. X. Bugbee. and 1t
is understood that they come directly
from the governors Office. 1t is fur
ther understood that the governor
recently called before him former
Senator c. Asa Francis and Senator
Lewis T.. Stevens, president and sec
rotary respectively of the board, and
Informed them that he was not at all
satisfied with what had been done up
to this time and that henceforth he
would expect action. This ultimatum
to the board Is In line with the COVER
lnor's business policy and his general
iinsistment that those on the state
payroll, together with those holding
state oflces without compensation,
shall produce results or make way
for successors who will.
The report that Comptroller Bug
bee had received instructions that
the Board of Fisheries shal have no
money from the appropriation that
became available at the beginning of
the present fiscal year., July 1. was
today confirmed by Mr.. Bugbee.
There are five members of this board,
ell of whom serve without salary, but
they are allowed travelling expenses.
The only paid officer of Ii is Senator
Lewis T. Stevens, of Cape May
ty. He receives an annual salary OF
$500 as secretary, and up to this
time he had drawn three INSTALL
--- g. ~-l AHn.r
and June. He will receive no further
| compensation until the board has ac-
tually accomplished something.
AS the Board of Fisheries was or
| ganized before appropriations made
by the last legislature became avail
able, 1t was allowed t716.ee from the
governors revolving fund to meet its
expenses for the period intervening
Its creation and the close of the last
fscal June so. This allowance
hos been spent by the commission.
except for about t75. n according
to the action taken by the comptrol-
Ter, presumably upon the initiative OF
THE governor. the people of h state
have received no benefit from the
money that has already been spent.
1t is a matter of common knowledge
that the only work done by this board
has been confined to the collection OF
data dealing with the wholesale and
| retail market price Of fish. Several
statements have been issued by the
| board explaining that the high price
of fish his year was due to scarcity
of fish along the Jersey coast. Some
methods Of increasing the supply In
the markets end knocking down the
retail price have beef discussed, but
they have apparently not been put into
action. What the commission has
done up to this time Is not at all In
line with the function of 1t that the
] governor had in mind when 1t was
| created: viz, TO provide a program
that would result In placing fish upon
the market so that the consumers
| would get the benefit of lower prices
Senator Stevens accepted the secre.
taryship of this board under q protest
| because the salary is only $500 a
year, and this. according to the sena-
| tor. is the only patronage that Cape
May county has ever received during
his career in the legislature. At the
time he was appointed he stated thai
he was going to serve temporarily, bui
| up until now there have been no In
4 dications that he proposes to let go
In Cape May county some of the sem
ator's political opponents are urging
| his acceptance of this secretaryship
against his candidacy for reelection
| to the state senate. claiming thai by
/ taking this Job he lowered the dignity
| OF the high offSce which he holds and
/ to which he again aspires.
The j~acking-up OF this board has
! evidently had some effect. for during
the past week President Francis an
nounced that In the future an EFFORT
! would be made to stop prohteering
among fish dealers by frequent publ
cation of wholesale and retail fish
prices.
The other members of the fish COM
mission are Walter Kudlich of West
| Hoboken, Joseph Schloss of Newark.
| August Hilton of Milden. Albert Run
| yon OF Belford and c. Asa Francis OF
Long Branch.