The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1907-01-22
Purchased the Turnpike.

At the meeting of the township com
mittee of Northampton, held on Tuesday
evening, it was directed that an order be
drawn in the sum of $500 to pay for that
portion of the Mount Holly and Lumber
ton turnpike road which lies in North
ampton township. A Philadelphia news
paper reporting this action says it was
done despite the disapprobation of the
public, ostensibly to make free road,
but really for the purpose of giving the
Bell Telephone Company right to lay con-
duits under the road" This is about as
far from the real facts of the case as can
be imagined.
The payment of this money was in ac-
cordance with the ballots cast at the cleo
ton in November last when it was de-
cided that such action should follow. So
far as making the road free that has been
the state of the turnpike for over eight
months. For long time Freebooter
Bartlett tried to get stone road built
from Mount Holly to Medford. He was
not alone in this movement, but was aided
by several residents of Lumberton and
Northampton townships, who went to
Trenton and had conferences with State
Road Commissioner Hutchinson That
official told the committee plainly that he
would not, under any circumstances, ap-
prove a stone road which would be a
feeder to road on which toll was col
lected He would not guarantee to APP
prove the end from Medford to Cross
Roads until the turnpike had been aban-
doned.
The township of Lumberton at once
bought the end in its limits and North
ampton intended to do the same, but the
appropriation was omitted from the ticket
the meantime it,was desired to have the
State Road Commissioner act and that
this end might be reached about forty tax
payers of Northampton township made a
note which was dated on the 10Th day Of
April, payable in eight months, for $500,
gave it to the owners of the turnpike road,
agreeing to abide by the decision of the
voters for reimbursement, and if the
proposition was not favorably considered,
the signers of the note agreed that they
would pocket the loss. Immediately on
the delivery of this note to the treasurer
of the corporation the tollgate was thrown
open, toll was declared off and not a cent
has been demanded or collected since
April.
The note was due on Wednesday, Jan
uary 16, and, the money having been APP
propriated at the last election, there was
nothing else to be done but for the town
ship committee to draw an order for the
amount. The Bell Telephone Company
did want to lay its conduits along the
road, and the turnpilS~eompany did re-
fuse to grant permission, but it was be-
cause the latter knew that the road was
to be turned over to the township and the
feeling was that it would be out of place
for the corporation to act when it had
practically abandoned it's franchise and
was In reality not the owner of the prop
erty.. The Telephone Company applied
to the township for permission to use the
road, but it could not be granted because
the note makers were the owners of the
road and would be until the township |
lifted the note. 1t was suggested that the
Telephone Company could easily get
what it wanted by purchasing the note,
but that did not strike the telephone |
people favorably and they decided to
await further developments.
No arrangements have been made with |
the Telephone Company for this road,
and so far as the payment of $500 |
is concerned that was the only thing the
township committee could do, the people |
had voted on that.