Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-06-27
CHOSEN FREEHoLDERs.

The June meeting Of the Board of Chosen
Freeholders was held last Thursday, all the
members being present
The various members reported progress
on the several bridges under way, and Mr..
Joyce reported that the bridge at the Reeves
farm. on Delaware street, would be COM
pleted the following week.
The committee on re-surfacing the Pauls-
boro-Swedesboro stone road reported that
considerable shouldering had been washed
out by the rains and must be replaced.
The salary of Clerk Bell, Of the Board,
was increased from 800 to $50 year.
The Committee on Public Property re-
ported the reelection Of A. S. Chew as
ianitor Of the Court House, and then Mr..
Walton nominated him for clock winder,
and he was reelected by unanimous vote.
The old question of trunks having been
referred to the Solicitor, that officer sub
mitted the following:-
Dear Sir: In regard to your question as
to whether or not it is the duty OF the
county to lay trunks, pipes, culverts and
similar conduits for surface water across
public roads anywhere in the county, /
would say that it is not.
1t of course is necessary for the county
to bridge natural stream or water course,
and to build bridges where they are neces-
sary, but this, in my opinion, is not meant
for the purpose of carrying off surface
water from township roads or city streets.
If it is necessary to have trunk, pipe,
culyert or conduit for draining surface water
upon county road, it no doubt is the
duty of the Board to provide such means,
but | can find nothing in the law, which
lays the burden upon them of providing
these means for carrying off surface water
upon township roads or city streets.
Yours respectfully,
DAVID O. WATKINS,
County Solicitor.
The communication was received and
ordered spread on the minutes.
The committee on the Nortonville stone
road reported its completion, distance OF
81 miles, at a cost OF $22, 600. The contract
called for depth of s inches Of stone, and
the official inspection showed depth of 8
and 11-100 inches.
Freebooter Bender was appointed to sue
coed Mr.. Stanger on the committee on the
IEurffville bridge.
The County Collector reported receipts
S19, 04330, expenditures, $12, S1S.68. Bal
ance, Sc, 1884. 30.
The following communication was re-
ceiyed and read
To the Board of Ffeehotders Of Gloucester
County
Please return the bond that Thos. ].
Louden gave to the Board of Freeholders
when Joseph Paul, deceased, was County
Collector. 'No other county in the State
ever treated State Hospital pay patients as
Gloucester county has the past year" You
have all the honor there is in it. What
does it mean? Our sons board money
for the support of the Aims
House, and he thrown upon the county for
ah /! somebody has blotted page
in their history. Mr.. Charles w. Knight
wrote us an humble apology, and admitted
the injustice done us. We have received
many verbal and written compliments for
publicly protecting our rights; and our I'M
devotion to our only beloved and
afflicted son. Many of you are fathers
An over-ruling Providence does not permit
such acts to pass unnoticed.
Respectfully,
7. AND J. +. LoUDEN.
Paulsboro, June 10, 1901.
Mr. Hoffman introduced the following
Res0Ered That the Clerk of the Board of
Freeholders be instructed to submit the
bond given by Thomas J. Louden, as re-
ferred to in the communication presented
this date, to the Solicitor of the Board,
David o. Watkins, and on his examination
and approval, be authorized to surrender
same as requested.
We are in receipt of the following
from County Collector
Pierson explanatory of the above:-
The County Collector believes that it is
proper to explain here, in reference to
above communication and resolution, that
it appears by the minutes of the Board of
Freeholders of meeting held July 10,
1886, that "Mr. Somers, in behalf of the
relatives of one Josie Louden, of East
Greenwich township, now private patient
in the State Lunatic Asylum, at Trenton,
requested the Board to accept him as a
county charge, the friends agreeing to re-
imburse the county for all expenses incur
red-the reason assigned being that the
charge for county patients is less than for
private patients" This request was re-
ferred to the Committee on Lunacy, who
reported in favor of acce pting the propisi
ton at a meeting held September 16, 1886,
on condition of Chs friends executing to
the Board, bond with satisfactory security,
conditioned for the repayment of all COSTS
charges and expenses that may be incurred
by the county in his behalf" At this
meeting bond was presented and accepted,
guaranteeing the payment Of "all COSTS
charges and expenses of the said Louden
while patient Of the County of Gloucester
in the said asylum or elsewhere"
Since the foregoing date this patient has
been on the county roll of INDECENT
patients, and his maintenance and clothing
have been paid direct to Treasurer of State
Hospital, by the County Collector, on
quarterly bills rendered by the State
Hospital authorities. From time to time
since that date the father has paid the
County Collector $156 per year, mostly in
quarterly payments but recently in yearly
payments. When these payments were
received by the County Collector, this
patients board having already been paid,
it has been the custom Of the County Col
lector to post same in ledger to the credit
of the Incidental account, where the money
was then available for use for any other
appropriation whose funds had become
exhausted. In 1898, at the annual meet
ing, the Board of FreeholderS directed that
all moneys received on account OF New Jer-
sey State Hospital should be appropriated
to and posted to the Appropriation account
of County Asylum and Aims House. 1t
will thus be seen that no improper use has
been made of this particular receipt, and
that no county official has done any wrong,
because the money thus received became at
once part of the general miscellaneous
funds of the county, subject to such use as
might be directed by the Board. 1t may
be that needless detail was given in the
publication of the report of the Secretary
of the County Asylum and Aims House, in
not consolidating the sources of the receipts
of these institutions, which had been so
done in the reports of 1899 and 1900, aud
can be SO consolidated hereafter.
National Parks Program for 1901.