The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-10-21
FORT RAP5 CRITICS
OF H|GH-SALAR|ED
R. R. APPRAISERS
Worth Every Bit of $1,000 a
Month if Work Is Done
Right, He Says.
WILL FIGHT EFFORTS TO
STOP BOARDS WORK
Bares Correspondence With
Railroad Officials and HOtly
Defends His Actions.
Especial to the Newark Star. ]


TRENTON, Oct 21.--Governor Fort
issued a special statement today in re-
ply to the criticism that he had flxed
the salaries of the special commission
ers to reappraise the New Jersey rail-
road property at $1,000 per month. and
that the appropriation of $4,000 for
the work had already been practically
exhausted, with the work not near
completed The Governor admitted
that the salaries had been fixed by
him at $1,000 per month, but said that
competent men could not be secured
for any smaller sum.
Among other things the Governor
said: THE people want this work done
and want 1t done right without polit-
ical considerations entering into it. and
IL am to have anything to do with 1t
that is the way 1t will have to be done.
The Legislative will have to settle 1t
and they will probably get an oppor-
tunity to do it in a very few days."
Yse Governor denes the charge of ex-
travagance by the commission and In
sists that Justice to the people OF New
Jersey and The railroads will not be
high at any cost that may be entailed.
He says there has been no secrecy
about the work, and makes 1t plain
that he is prepared to Justify to the
full extent all that has been done. He
makes 1t plain that any further efforts
to end the work of the board will be
met by him with the most drastic
measures that he may find necessary.
Governor Fort answers specifically
all the criticisms leveled at the work OF
the appraisers and denies the reports
discrediting the work of the commits
sion. reports which in some quarters
are said to have their origin at no
great distance from the headquarters
of. some of the railroad officials of the
State or their. representatives.
The statement of Governor Fort lis
as follows: s ss %
Outlines His work.
"The Legislature at its last session,
pursuant to my recommendation In my
inaugural address, provided for the ap-
pointment of board of appraisers to
revalue the railroad property In the
State. The magnitude of the work was
not. I fear, fully understood either by
the LEGISLATURE or myself. The joint
resolution provides that at least two
of the appraisers shall be experts. AS
soon as / could take the matter up
after the Legislature adjourned dld
so. MY first difficulty was to secure
proper appraisers. These qualifications
were essential:
..First-That they should not be in
any way mixed in partisan politics.
.'Second-That they should not have
expressed any opinion on valuation OF
railroad property, in New Jersey.
.aThird-That they should be thor
oughly honorable men and absoiuteiy
indifferent as between the railroads and
tha neopIe. --u who would command
the respect of everybody.
.'Fourth-That they should be experts
of Acknowledged ability and wide ex-
perience.
..To get such men found to be any
thing but an easy task. among the
civil engineers considered were Alfred
p. Boiler. of East Orange, and James
T. Rafferty, Qormeriy president OF the
wabash SYSTEM, of South Orange; D.
G. Metcalf. of Lakewood; Charles Han
sci, of Crawford. and Samuel WINERY,
of East Orange. Not one CT these careo
to serve; three of them refused to. en-
tertain the proposition. after careful
consideration. even at twice the SALARY
was able to offer as an inducement.
After much effort on the part OF MI
whinery and Mr.. Hansel, they were
abIe to cancel some of their engage
rnents and accept, though both OF them
did 1t with reluctance.
.Mr. Boiler, who could not accept,
was under contract to construct the
four-million dollar railroad bridge over
ut Louis Mr.. MeI~
calf was under contract to go to Lon
aon to value the underground system
IN that city. and Mr.. Rafferty, had obli-
cations which were equally imperative.
..In securing Mr.. WINERY and Mr..
Hansel, 1 was particularly fortunate.
Mr.. WINERY has had large experience
an advisory engineer on many railroad
enterprises and has no superior In the
,xnowledre of the valuation Of road
bed and bridge construction. Mr.. Han
seI was one of the commissioners who
.revalued all the railway systems In
wisconsin and Michigan, and his ia
miIiarity with the course pursued there
and the results of the decisions in the
courts on appeal. in the matters of the
methods of assessment of railway prop
erty, have been in the preliminary
work of more value to the State and
the work of the commission, IL it Is to
be continued, than all the cost SO far
of the work done. Frank Stevens. the
other appraiser appointed. Is recog-
nixed as the leading real estate expert
in the State. His knowledge of real
estate values in Hudson county is not
surpassed by anyone. He has been fa-
miliar with every sale to railroads in
that county for thirty years. and his
ability to appraise the Hudson county
waterfront property is not equalled by
any other person whom / know or of
whom I was able to learn. had more
difficulty to get him to serve, II any
thing. than any of the rest. SO far as
the commission is concerned, am con-
ftdent that did not make any mistake
in Its personnel
1.-TWO questions OF importance first