Senate Bill No. 4, entitled "An act to amend an act entitled 'An act concerning executors and the administration of intestates' estates,' approved March twenty-seventh, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, Without amendment. Senate Bill No. 1. entitled "An act to reduce the number of judges of the courts of oyer and terminer and general jail delivery in counties containing a population exceeding three hundred thousand inhabitants," Upon the question, "Shall this Engrossed bill pass?" it was decided as follows: In the affirmative were— Messrs. Daly, Engle, Francis, Gould, Herbert, Hoffman, Johnson W. M., Ketcham, Miller, Parry, Reed, Ross, Skirm, Stanger, Stokes, Vreeland, Williams (President)—17. In the negative was Mr. Kubl-1. On motion of Mr. Ketcham the rules were suspended and The Secretary was directed by the President to carry said bill to the House of Assembly and inform that body that the Senate had passed the same, and requests its concurrence therein. Senate Bill No. 2, entitled "A further supplement to an act entitled 'An act to prescribe the notice to be given of applications to the legislature for the laws, when notice is required by the constitution,' approved January twenty-sixth, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-six, Was taken up and read a third time. Upon the question, "Shall this Engrossed bill pass?" it was decided as follows: In the affirmative were Messrs. Daly, Engle, Francis, Gould, Herbert, Hoffman, Johnson W. M., Ketcham, Miller, Reed, Ross, Stanger, Stokes, Voorhees, Vreeland, Williams (President)-16. In the negative was— Mr. Kuhl-1. On motion of Mr. W. M. Johnson the rules were suspended and The Secretary was directed by the President to carry said bill to the House of Assembly and inform that body that the Senate had passed the same, and requests its concurrence therein. Mr. Voorhees moved that when the Senate adjourn, it be to meet on Friday morning at 10 o'clock, and that when it then adjourn, it be to meet on Monday evening at 8 o'clock, Which was agreed to. On motion of Mr. Voorhees the Senate took a recess until 11:45 A. M. Upon the conclusion of which, and, Under the direction of the President, the Secretary called the Senate, when the following Senators appeared and answered the call: Messrs. Barber, Daly, Engle, Francis, Gould, Herbert, Hoffman, Johnson H. W., Ketcham, Kuhl, Miller, Parry, Reed, Skirm, Stanger, Stokes, Voorhees, Vreeland, Williams (President)-19. The following message was received from the House of Assembly by the hands of its Clerk: Mr. President: STATE OF NEW JERSEY, I am directed by the House of Assembly to inform the Senate that the House of Assembly has passed the following resolution: WHEREAS, The hour of 12 o'clock meridian of Tuesday, the 19th day of January, 1897, having arrived, the time fixed for joint meeting for the election of State Treasurer and State Comptroller, Be it resolved, That the Clerk inform the Senate that the House of Assembly now await their presence in the Assembly Chamber. JAMES PARKER, Clerk of the House of Assembly. Mr. W. M. Johnson, on leave, introduced Senate Bill No. 22, entitled "An act to enable religious societies owning or controlling church yards or burying-grounds to receive and hold property upon trust, for the improvement and preservation of such grounds and erections thereon," Which was read for the first time by its title, ordered to have a second reading, and referred to the Committee on Revision of the Laws. The following message was received from the House of Assembly by the hands of its Clerk: Mr. President: STATE OF NEW JERSEY, January 19th, 1897. I am directed by the House of Assembly to inform the Senate that the House of Assembly has concurred in the following resolution : Resolved (the House of Assembly concurring), That the members of both Houses of this Legislature hold a joint meeting in the Assemembly Chamber this day, at 12 o'clock noon, for the purpose of electing a State Treasurer and State Comptroller. JAMES PARKER, On motion of Mr. Voorhees the Senate then took a recess to proceed to joint session, Upon the conclusion of which, and Under the direction of the President, the Secretary called the Senate, when the following Senators appeared and answered the call : Messrs. Barber, Daly, Engle, Francis, Gould, Herbert, Hoffman, Johnson H. W., Johnson W. M., Ketcham, Kuhl, Miller, Parry, Reed, Skirm, Stanger, Stokes, Voorhees, Vreeland, Williams (President)-20. On motion of Mr. Voorhees the Senate then adjourned. FRIDAY, January 22d, 1897. In the absence of the President, Mr. Skirm took the chair as President pro tempore. Under the direction of the President pro tempore, the Secretary called the Senate, when the following Senator appeared and answered the call: Mr. Skirm. As there was no quorum present, the Senate then adjourned. MONDAY, January 25th, 1897. At 8 P. M. o'clock the Senate met. The session was opened by prayer by the Rev. J. Richards Boyle, Trenton. Under the direction of the President, the Secretary called the Senate, when the following Senators appeared and answered the call: Messrs. Barber, Daly, Engle, Francis, Gould, Herbert, Johnson H. W., Johnson W. M., Ketcham, Kubl, Miller, Parry, Reed, Ross, Skirm, Stanger, Stokes, Voorhees, Vreeland, Williams (President)-20. Journals of Tuesday and Friday were read and approved. Gentlemen of the Senate and Assembly : The Commission appointed by the Governor in accordance with Joint Resolution No. 2, approved March 14th, 1895, and who were re appointed under the provisions of Joint Resolution No. 1, approved March 25th, 1896, "to report plans for the erection and maintenance of Homes for Indigent Veterans and their Wives," would most respectfully report as follows: From careful inquiries, directed to every Overseer of the Poor in the different townships, boroughs, towns and cities of this State, as well as from information received through the different Veteran organizations, the Commission has ascertained that there are now liv ing within the State a large number of veterans of the late war, who, with their wives, are depending for their sole means of support upon a small pension paid them by the United States Government, and without the physical ability to add to this slender income by the earnings from manual or other labor. In many instances these old couples are without any assistance from children or other relatives, and, in a great measure, dependent upon privat charity. The Home for Disabled Soldiers and Sailors, maintained by the State at Kearny, is overcrowded, and many applications for admissions by single men are pending the action of the Board of Managers, and even were there room, the veterans who are now supporting themselves and their aged wives could not avail themselves of the same without subjecting these wives to the necessity of going to the poor-houses. In many of the States, in fact nearly all, a similar condition of affairs has led to the establishment of "Homes for Veterans and their Wives, Widowed Mothers and Widows of Veterans of the Late War," and these are managed on plans very similar to that adopted by the National and State Homes. New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and other States are now maintaining such Homes to the utter satisfaction of their population. In some of these Homes, the cottage system for veterans and their wives has been adopted, while the one-building-anddormitory plan prevails in others. Your Commission has visited and carefully examined a number of these Homes, and has come to the conclusion that the cottage plan is a failure, because of its increased costs, as well as of the difficulty of keeping pace with the constantlyincreasing demands for admission. In this conclusion your Commission is sustained by the adverse report of General Avery, of the National Soldiers' Homes Commission, against the cottage plan, and his recommendation of the one building-and-dormitory system. Different rules as to the admissibility of applicants are maintained in the different State Homes, some having an age limitation for wives and widows of veterans, while in others the limitation is based upon the length of time the couple have or had been married, and still in other Homes, like that in Waupaca, Wis, no limitation at all having been made. Your Commission are of the unanimous opinion that the veteran and his wife should have been married either before or during his service in the army or navy, or at least within five years after his honorable discharge therefrom. Such a rule would guard against any overcrowding and would act as a safeguard against extending the State's care and bounty towards undeserving persons. Your Commission has taken into consideration the costs of maintenance of such a Home, and are able to report that the same will not only be no more per inmate than is at present required for Kearny, but that the main building system will enable the managers of the projected Home to make quite a saving in the costs of cooking, washing and heating over the expense required for the same items at Kearny, where a number of separate dormitories and ward buildings necessarily increase these expenditures. Taking into consideration the existing necessity for the erection of such a Home and the fact that the constantly advancing age and thereby growing infirmities of the old veterans of the late war produce each year a larger percentage of these men who are unable to earn a livelihood for themselves and their wives, also considering the fact that such a Home, if established, would be but a passing necessity, which would cease to exist after a limited period of years, when those for whose benefit it had been maintained will have passed away, and still further, in view of the general approbation by the taxpayers and citizens of all classes and in every section of the State, elicited by the proposal for the erection and maintenance of such a Home, your Commissioners have seen fit to report that in their opinion such a Home |