The Penn's Grove record., 1922-03-03

forcing the dealers who own coalp peck
cts To discontinue buying coal in their
localities and to secure their supply
from the pockets of the distributing
companies. In the opinion Of this com
mittee legislation should be enacted
either controlling or dlsposing entire
ly Of the pockets of the distributing
companies or sales companies.
Monopoly is Forced
at is further apparent that the
monopoly of the retail coal trade is
forced by these pockets, in SO far as
the distributing companies will not
supply any one applying for coal but
only to dealers. They say that If coal
Is plentiful and If they have more than
the dealers can take, why then they
may furnish 1t to others. They also
say that If the supply of coal is m
what limited they would sell it only
to dealers, their regular customers.
before any outsider could be sup
piled. By this method it is apparent
that it will be impossible for any out
slider to start in the coal business and
secure a sufficient supply of coal I'M
less he purchases his coal from an in
dependent company"
In all cases, the committee is con-
WINGED that the price of anthracite
coal Is higher when purchased from
an Independent company than that
from what Is known as the old line
companies. The control of these peck
cts from the sales company or the
producing company virtually controls
the retail price and thereby hold the
retail dealers by the throat by reason
OF such ownership.
Governor Slices Knot
Governor Edwards cut a tangled
political knot in Salem county by with
drawing the nomination of Daniel Y.
Summerill, Jr., of Pennsgrove as COM
mon pleas Judge, and sending to the
senate hat of Charles Mecrum. widely
known counselor Of Salem. 1t is said
hat Senator Allen of that county In
formed the governor that he would
never stand for confirmation of Sum-
merrill. 1t is said he will accept Nee
rum. The governor also sent in the
appointment of Charles L. Richmond
of Elmer, as a member of the Salem
county board of taxation.
The house, without debate, but with
the bare majority Of thirty-one votes,
passed Senator Aliens bill repeating
the law of last year prohibiting the
shooting of reedbirds. Assemblyman
Stiles of Salem explained that in all
other states shooting of this bird,
which is destructive of certain crops,
it has no economic value In this state,
as 1t is not l~nsectivorious. The Audi.
bon Society has conducted a vigorous
campaign to keep the protective law
upon the books. The house also
passed Senator Wallworth's bill ex.
tending the state highway route
through Camden to the Delaware
River bridge by way of the Burlington
pike and Assemblymag Gibbs bill al
lowing municipalities to make agree
ments with the State Highway Com
mission to widen streets forming parts
Of state routes.
Changes In Compensation Law
Proposed changes in the workmen's
compensation law, enacted as one OF
the outstanding features of the legis.
lative program Of the first year of the
| Wilson administration in 1911, opened
wide the existing differences between
capital and labor at a pubic hearing
upon four pending bills In the Assem-
bly, chamber.
| The measure, introduced by Assem-
blyman Hirshfield of Passaic were
drafted by a committee representing
the State Chamber Of Commerce, the
Federation of Labor, Insurance com
panies, medical profession, the State
Department of Labor and a number IF
employers, but the manufacturers as
ISOLATION set up strong and united OBJ
lection to the bills through Counselor
A. Dayton Oliphant of this city and
several of their active members.
Briefly, the series of bills provided
for additional compensation for in
jured employees and add to the liza
bility Of employers for o~ccupationai
diseases.
Under the present law the minimum
compensation is Sc a week and the
maximum So, with a limitation of
$500 for total and permanent dis
ability. The purpose is to increase the
minimum to IS and the maximum to
| S1S. with no limitation for total dis
ability.
In The course of the hearing advo-
Gates of the measures claimed that
New Jersey is far behind most of the
other forty-eight states of the Union In
compensation awards and it had long
been felt that the terms of the pres
ent law are totally inadequate.
Henry F. Hilfers, secretary, and Ar
thur Quinn, president of the State Fed
Grafton of Labor. advocating favorable
action upon the bills, pointed out that
great hardships are imposed upon In
jured toilers by the i~nadequacies Of the
law, and that the remedy lies in the
hands of the legislature through these
bills, prepared after thorough investi-
cation by the committee representing