Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-12-29
PERTH AMBOY IN HISTORY
EARLY PRINTING IN NEW JERSEY
BY I'll. e. PICKERSGILL

Bradford's New Jersey Laws, the
printing of which was modestly cele-
DRAFTED in Perth Amboy last night, is
a volume OF thirty-four pages, two
of which are blank. The copy ex-
hibited at the meeting of the His
torical Society is, unlike most of
those which have survived from
1928 to the. present time, unmarked
by autographs or rotations of any
kind. Although unbound, it is re-
markedly clean and we'll preserved.
AS set forth on the title page, the
session covered by the treasured
volume was begun on the twenty
fourth day of September Ammo
Domini 1928, and continued by ad-
tournaments to the 10th day of
November following, TAT which time
the following acts were published
The word published as used in
this instance does not mean publish
ed by printing, but, rather, by proc
lamation, as a mar nowadays makes,
publishes and declares his will or
other document. There were only
three chapters as a result of the nine
or ten weeks of elaboration on the
part of the general assembly, but
there is nothing at hand to show just
how often in that period the legisla-
tors were actually in session.
The first of the three chapters is
by far the largest of them all and
it is quite possible that a great deal
of time was consumed in its consid-
GRAFTON. The title is "An Act for an
additional support of this Govern
ment, and making current Forty
Thousand Pounds in Bills Of Credit
for that and other Purposes therein
mentioned" Then the act has an in
troductory paragraph which recites
the hardships which the good sub
jects of his Majesty lie under be-
| cause, unlike New York and Penn
s~ylyania, neighboring provinces, the
colony of New Jersey has no cur
rency of money" Most of the gold
and silver once here had been ex-
ported, it sets forth, to Great Britain
and elsewhere and all the poor Jer-
seymen had was their currency or
paper money, which had no legal
tender elsewhere and the money
from the adjoining provinces was
not legal tender here.
The act goes on to say that for
the want of money the good people
Of the province have been obliged
to ''cut down and pay in their Plate,
Ear Rings and other Jewels the
small taxes for the support of the
government. The sum of forty
thousand pounds was then author
lied to be issued as follows:
1000 bills Of three pounds, or eight
ounces fifteen pennyweight of plate
5000 bills of pound, equal tic
the proportionate amount of plate.
5000 bills of fifteen shillings.
5000 bills of twelve shillings.
5000 bills of six shillings.
5000 bills of three shillings.
10000 bills of one shilling and siE
pence.
$4,000 bills of n shilling.
TTpon these bills there was to be
engraved the arms of Great Britain
The bills were to be signed, number
ed and indented by any three of o u
commissioners named in h e bill
These were John Parker, Peter
Bard. Robert Lettis Hooper and
lanes Trent. The act calls the FIRST
three of these ESD" and Trent Is
"Mr." -.
II was prescribed that the bills
should bear certain wording n the
oath OF the printer Is duly set. 1orth
and it is extremely interesting. VINO
ever printed the bills had to swear
upon the completion of the JOB thal
IRON the time the letters were SCI
and fit to be put in the press toi
his White House pets are given
names of the Presidents who sent
them to the zoo, or names of states
men. This, he says, is done
Some wag once suggested that the
animals at the zoo might be named
for representatives and senators
since there are so many OF these IN
office, and if more names were need
ed pas members could be honoreo
through zoo proteges.
This suggestion for giving con
gress and the National Zoo little
picturesque publicity failed to appeal
to the cautious zoo officials. They
could see that a senator might find
a namesake lion al advertising as
set. But a namesake skunk OF
/ hippotamus could be regarded only
as an unwelcome liability. Since nc
better suggestion for a system OF
names has been made, most of the
governments wild pets, even guests
from the Executive Mansion, mus
50 thro4gh life namelsss,