The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-09-14
FREEHOLDERS'
BUSY DAY
Road Repair Work Not Being
Satisfactorily Done. g,s

2 f
Road in Bad Condition-Not
Enough Money For Repairs-The
One Man Contract-Plea of an
Aged Man.
All the members of the Board of
Chosen Freeholders were present at
the September meeting. which was
held on Wednesday. The minutes of
the August meeting were read and
approved The reports of the several
committees followed
Mr.. Vreeland for the Finance and
Audit Committee reported that the
books and vouchers Of the County
Collector had been examined and
found correct. The gross receipts
were $26, S62. 70, the disbursements
were $3, $50. AZ, leaving balance on
hand of 1923, 1884, 2s. The bills incurred
by the committee amounted to 1854. 56.
For the Court House and Jail
Committee. DR.. Becker reported
that the sanitary condition of the jail
remained good as did the health of
the prisoners. There are 81 prisoners
in the Jail. The committees bills
amounted to ST., 686. SO and $3.50 had
been expended for permanent improve
ments.
Mr.. Whitehead for the Almshouse
Committee reported "a inmates at the
almshouse and 81 at the children's
home. The almshouse bills amounted
to ST., 1876, ,95, with 500 credits. The
children S bone bills were $398.74.
No report was made by the Com
mittee on Lunacy.
The Insurance and Miscellaneous
Committee reported bills amounting
to 81, 256 IA.
Mr.. Kimball reported for the Road
Committee the completion of the two
new State-aid roads running through
Mendham and Succasunna were prac-
tically completed, and recommend
ed that the State-aid bills, amounting
to $12, 210.70, be ordered paid under
the usual conditions. The bills for
the regular roads amounted to 80,
810.72, and those for repairs were
Sc. 944. 68. Mr.. Kimball called the at
tention of the Board to the manner
in which the repairs on the various
roads were being conducted. He said
that it was unfortunate that the board
had given the contact for repairs to
one man and he recommended that in
the future a different course should
be pursued. Director Dalrymple
asked if the Freeholders had any
grievances, and several members of
the board responded that their only
grievance was that the repair man
had been around. - The director
counselled that the Freeholders should
be patient in the matter Mr.. Troxell
said that the repair work in Madison
was done we'll enough, but that ma
terial was slow in arriving. He was
opposed to a one-man contract and
recommended that steam-r rollers only
be used on the road. He said that the
1874, 900 repair appropriation was in
sufficient to meet the demand. He
strongly advised the board to here.
after build less roads and spend more
for repairs.
Contractor Osborn asked permission
to address the board, and he offered
considerable advice, which he thought
would tend to hasten repair work. AS
it is, he said, the board began their
repair work too late in the season
The contracts are given out in May
and it naturally follows that the work
must be done during the extreme hot
weather, thus giving poor results. II
the board could so plan as to give
out the contracts SO that the work
could be carried on during the months
of March, April and May, much better
satisfaction could be given by the
road builder. This plan was followed,
he said, by various other counties.
Mr.. Hoagland thought there was a
good deal in Mr.. Osborn's observa-
tions. He personally knew, he said,
that a ton of stone put in a road in
April was worth two tons put in dur
ing the hot weather. He called atten-
tion to the deplorable condition of one
of the Chester roads and said if it
wasn't repaired soon there would be
nothing left to repair.
Road Inspector Malley said that he
could not see his way clear to spend
any more money in Chester unless
money could be transferred from the
appropriations made to other town
ships. Ii this could not be done, he
advised that the road be ''clayed"
temporarily. This would save it until
such a time as repairs could be made.
Mr.. Youngs, the member from
Chester, told of the condition of the
road and pointed out its immediate
need of repairing.
The director advised Mr.. Youngs
to clay i'm with the road inspector,
who, he said had large heart. Mr..
Youngs replied that Notwithstanding,
Mr.. Malley had small purse. On
motion of Mr.. Kimball, the committee
was instructed to go over the road
and ''find some money somewhere
and fix it,