Before its adjournment this month the Legislature in New Jersey finally
passed a grist of bills in the field of social legislation. A large
proportion, if not a majority, of these were pending when Woodrow Wilson
left the state house at Trenton, and, as often happens, especially in
the case of bills which carry appropriations, they came to a head during
the last three weeks of the session. Mrs. Alexander reviews the notable
part the governor-president had in their advancement.[1]
While no immediate steps were taken by the Legislature to relieve the
congestion at the state insane hospitals, a movement toward a serious
consideration of the whole subject of state care, custody and treatment
of mental defectives, including the insane, the epileptic and the
feeble-minded was inaugurated by a joint resolution providing $2,500 for
a commission to report before March 1, 1914.
The Legislature decided to continue the Prison Labor Commission. In a
general way the recommendations of this body were adopted. The Board of
Prison Inspectors insisted upon retaining the powers of administration
and control of the prisoners, leaving to the commission the power to
plan and direct operations. The Prison Labor Commission is authorized to
purchase a farm at an expense of $21,000. There is also $17,000
immediately available for stock, implements, buildings, fencing,
fixtures and furniture for this farm. The general appropriation bill
available next November provides $12,500 for the purchase of a quarry,
$3,500 for the expenses of the commission, and $12,000 for buildings and
furniture for the farm. The reformatory at Rahway has secured an
appropriation of $5,000 for a foundry building. This is the beginning of
a policy of trade school instruction. The output of the foundry is to be
sold to state use account.
The appropriations for the other state institutions provide for a
continuance of the research work going on in the several state
institutions. The new reformatory for women at Clinton receives $25,000
for a new cottage, the Jamesburg School for Boys $20,000 for a trade
school building, and the epileptic village at Skillman $55,000 to
complete a custodial building and $110,000 for future building.
Besides these appropriation measures New Jersey has enacted a widows’
pension law, which will be reviewed in a later issue of THE SURVEY, a
bill providing for summer agricultural schools, and a new parental
school act which permits their creation under the educational
authorities. Another measure which was passed is a new compulsory
attendance law calculated to fill the gap between the educational
authorities and those of the state labor department which went far to
nullify the effectiveness of the old law. “Add to this program,” writes
an enthusiastic New Jersey social worker, “a few odds and ends of laws
and you can see Jersey is still hitting up the pace.”