The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-07-06

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covered up before any proper inspection
or test was made. The plumbing should
be uncovered and submitted to O search
ing examination and test.
recommend that the freeholders
engage two men of practical experience
and of the highest possible standing. who
are not residents of this county, who will
be absolutely impartial, and whose report
will be authoritative. These men should
make a complete and searching investiga-
ton Of every detail of the work. and their
report should be final. The matter Is too
important to be left without a verdict
that can be accepted beyond all question.
New Isolation Hospital.
I'VE haze examined the buildings at
Soho built for an isolation hospital aud
find them above the standard of the other
county buildings erected and In process
of construction. An asphalt coating on
the walls below grade should have been
provided and the plan Of leader drainage
provided by the county engineer should
be changed.
I'VE recommend the r~emedying Of minor
defects, the construction of drains to car
ny the roof and surface water away from
the buildings. and the covering OF the
asphalt floors with an artificial stone
coating or a coating such as is used in
the larger institutions devoted to hos
pital service In this State and New York
city and vicinity. With these improve
ments and some minor repairs the whole
building group will be a credit to the
county Oh ESseN.
Dangerous Grade Crossings.
I'VE have examined the crossing of the
Lackawanna Railroad and the North Jer-
sey Street Railway on Bloomfield avenue.
Montclair, and have had before us officials
of both companies as well as the county
supervisor. We find the crossing not only
to be a nuisance of a most serious char
ard a menace to life, a place where a rep
etition of the Clifton avenue disaster Is
more than possible.
THE evidence presented TO us shows
that plans for abolishing the grade cross
ing have been prepared and approved,
but that nothing has been done because
the railroad company, the Public Service
Corporation and the county have been un-
able to agree on the proportion of the
expense to be borne by each.
Money Only Responsible.
1.-The continuance of this dangerous cross
and the responsibility for the danger and
for any loss of life that may occur rests
with those who are for this reason delay
ing action. The ~Lackawanna Railroad
Company. the Public Service Corporation
and the Board of Freeholders should take
up this matter at once and arrange TO be-
gin the work without delay. III they still
cannot agree on the matter OF expense.
that question should be referred to suitable
arbitration or to the courts for ADJUST
ment.
TT is intolerable that such a situation
should continue simply because the parties
concerned do not agree as TO how the ex-
pense shall be divided.
This is not the only dangerous crossing
in the county. On Clinton avenue, Eliza
beth avenue and Frelinghuysen avenue,
as well as at other places out of the city.
railroads cross at grade streets on which
are trolley lines. At the Frelinghuysen
avenue crossing the conditions are, II pos
sible, worse than on Bloomfield avenue.
1T is criminal folly to allow these con-
ditions to exist, and active steps should
at once be taken for their removal.
Trolley Tenders.
we have Investigated several COM
plants of deaths resulting from being run
over by street cars, but only in a few
instances was any evidence submitted
showing how death had been caused. In
one of these the witness testified that the
man would not have been killed II the ear
had been provided with n proper fender.
In another instance the testimony showed
That the car was going at a slow rate Of
speed, and II a proper fender had been useG
death would have been old
Though there is an indictment pending
against the Public Service Corporation on
this count nothing has been done toward
e%quipping the cars with proper tenders or
taking other precautions to stop this al
most daily sacrifice of human life.
We recommend that the Board Of Street
and Water commissioners make inquiry
into this subject and force the Public
Service Corporation to equip all cars with
the most improved design of fenders.n
Newark Board of Education.
We find many OF the members OF the
Board of Education not fitted for their
office: ignorant of educational work; in
experienced in large affairs, and unable
to add dignity or efficiency to our schools.
Work Is divided among member as spoils
of office, according to the districts they
represent.
THE quarrels which take place IN pub
lie owe principals. teachers, salaries,
plumbing, pianos, real estate, buildings
and other things are a disgrace to our
city.
There are worthy men on the board.
We are simply speaking OF what we find
to be true in general. The number OF
not up to the level of the great public en-
terprlse they try TO manage.
"A large board chosen from the several
wards and by the methods by which they
are now selected, leads to the election
of incompetents. The blame rests, there
fore, first of all on the citizens.
The worst feature of the present stu
alton is not the loss of the taxpayers
money so much as the decentralization of
the schools. No matter how fine our
schoolhouses or how efficient our teachers,
the work of training our children cannot
zenship, until the people place at the head
of our school system a body of men repre-
senting the best intellect and character of
our city, Instead Of men, as at present.
elected for political reasons, without refer
ence to character or ability. No stream
can rise higher than its source.
The public schools Of our city are
tainted by the atmosphere which emanates
from our Board of Education.
Exhorbitant Prices.
I'VE find that, owing to the unbusiness-
like methods Of the COMMITTEES on school
houses. the city has been compelled to
pay exorbitant prices. for properties ac-
quired for school purposes. We find
that IL Is the custom for the commits
sioners Of the ward in which the prop
erty is situated to MAXI the arrangements
for its purchase.
the prices paid have been absurdly high
and the properties could undoubtedly nave
been bought for a mucn smaller sum. In
some instances 1t Is difficult to explain
these transactions even on the ground of
carelesSness.
I'VE find, also. that the giving out OF
orders for repairs on the schoolhouses OF
the city Is divided among the nine members
of the committee on repairs, the chairman
being assigned t~wo-tenths of the entire
number and the other members one-tenth
each. Each member decides who shall
make the repairs in the schoolhouses as
signed to him.
"We find a case where the committee APP
pointed a subcommittee to examine and
report on n school entire requiring repairs.
and before the committee knew Of II or
any of the members OF the board, several
hundred dollars worth of work had been
done by a plumber.
we find that there Is no adequate sys-
TEN Of checking the charges for these re-
pairs and there is no doubt that q business
like system of managing this matter would
result in a large saving to the city.