declared his unalterable opposition to any amendment which will restore the State convention. Senator Elon R. Brown, Republican and majority leader of the senate, on the other hand, is very emphatically in favor of going back to the old convention. He is supported in this stand not only by some of the leading members of the senate and assembly of his own party, but by some of the Democrats. It is improbable that the question will be made a party issue.

Another subject to Occupy the attention of the legislature is a law to permit the women voters to register early this year in order that they may take part in spring elections throughout the State. It is unlikely that there will be any opposition to this legislation. Women are expected to take part in many of the city, town and village elections in the spring. Some of these will be under the new local option law en

acted by the last legislature permitting cities to declare for and against the sale of liquor within these municipalities.

It is understood that C. F. Welsh of Albany county will introduce several important bills. Last year he espoused the amendment

requiring that foreigners pass an examination in English to qualify them for citizenship. The State conference of mayors and other

city officials will appeal to the legislature to place on the tax list millions of dollars' worth of property now exempt. This

measure also is certain to cause much discussion and will have determined opposition in certain quarters.

From New York will come many measures for consideration by the legislature. Bills are being prepared by Senator Robert F. Wagner, minority leader in the senate, to enable New York city to own and operate public utilities. in accordance

This

platform on which Judge John F. Hylan was elected mayor.

Senator Wagner also will introduce a bill intended to prevent the expenditure of large sums of money on elections. This is a result of the unusual sum raised and used in the recent New York city election. Mayor Hylan is back of this measure and will urge the legislature and Governor Whitman to approve it. It will provide,

among other things, that candidates and campaign managers file a statement of all moneys received with the names and

addresses of the contributors; the expenditures and the object of these expenditures, five days before election. The bill would make it unlawful to receive any contributions after filing the statement.

The legislature will be asked to make a thorough investigation of the money expended, including the manner in which it was raised in the New York city municipal campaign. It is understood that Governor Whitman approves of the investigation.

Some of the legislators are in favor of what they term "putting teeth into the food control law." Difficulty is experienced in compelling retail dealers to observe the spirit of the law which applies directly to wholesalers, but only indirectly to small retailers. Licenses are issued to wholesalers, but owing to the great number of retailers it is considered impracticable to license the latter. For this reason neither federal, city nor state food commissions can compel retailers to sell goods at a reasonable price. Only the force of public opinion can

do this, and John Mitchell, chairman of the state commission, is in favor of publishing the names of grocers and other dealers in

food who persist in selling at unreasonable prices. The legislature may be asked to amend the law in some way so that these

retailers may be compelled to observe it.

All of the old officers of the assembly this year were re-elected with the exception of Paul E. McCarthy the official stenographer. In his place Samuel Bruckheimer of Albany was chosen by the assembly. The officers are: Thaddeus C. Sweet, speaker; Fred W. Hammond of Syracuse, clerk; Harry W. Haines, Yonkers, sergean t-at-arms; Charles Furman, Lockport, principal doorkeeper; James B. Hulse, Orange county, first assistant doorkeeper and Arthur H. Bunnell, second assistant doorkeeper. Assemblyman Simon L. Adler of Rochester was again chosen leader of the Republican majority and Assemblyman Charles C. Donohue of New York was made Democratic minority leader to succeed Joseph M. Callahan who was not re-elected last November. There was a change in the membership of the assembly at the last minute. Malcolm R. Matheson, Republican, was listed on the official record up to that time as a member from the 10th Kings district. H. W. Smith,

with him a certificate

of election from the board of elections of the county as having been successful at the polls by a plurality of fifteen, the soldier vote having made the difference. The assembly, therefore, stands 96 Republicans, 43 Democrats, 10 Socialists and one Independent.

The one assemblyman recorded as Independent is James C. Nesbitt a farmer of Delaware county who was elected by the farmers' organizations over the regular Republican nominee.

H. W. Smith who was elected in the tenth district of Kings county over Malcolm R. Matheson is the youngest man in the legislature. He is twenty-four years old and engaged in the brokerage business, New York city. Mr. Smith began to take an active part in politics when he was twenty years old making campaign speeches for the Democratic party in local contests.

Frank C. Hooper,

the Republican member from Warren county, is a mining engineer living at North river. He previously served as an assemblyman

from, Essex county in 1905-06-07. Mr. Hooper has had a long and varied experience as a mining engineer in the west and