The Jersey City News

ROUGH ON MR. KELSEY
Wildes Has a Resolution Asking Him to Return Fees to the State.
Special to the Jersey City News.
TRENTON, March 23, 1897.—Mr. Wildes, the great champion of economy threw a bomb into the House this evening with a long resolution directing the Attorney General to begin proceedings against the Secretary of State Henry C. Kelsey to recover moneys which Mr. Wildes claims he unlawfully has withheld from the State.
This is the resolution.
Whereas, The Senate Investigation Committee of 1895 reported (p. 20) that Henry C. Kelsey has since 1891 retained for his own use, the fees of the Prerogative office amounting to $3,000 to $4,000 per year which are part of the revenues of the State, (P. L. 1879, p. 103) had never paid any of the same into the Treasury except for two quarters, when demanded by the Comptroller, the amount of the State's revenues so unlawfully retained now amounting to approximately $25,000, said committee reporting that said sums should be returned into the Treasury, and
Whereas, Said Investigating Committee also reported (p. XVIII) that said Henry C. Kelsey collected for the use of the State sums of money aggregating more than $900,000, and contrary to law retained the same in his possession annually until the end of each year, rendering no detailed account thereof as required by law and invested the same in his own personal business enterprises; and
said committee did further report that the gains so made by the use of the State's moneys should be ascertained according to law and paid into the State Treasury (report p. XX), and
Whereas, The laws governing the revenues of the State impose large pecuniary penalties for such offenses (P. L. 1879, p. 103, s. 38), and
Whereas, It appears that no action has been taken to recover said revenues so unlawfully withheld from the treasury and that the same still continue to be withheld and that said gains have never been ascertained or paid over and no proceedings taken to enforce said penalties, and
Whereas, The term of office of said Henry C. Kelsey is about to expire, and
Whereas, Said Henry C. Kelsey has persistently violated the law requiring him to make returns of the fees collected by him whether for his own use or for the use of the State.
Resolved, (The Senate concurring) that the Attorney General be and is hereby directed to commence legal proceedings for the recovery of said revenues, penalties and gains, and the lawful interest on the moneys retained in accordance with the recommendations of said committee's report, and for the enforcement of said penalties, and to that end he may employ such assistants as in his judgment may be necessary for a full and complete investigation and ascertainment of the amount of said revenues, gains and penalties and interest.
Mr. Wildes made one of his long monotonous speeches in which he quoted the law which placed Mr. Kelsey on a salary and said that Mr. Kelsey had so construed the law as to allow him to keep certain sums of the State's and using them to his own advantage.
On motion of Mr. Derousse the resolution was referred to a select committee of five, Messrs. Derousse, Caddington, Minch, Thorn and Martens.
Mr. Kelsey refused to discuss the matter when I saw him in his office last evening.
The ghost of the opera singer Aimee bobbed up in the House again last night. When Aimee died she left about $100,000 worth of property near Passaic. Through some defect in her will the property escheated to the State. Last year the State relinquished its claim and the property was given to the person named in Aimee's will. Assemblyman King claims that the transaction was a fraud on the State and introduced a repealer. His bill was referred to the Attorney General for an opinion as to its constitutionality.
Mr. Leonard's House bill making wages of a household or personal servant a preferred claim against the estate was passed.
Among other bills passed by the House were one creating a Board of School Trustees for Kearny.
House No. 81—Fixes the term of Bayonne's Assessor at three years.
House No. 214—Creates a Board of Finance for Hoboken.
House No. 309—Increases the salaries of the members of the Newark and Jersey City Police Departments.
House No. 143—Fixes Salary of Clerk of Union Hill at $1,200 per year.
Senator Skirm has prepared the amendments to the general borough bill and it will probably be reported today.
The amendments allow the increase in the tax rate limit from 15 to 20 mills; the increase from 6 to 10 per cent. of the assessed valuation for improvement bonds; gives Mayors the same powers as Police Magistrates; grants the rights of municipal ownership of electric lighting plants.
Among the large number of bills which passed the Senate were:-
House 135—Gives Boards of Education in second class cities the power to purchase lands or erect or reconstruct school houses.
House 224—Authorizes Hoboken to issue bonds in amount of $100,000 to purchase lands near Eighth street for a public park.
House 100—Extends the police tenure of office act to the police force of towns, boroughs and townships in first class counties.
House 111—Authorizes Jersey City to issue bonds for the erection of school houses to the amount of $300,000.
House 187—Provides that honorably discharged soldiers and sailors shall be preferred for appointment or employment on public works.
House 142—Provides that the town of Weehawken Heights may organize a fire department.
House 164—Provides that legal paper falling due on Friday, when that day is a holiday, shall not be paid till the following Monday.
NOT INTENDED TO PASS.
Belated Bills Introduced Just to Make a Record or to Oblige.
Special to the Jersey City News.
TRENTON, March 23, 1897.—The bills came into both Houses last night as though the Legislature was at the beginning instead of the end of the session.
One of the most important came from Senator Parry of Burlington, the Senate apostle of economy, and provides for a bounty on beet sugar. It provides for five years a bounty of 50 cents for every ton of beets raised by any farmer and manufactured into sugar; also appropriating to any individual or corporation that establishes a sugar plant one cent per pound for all sugar made. Gives the Chief of the Labor Bureau supervision and decision of questions arising under the Act; provides that the Governor may detail one or more chemists from the State Experiment Station to aid in the processes of analysis; exempts from tax for ten years all buildings, etc., used in pursuance of this Act. The aggregate sum to be paid out of the State Treasury shall not exceed $50,000 a year.
Among the others were:-
Mr. Ketcham—Providing that Sewer Commissioners shall not be disqualified by reason of owning land along the line assessed, provided they do not assess their own land.
Mr. Herbert—Exempting foreign corporations from penalty for having done business in this State without the usual certificate from the Secretary of State, provided the legal requirement has since been complied with.
Mr. Voorhees—Respecting the appointment of police officers in cities; prohibiting the appointment of persons convicted of crime and, making the age limit 21 and 55 years.
Among the many bills in the House were these:-
Mr. Minch—Authorizes any traction company to buy the property, railway and facilities of any other traction company sold by the order of any Court.
Mr. Coddington—Authorizes any city to issue bonds and pay any indebtedness incurred by borrowing money for educational purposes.
Mr. Holdrum—Authorizes gas companies to mortgage their real estate or personal property.
Mr. Demarest—Authorizes the Mayor of Bayonne to appoint a city surveyor for a term of three years.
Mr. Righter—Provides that in counties having from 75,000 to 200,000 inhabitants, the Board of Freeholders shall consist of one Freeholder from each township, one from each borough and one from each city having five thousand inhabitants; one Freeholder additional for each fifteen thousand inhabitants; term to be two years and to commence on the second Wednesday of May next.
Mr. Gledhill—Provides a fine of $500, six months' imprisonment, or both, for tapping an electric wire and stealing the electric current.
Mr. Coddington—Authorizes a rebate at the rate of six per centum per annum upon taxes paid thirty days before the same becomes delinquent.
Mr. Klink—Amends the Act relative to the issuing of bonds to pay for sewer improvements.
Mr. Klink (by request)—Authorizes local Boards of Health to license persons who may engage in the plumbing business.
Mr. Klink (by request)—Authorizes Boards of Health in first-class cities to pass ordinances regulating the keeping of dogs.
Mr. King—Permits firms and individuals, not less than twenty, under each organization known as Fire Lloyds, to insure others against loss or damage by fire and lightning and to underwrite policies of insurance.
Mr. Urquhart—Authorizes the Mayors of Jersey City and Newark to appoint a Water Commissioner who shall act in place of the Street and Water Commissioners of said cities; he shall be confirmed by the Board of Finance by a two-thirds vote. He shall appoint all employes, etc. in the Water Department. Salary from $3,000 to $5,000, for a term of three years, and removable by the Mayor for cause.