The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-06-19
Commissioners Elijah G. Hut
Crimson Takes a Trip Over
the State to Inspect Con-
tractors Work
MILES OF ASPHALT
EVERY EFFORT is BEING MADE
TO KEEP UP THE STATES
REPUTATION FOR SUPERIOR
HIGHWAYs-DUsT TO BE ABoL-
IsHED. ,....


copied in New York, Pennsylvania and
other states, this state is leading in keep
people know what work is being done by
the state road department in seeing that
the peoples money is not wasted and
keeping out graft in road building. A
reporter was invited recently to journey
with Roard Commissioner Elijah G..
Hutchinson and Assistant Road Commis-
sioner Meeker and personally see how
contractors are kept up to the mark and
freeholders kept in bounds.
Formerly the road commissioner sent
word when he was coming and thus all
chance of seeing bad work was defeated
by contractors hurrying particularly
bad piece of road building. Then the
country road supervisors were under con-
troll of the freeholders. The change to
supervisors under the direct control of
the state road commissioner has been ben
efcial, says Commissioner Hutchinson and
this change was one of his first recon-
mendations. Now he has control of them
and he keeps everything in line of good
give ten hours Of their time to bossing
the jobs and then coming ON them in a
cloud of dust from his automobile when
they least expect him. There is no telling
when the road commissioner will come
''on the job" and he takes the time to
inspect road building at times when he
is supposed to be safe in Trenton. In
this way he is in constant touch with
what is going on. Everything comes un-
der his eye or of Those of his assistant
and when bad work is noticed, the free
holders are warned that unless it is cor
rected at once, the state will no pay its
one-third of the construction. The COM
missioner has power to withhold every
dollar of money he agreed to pay for a
job and he has done so in several in
stances until freeholders have come to
know that poor work and work not in
accordance with specifications and plans
fled in his office in Trenton will not be
paid for.
As we journeyed through the counties
the party would come suddenly on a gang
of men working on new piece of road.
The commissioner would say, Where is
the supervisor ?"
He is just around that bend,'' come
the reply in one place.
''Send him here at once" was the COM
misioner's reply.
At this point the foreman of the gang
replied, go and get him yourself if you
went him. Who are you anyway
s'Only the state road commissioner" :"
was the reply.
The foreman went after the supervisor,
and when that official came up, the COM
missioner pointing to a bad piece of
work, said, How far has that kind Of
work progressed? ?" @
"Oh, that is piece of road the con-
tractor is going to- dress over"
When did you call his attention to
it?'
Yesterday" (
The commissioner got out Of the ma
chine and with his assistant, MIR. Meek
er, who is an engineer, examined the
road for a full half mile He took along
workmen and their shovels and picks
went it, under his direction, at every sus-
pected point. It happened thaA there was
little to find fault with except in the inn
mediate vicinity where the commissioner
had ordered the machine stopped and Civ
ing directio. in quiet but frnl tone as
to what was to be done, the party went
on.
"Meeker." said the commissioner, come
over this { iece Of road tomorrow and see
if that bad section has been corrected" !"
And Mr.. Meeker made the necessary
memorandum and went over the road the
next day. lhe piece of work had not
been corrected and he 50 reported on his
return.
Commissioners Hutchinson did not write
to the freeholders but went out himself
the next day and sent for the director of
the board of freeholders and reported
what had happened and said, 7 will
hold back every cent Of this road unless
that point is fixed at once And the