The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1924-03-06
SILzER URGES
SCHOOL SURVEY
Governor in an Address Delivered
in Person Calls on Legislature
TO Aid in Education Reform.
COMMISSION OF 9 EXPERTS
Save Millions in Taxes from Port
Authority-Agree to Have Bills
Amended-Pass Bible Bill
Amid Uproar.

Trenton George S. Silzer
in an address to joint session OF the
New Jersey Legislature recommended
that he be authorized to appoint
committee of nine to make survey OF
the entire state educational system.
Requesting an appropriation OF $4,000
SO that the committee might obtain
expert advice the Governor declared
this small amount in consideration
of the fact that the annual expenditure
for education is $4,000 600 A legisla-
tive commission was not suggested.
the Governor said, because it was not
fair to ask members of the Legislature
to make further sacrifice.
Pointing to the fact that for thirteen
years there had been no investigation
of the school system, the Governor as
serted that the time had arrived when
a thorough survey should be made Of
the entire system.
Too Many "Fads and FriIls"
OuIlOR IuE last lCN CcA liz e~o7~AS
ed, numerous criticisms were made
that too much time is spent upon
s.fads and frills," and not enough upon
fundamentals. Opportunity for inves-
tigation by the State Board Of Educa-
ton was declared limited because OF
lack of money, time and power.
Referring to specific instances the
- frh ~nhnni
graduates who took an examination
for admission to a state normal
school, ninety-eight failed; and that at
another examination seventy had fail
ed out of 129. Mention was made Of
( seventeen normal school graduates
who took an examination to teach in
the schools at Irvington and OF the
fact that but one had passed the tests.
Indicating in part the scope of the
investigation recommended, the Gov
ernor questioned whether the S66O,OO0
expended yearly for medical inspec-
ton was spent wisely; whether educa-
tional laws need revising; whether
there is uniformity of curriculum and
proper Progress in preparation of text
books. He asked whether normal
school terms are long enough and
whether there are too many daily sub
fects for elementary pupils. The func-
tioning of teachers institutes also was
mentioned, as was the segregation Of
defective children
Numerous criticisms are being
made of the conduct of our schools
and Of the results obtained. Whether
these are well founded or not do not
know, but I do know that we ought to
ascertain"
Talks of Community Phase
The suggestion was made that with
an increase of nearly S17,000,00o in
FIVE years IN the amounts disbursed
for school buildings the committee
should find out whether the inclusion
in school buildings of many features
intended more especially for commu-
nifty purposes is correct and advisa-
SIe. The sources of school income
and the method of expanding the
$4,000, 600 annually for schools also
should be examined, he said. Whether
the present method of conducting the
Teachers Retirement Fund is scien-
tifically accurate and financially SOUND
and whether it expresses the policy
which the state should continue was
declared within the field of the in
vestigation proposed. The demands
and needs for higher education, the
governor asserted could not be ex-
cluded from a consideration OF the
question of education
I'm our public administration" said
the governor. I'VE usually adopt the
course of least resistance and of least
friction-the course of drifting. until
we reach place where We come upon
the rocks, or see that we can drift
no further. In a matter of such great
Importance we cannot continue this
course. We must adopt the same
methods which have built up our large
Industries and made this country
great.
81 do not mean to imply any criti-
cism of those conscientious officers,
boards and teachers who give such
unselfsh and patriotic thought and
attention to this work What / do
mean to say is, that periodically we
must examine ourselves to see
whether we are getting the proper
results"
Save Millions in Taxes
After a battle before the Ju-
dietary Committee of the Senate over
Senate bills ITO and III, Corporation
Counsel John J. Fallon, of Hoboken;
Corporation Counsel Thomas ]. Bro
gan, of Jersey City, and Julius Lich-
tenstein, for the Hoboken Chamber OF
Commerce, were able to impress on
the committee the need of amend
ments to the bills in order to save tax
ratables not only to Hudson county
municipalities but to all others in this
State within the Port Authority dis
trict
The bills are designed to confer
uron the Port Authority power to
sondemn the use" of railroads with