Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1920-12-08
COUNTY To GET
S1,100 WORTH
Of PATRONAGE
Steering Committee Of the
House Meets to Give Jobs
to Different Counties.
BY Special Correspondent.

age was gone through here yester-
day by the steering committee of
the 1921 House which distributed
some fifty odd jobs ranging from
$500 to $1,000 among Republican
representations from twenty out of
twenty-one counties. In other words
the committee had fifty-five jobs to
distribute among fifty mine Republi-
cans and met the situation by
awarding them on a county basis.
Not even the fact that Senator
Arthur n. Whitney, Republican, of
Morris. hopes the 1920 legislature
when it comes back for a day next
week, to have his proposed bill put
ting the legislative positions under
civil service passed, deferred the
steering committee from proceeding
to allot the jobs. The sentiment
among the members seemed to be
that Whitney's bill will not pass and
Assent blyman Pierson, of Union,
chairman of the committee, said If
it does become a law there will be
plenty of time to obey 1t between
now and the second Tuesday in
January when the new legislature
meets and officially appoints the
men to fill the places allotted to the
counties yesterday. But there is not
thought to be a ghost of a chance
for Whitney's plan becoming a law.
The ffty-fve jobs apportioned
yesterday represent in salaries for
the coming session of the legislature
something over $21, 900. This does
not include the clerk of the House
which has been given to Camden nor
the assistant clerkship which Pas
sale county gets and the two secre-
taries for the speaker, which will be
appointed by George S. Hobart, of
Essex, who Is to WELD the gavel.
They will receive respectively 5000
and $500. The clerk to the majority
leader, who is to receive $500. and
the clerk for Assemblyman- elect
Runyon, Democrat, as minority
leader, and the eight clerks to COM
mittees at $3.50 each.
In the awarding of the Offices the
Hudson Republican delegation was
given the following places: Journal
clerk, $1,000; assistant sergeant-at-
arms, $500; four file clerks, $500
each; a doorkeeper, $3.50; two STEM
ographers, $500 each, and page.
$500; total. s4.250.
Union county's three assembly
men will divide these jobs: a door
keeper, $3.50; two file clerks. $500
each. and a page, 5000.
Essex county. which also has
twelve members. was awarded pa
tronage totaling $4,55O for the ses-
sion, being the largest individual
amount any one county received.
The jobs for this county follow: The
supervisor of bills, $1,000; sergeant
alarms. $500; calendar clerk, $500;
two file clerks, $500 each; a door
keeper, $3.50; stenographer, $500: an
assistant supervisor of bills. $500.
Other patronage was awarded as fol-
lows:
Atlantic. assistant bill clerk and
tage. total $500; Bergen, assistant
sergeant-at-arms, assistant supervis
or of bills, $1,100; Camden, one-half
of the salary of a clerk and door
keeper, $500; Cape May, doorkeep-
er $3.50; Gloucester, assistant jour-
nal clerk, $500; Hunterdon. two
pages, s400; Burlington. doorkeeper,
$3.50; Morris. two assistant journal
clerks, one page, $1,000; Middlesex.
two doorkeepers, two pages, $1,1O0;
Mercer, bill clerk. l doorkeeper. l
file clerk. S1,150; Ocean, file clerk,
$500: Monmouth, assistant supervis-
or of bills. 1 page. $500: Passaic.
one-half clerks salary, doorkeep-
ers. l page, $500; Salem, Somer-
set and Sussex, each one file clerk,
$780, Cumberland. 2 file clerks,
$500.
The QUESTIONABLE sent out by
Speaker-elect Hobart to the men,
bers, in which he asked them to
state their qualifications for commit
tee assignments. including member
ship "in clubs. churches or societies."
was the subject of discussion in the ,,
corridors of the capitol yesterday.
Mr.. Hobart has already explained
that nearly everyone is a member
of aichurch or society, and it was to
lea. of -he members public service
outside of what might be termed pc
culiarly legislative experience that
he put the unusual question in his
list.
Members of the next House here |
privately admitted that the Speaker
elect had been indiscreet to say the |
least in mentioning religious activi- |
ties az a possible qualification for |
committee work in the Legislature. |
Persons long familiar with law-mak-
ing said they had never heard of a |
similar question being raised in the |
halls of legislation, and where 1t is
not supposed to have any relevancy. |
Assemblyman Pierson said yester-
day he expects to amend the elec- |
ton law next session by bill which |
will give women equal representa-
ton with men in party organizations
such as county committees. When |
asked about the talk of a return to
the convention form of nominating
candidates, he said he did not think
anything of this nature would be
attempted.
In this connection the Union
member said it had been suggested
to him to present measure pro-
viding that county committee or
other similar official political bodies
might select candidates for nomina-
tons and SO notify the voters at a
given time before the primaries so
that any group or set of independ-
ents or any minority in the party
organization might file petitions for
other candidates to be voted for
alEo at the primary. Mr.. Pierson
said it appealed to him as fair
proposition, has no intention of Of
fering it to the coming legislature.
According TO information obtain
ed yesterday from reliable sources
there will be no Puritanical Sunday
bills introduced next winter. al
though it is anticipated that the
"drys' will be able to put through
their enforcement act, ratify the
eiSHteeHtn dueHulnehl III Deldleu
way and repeal the Edwards $50 !
beer bill
Senate 2 President -elect Allen,
Speaker-elect Hobart and House
Leader-elect Rowland held a short
conference and decided TO pick
com mittee of five members from
each House majority TO draft pro-
gram of lawmaking.