Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-01-03
MAYOR SCULLY
FOR PROGRESS
CONTINUED from pago ~

l
by the local magistrates
| We have a City Court constituted for
the disposition of such petty or trivial
affairs, and the wise discretion of this
court in fixing punishments will have a
more salutary lesson for wrong doers
and result in greater good for the pub.
lie than will be gained by subjecting
quase innocent offenders to the contain.
mating influences Of the public Jail
| We should have an ordinance regulat-
ing and prohibiting those petty often
ses and vesting in the Police court
power and authority to hear and decide
such complaints as may lawfully be
here determined.
| Our city is overrun with worthless
and homeless dogs. They are men
ace to the Community, well recoq
nized purveyor of pestilence and disease
and constant increasing source of dan
ger and annoyance. The right Of pri-
vate citizens to harbor and maintain
dogs is well defined and substantial; a
right we should be careful to regard and
preserve.
With dogs that are harbored or main
tanned by responsible parties we have
no complaint, but those that are per-
mitted to run at large, to harass the
public, and to forage among dirt and
NTH for their sustenance, should be en-
tirely eliminated. L feel that the old
borough ordinance on that matter when
enforced, was wise and benefcient legis-
lation and recommend its enactment
City Officers.
In my message of last August, I made
certain recommendations relative to city
officers. These recommendations or such
lof them as have not been adopted I re-
Iiterate. The experience of the time
that has elapsed since my former mes
sage has served to more fully convince
me that city business should be trans
acted at the city hall. There as l then
suggested, call the heads of depart
ments should be found at stated times,
ready and able to transact the affairs of
their departments, with convenience to
those having business with the city and
with freedom from social or domestic
diversions. The city clerk in particu-
lar, should attend at the city hall for
the purpose Of receiving bills and com
munications to be presented to the
council.
Bills against the municipality should
be lodged with the city clerk at such a
period of time anterior to the meeting
of the council as will enable the clerk
to give them proper audit and the ap-
propriate committee to consider them
accurately and attentively.
AT present valuable time is taken at
leach meeting of the council by the re-
(cess to examine bills, and the period
<esaus allowed is far too short for any
thing but the most cursory investiga-
|tion.
Under the present system innumera-
BILE errors could, and perhaps do, creep
in and remain undetected, and because
thereof an obvious method of defraud-
ing the city is presented to such as may
be dishonest or unscrupulous.
Such method would not be tolerated
for minute In our private business and
we owe it to the city to be as conscien-
tious in its affairs as in our own.
l would recommend some changed
procedure in this particular as will ad-
NIT of the benefits and eliminate the
dangers thus suggested. We have vo-
ted a large sum Of money for sew
erage system. In pursuance of this
work the Street Commissioner (whom
assume will be charged with the duty
of looking after the condition of the
streets) will be a widely sought and
extremely busy man. 1t borders on the
farcical to find the head of department
so important as our streets unprovided
by the city with some official place for
the transaction of his business and pre-
sents condition that we should i'm
mediately remedy. This action is neces-
sary, not so much for the convenience
of the Street Commissioner, as for the
accommodation Of the public whose in
terests may demand his attention. A
place should be provided for this Of
fcer at the city hall, from whence he
can direct and guide the movements and
work of his department, and where, at
specified hours, he can be found by those
whose interests may demand an aud
ience. Particularly will this be true
during the period of sewer construction,
and / would suggest that immediate
steps be taken to effectuate this rec
ommendation.
In my former message I called your
attention to the provisions of Chapter
1852 of the Laws of 1909. This act was
de1gned for the benefit of the city and
to expediate and render more perfect
the work of the tax assessors. Its OBJ
ject is to keep the Assessors in touch
with the changes of real estate owner
ship and through notations on the tax
map reduce so far as possible, the op-
portunity for erroneous assessments. At
present we are deriving no benefit what
ever from the operation of this law.
and yet our citizens, when recording
deeds are charged an additional sum be-
cause thereof. That we may have all
thn 10 fnr Vubinb No., r
would again recommend that the city
treasurer be, for this purpose, designa-
ted as the custodian of the assessment
maps, and authorized to make the ap-
notations on and from such
deeds as may be presented to him, and
to receive from the county clerk such
abstracts of deeds as may be sent for
this purpose. Thus the work Of the as
SCISSORS would be assisted, a return had
for the additional charge for recording
imposed ON our citizens, and the prob
ability of erroneous assessments of real
estate removed.
Water Works.
I would consider myself entirely rec
reant to every obligation and duty i'm
posed on me did 1 not, with all the
at my command, direct your
attention to our water supply. This
is the most important matter with which
we have to deal, for 1t concerns the
health, the well being, the very lives
Of our citizens. To us now a municipal
water supply is an absolute necessity;
the adoption of a system of sewerage,
If 1t be possible, will make that neces-
sity even more imperative.
For our immediate needs there is am
pie provision, but we must look beyond