The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-12-10
HOLDS POLICE
FOR CORNERS
CONGESTION
Book Tells Clinton Hill Citi-
zenS lie Will Prod Board.
Defends Works Body.

Commissioner Frank J. Book, of the
Board of Works, holds that most Of the
congestion of traffic, vehicular and trolley,
especially at the -Four Corners, was due to
the inefficiency of the policemen. and
made the statement at the Clinton Hill
Improvement Association meeting last
night that the police in most cases did
not know when the law was being broken,
and added that the present condition of
congested traffic would continue init the
police awoke to their duties, and specially
trained men were put to regulating the
traffic. especially at the principal com
mercial points in the city. He added that
most of the blame was placed upon the
Board OF Works, while those that should
come in for censure were the Police Com
missioners. Mr.. Book said that he would
in the near future have a conference with
the commissioners, with a view of bring
ing the question of regulating traffic to a
head.
]. H. Wood, of the national road COM
mittee of the American Assoc
citation, talking from the standpoint of the
a%utoist, said hat he did not believe in
giving the Public Service Corporation the
right to the Four Corners. and referred to
the crusade of Commissioner Book to have
wagons use Halsey street and stay away
from the intersection of Market and
Broad streets.
what we want declared Mr.. Wood,
rs intelligent traffic regulation" and then
he stated that the Board of Works or the
police were directly responsible for what
he termed the deplorable condition of the
streets and the inability Of the police to
regulate the traffic. Turnover switches
on many of the principal thoroughfares of
the city were condemned.
why, IL you attempt to get over these
switches with a vehicle said Mr.. Wood,
'a wheel Is wrenched off by the closing
frog, and yet this obsolete system is al
lowed to exist to the detriment of life and
limb" The speaker said that the habit of
the police TO put the duties up TO the
Board Of Works and vice versa. would
have to be stopped.
DR.. Henry Van der Roest, of the Road
Drivers Association, was scathing in his
remark about the police department and
the Board of Works, and said that shame
full conditions existed on some of the main
th~oroughfares of the city. ION Clinton
avenue we are liable to run into a house
reposlng in the middle OF the street; when
we get to Lafayette street we are OBJ
structed by trucks, and the question of
getting through Halsey street Is impos-
sible with wagons filing the Streets he
complained.
He did not like the proposition of Mr..
Book to give the Public Service Corpora
Tic PkHtClPdl blIeelE q IH6 city, dHu
especially the FOUR Corners, and added that
his association was willing to cooperate
with the Automobile Association, the
Board of Works and the Clinton Hill I'M
provement Association to improve condi-
tons, and then ne referred to the condition
of the pavement between the car tracks
in Springfield avenue, between the juno
ton of Market below the Court House to
High street, and stated that the pave
mnnf was laid any Md NAV Inv tho ofroot
railway a year ago, and that the Board
of Works had never remedied the defects.
Commissioner Book remarked that 1t was
u to the improvements around the Court
House pending the widening of the street
at this point and was merely temporary.
The speaker then referred to a petition
sent by the o Horse Association to the
Mayor, the Police Board and the Board of
Works urging traffic regulation by which
heavy vehicles were to be allotted the
part OF the street nearest the curb, giving
light vehicles the space nearest the car
tracks. and he added that the matter was
turned over to the Police Board by the
Mayor, together with the suggestions for
regulating the traffic, and that the Police
Board turned 1t over to the Board of
Works. Where, as usual, 1t died for the
lack of attention"
When the speakers were all through and
Commissioners Book had again declared
that the police were responsible, DR.. Will
lam j. Eckhoff asked the commissions
where the people stood, or "if they sat
between two chairs when two boards
were throwing the responsibility at each
other.
1t was finally decided to have the com
mittee report on the matter at the next
meeting Of the association. and in the
meantime Commissioner Book promised to
see the police commissioners and have the
matter settled in the future. He said that
II necessary he would have an ordinance
draw regulating the traffic, but he
thought the ordinance was unnecessary If
the police would do their duty.