The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-05-18
DEEPER IN THE MIRE
State Investigating Com
mittee Turns Up Queer
Facts About State
Printing.
esTLf pRo4uLGATIoN OF LAWS
Joe Naar Whinss Because He Was
Criticized for His Outrageous
charges-some Newspapers
and Others.
esTLf PRONUNCIATION OF LAWS
Sneeial to the Jerseu City Nslcs.


the stalled trains, and it was after IL
O'Clock before they arrived at Ahe State
House and the investigation began.
Joseph L. Naar, proprietor of the True
American" was the first witness. He
greeted Mr.. Corbin and the members OF
the committee effusively as he took the
chair. After he told that he was the
sole owner of the "True American es-
tablishment Mr.. Corbin asked him II
he had received advances in his business
from any State officers.
.'Do you mean anyone holding State
Officer asked Naar.
Yes replied Mr.. Corbin.
eyes. SIR
.Who?"
"Henry c.. Kelsey"
The witness then went on in a long
rambling statement, in which he told
all about his business at such length
that MIR .Corbin told him that he was
telling more than he would have asked
him Naar replied that he wanted to
conceal nothing, therefore he had told
everything. From this statement it was
learned that he had given Secretary
Kelsey a note for $500. and at another
time a demand note for $4,000. secured by
a second mortgage on his printing es-
1dDllSQf1SnI. .bOln luSSG uOlGS nave DSGH
paid.
PAID BY KELSEY'S CHECKS.
Continuing. Mr.. Naar said that al
though his bills for printing the States
work were charged on his hooks to the
State. they were paid by Mr.. Kelsey's
checks. He did more for the Secretary
of States Office than for all the others
combined. Mr. Naar asked to make a
statement, and permission being given
him. he said that he thought the expert
made mistake last week when he gave
the cost of the work. He said it was
not only the cost of composition, as he
claimed the expert testified.
Both Mr.. Corbin and Senator VOORHEES,
hastened to asure him that he misun-
derstood the expert.
POOR JUSTIFICATION.
Nevertheless Mr.. Mar went on to state
the great amount of careful proof read
ing that had to be done on that class
of work. which he claimed was highly
paid. He then made a long statement
in which he strove to justify his charges
by law.
Mr. Corbin asked him if he would
charge him or his firm such prices for
similar work. He said that was another
matter. Mr. Corbin asked him why he
For two reasons. Naar said. The first
was that the State didn't expect it. He
then went off into another TRADE, during
which he became excited, and COM
planned of Mr.. Corbin's intimation that
he was guilty of conspiracy, and insinu-
ated that Mr. Corbin had made that
statement through his ignorance of
criminal law.
SWALLOWED HIS OWN MEDICINE.
Naar became crusty as he spoke of the
manner in which he had been brought
before the committee and submitted to
tA false criticism of the newspapers
Throughout the State.
But you own newspaper, don't you?'
asked Mr.. Corbin.
"Yes, SIR"
well. then, why did you not give them
as good as they gave your" remarked
MIR. Corbin.
Mr.. Corbin took exception to some of
Mr.. Mars statements and the latter
hastened to assure the committee how
much he appreciated their kindness and
consideration. He attacked expert Fitz-
george and said that he ought not to
have been called as he had failed in
business.
Mr.. Corbin replied that if a printer was
to be barred as expert because he had
failed it would be hard to find an ex-
pert.
SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE.
"Unless he was lucky enough to get
State printing for a friendly Official
remarked Mr. Naar laughingly
Expert Fitzgeorge was then recalled.
He said that since Mr.. Naar had ques-
toned the accuracy of his figures he
had obtained estimates from other prin-
ters and found that their figures were
below these he had given. He then went
over some of Mr.. Mars bills for the
work which had been given him by Sec
retary of State Kelsey and compared
them with the cost of the work, and
showed that Mars profits ranged all
the way from rs to 300 per cent
COST OF PRINTING LAWS.
Mr. Corbin next took up the pro-
mitigation of the law. He said that that
was done in this State by publishing the
laws in volumes for general distribution
and by advertising them in the newspap-
ers He read statement showing what
the State had paid for printing the laws
in the newspapers since 1885. The lowest
sum was $47,949 in 1886, and the highest
S105, 1924. An estimate showed that it
would cost s125,000 to print the acts of
this year. This Mr.. Corbin said, was
unprecedented in any of the large States
of the country. He said that of the
eighteen States, including New York.
Pennsylvania, Massachusetts. Maryland,
Illinois, only New York and Pennsyl-
vania pay more than New Jersey and
none of the others paid as much. Only
two of the eighteen published the laws
in any other language except English.
Charles H. Bechten. another printing
expert, testified to the cost of this
years promulgat.on of the laws.
NICE JOBBERY HERE.
Charles Bateman, one of the publish
ers of the Somervile "Unionist Gazette 7
produced list Of twenty-seven papers
in the State to which he furnished the
laws printed on sheets, to conform to
the general style Of the paper and all
ready to be circulated with the paper.
These, Mr.. Bateman said, paid him from
$95 to $3.50 each. for which the State
paid each paper 1920. Among these
s,.3r,er.s were Sf5ro pnblisrhed by Thomas