The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-06-08
FEE TEST BEGUN.
Board Of Freeholders Will
Proceed Against Reg
lister Clarke.
CASE GOES TO APPEALS COURT
Bids for Bonds Will Be Re-
ceived July 5-The
improvements.

The Board of Freeholders yesterday
took the initiative in proceedings to test
the constitutionality of the law putting
Registers. County Clerks and SurroGates
in first-class counties on salary, and re-
curing them to turn the fees of their re-
spective offices into the county treasury.
Register James C. Clarke is to be sued for
retaining the fees of his office beyond the
time fixed by the law for turning them
over to the County Collector. Mr.. Clarke
retained them purposely for two days
with the object of having the law tested
The Board adopted this preamble and res
olution unanimously
Whereas. It is deemed advisable to
test the eonstitutionality of Chapter
1872, Laws of 1898, fixing salaries Tor
certain county officers in order that
the duty of this Board may be ascer-
tanned in the making of approprla-
tions for the salaries of said off
cials and their employees; therefore be
Resolved, That counsel of the Board
be directed to institute such proceed
ings as may be necessary to recover
any penalty imposed by said Act, and
facilitate the progress of any act so
Instituted so as to secure an early
decision and obtain the same If pos
sible, before the time for fixing the
next annual tax budget.
When the suit is instituted Mr.. Clarke
will set up as defence that the law is
institutional and the matter will be
taken up to the Court of Errors and
pressed to an early decision.
Three bids were received for furnishing
machinery for the new laundry. The bid
ders were the Troy Laundry and Machine
Company, the American Laundry and
Machine Company and William G. Green
field.
The Board was notified that Hudson
county had eighteen patients in the Morris
Plains Asylum.
e. j. Force, secretary of the New Dur
ham Board of Health, reported that a
natural water course at Prince avenue
and the Boulevard was closed and the
accumulated water was causing a nui-
sance. The Board was asked to remedy
the matter.
A letter was received from Mrs. Mark
Fallon, thanking the Board for the en-
crossed copy of the resolutions sent to
her concerning her husbands death.
w. H Fisher of West Hobol1en COM
planned of an old lumber pile on the
Paterson Plank Road, which he called
an eyesore, and asked that it be re-
moved Reports for the month of May
were received from the wardens of the
institutions at Snake Hill, as follows:-
Penitentiary-Mal inmates, 124; fe-
males, 25; employees, S3; total, 1872. Cost
of ntenance-Provisions s1,004.7S; mis-
cellaneous, s920.S4: salaries, $1,s64.53; coal,
s4S3o5; average per capita, S23.9i.
Lunatic Aeylum-Inmates. males, 237;
females, $685. employees, AZ; total, 5H. Cost
OF maintenance. provisions, s3,159.61; cloth
ing, $39 p; miscellaneous, S742.24; salaries,
81, $50. 30; coal. $1,160N; total, $6,9S454;
average. SISSY.
Almshouse-Inmates male adults, Isl;
female adults, 169; male minors, 1874; female
minors 6s; employees. q: total eS2. Cost
of maiatanance.sprov Ss,26t.5f; cloth
ing Se0S e0SsTmiscellaneous, s77Ses;. salaries,
1851: ~ coal. i ST. ,s76sl; total. y s7,1Sse;
aversge%s1e.52.
4 Bondsswere ordered issued for the fol-
lowing .purposesar$25 oeo for the Improve
ments of the PassaicSRiverfRoad; $4,000
for the Baldwin avenues bridge. overS the
Pennsylvania Railroad -seut. $780, for
electric lights, andes 500 0sfor-ssiaewalks
for the sHobokens sextensionsofe 'Boule-,
yard. and $4,000 fol, taes Improvement of
the Paterson Plank Road Bidse6or sthe'