The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1910-10-04
A Large or Small Board. which :?

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lington county for signatures, the purpos
being to secure on the election tickets
be used next month, the proposition
vote on the question of continuing tn
present Board of Freeholders or reducin
1t to five members. There will not be an
trouble to get the legal number of sigma
lures. OF course there will not be
unanimous decision in favor of this move
This could not be expected, but 1t ha
been shown that many who were no
favorable to the plan three years ago hav
changed their minds since. The Miro
of last week had the following item on tn
subject:
Some of those who are anxious to ge
the scalps of the Freeholders have beef
working industriously securing signers t,
the petitions which are necessary In orde
to get the question on the official ballot
at the next election. They have met witt
good many rebuffs in their rounds
though, for numerous citizens think they
see an Interior motive In the activity OF
certain of those just now shouting for thu
adoption of the Commissioners plan. On,
man who was approached In Mount Holly
last week said No, / will not sign YOU
petition. / fail to see where the Taxpayers
would be benefited. To begin with, there
would be 81 800 In salaries to pay out to
the five commissioners and probably 81, 00C
more for the clerk of the Commission, be.
sides the travelling expenses of all these.
Then. If the rule Ia followed, they would
have to have an automobile and probably
1t would be found necessary to haye a
supervisor in every township who would
be paid as much as most of the members
of the large Board are now getting. They
may talk all they please about the economy
of the Commissioners plan, but I'll take
my chances with the present Board of
Freeholders. Every township now has a
representation, the Board is bipartisan, at
least the Democrats have a considerable
representation In it and that is more than
they would have If the Commissioner plan
were adopted. I'm a Republican but l
believe In giving the other side minority
voice at that.
OF course this is not the expression of
Mr.. Folwell, as he has not come out as yet
on either side of the question, hence the
discussion of the item will not be taken as
a reflection or personal attack on him.
1t will do no harm to take up few of the
points In the item. This first will be the
reference to the ''ulterior motive" of those
who are circulating the petitions. OF all
the fool arguments ever advanced this Is
the chief In that line. Simply because
some man or set of men act in way that
Is contrary to the ideas of others there
must be an ''ulterior motive" Are those
who wish the Board Of. Freeholders con-
tinued in their present form the only
honest people in the world? We would
not say no. They have their ideas on the
subject and they have right to express
them. 1t might be retorted that they
have some "ulterior motive" In keeping
the present system In vogue, but that
would be as unfair as the statement about
those In favor of the change. There are
those who are circulating petitions whose
motives are as good and pure as those on
the other side, SO 1t would have been Just
as well II the charge of ''ulterior motives"
had been omitted.
Then the man reviews the salaries to be
paid the new Freeholders. or as they are
popularity and enormously known, Com
He says they will get 81, 500
to begin with, an extra $1,000 for a secre-
tary, expenses, and 'if the rule Is fol-
lowed, an automobile, and probably q
supervisor In every township" 1t is often
well to know what you are talking about
before shooting out The law which al
lows Commissioner" says they shall be
paid, In counties of the class of Burling-
ton, 81 500 each per year, which shall be
In lieu of all fees. expenses, and other
whatever. That disposes of
the Expense item" Under the new sys-
tenn the members of the Board would re-
ceive $500. The present Board has
drawn, during the past ten years, an aver
age of $6,035 for personal expenses. This
includes the salary of the Director, the
clerk. and the committee on court house
and grounds. The two latter would be
dispensed with, so that, If secretary was
engaged at even 81 900, the extra expense
would not be so terrible.
The township representation is the
greatest bugaboo in some minds, and the
gentleman who expresses himself above
says the minority has representation that
1t would not get If the Board was COM
posed of five. That is not so certain, the
voters would decide that. But what does
the township representation amount to
Does the dog wag the tail, or the tail wag
the dogf Then comes the minority repre-
sentation. That is certainly funny one.
The present Board is composed of 80
members, of whom nine are Democrats.
That is representation" with a vengeance,
and the townships from which they hal
have only to look over the records to see
what they secure through this much.
Wanted township representation.
Let US look just moment at the bust
ness that is entrusted to the 80 men who
are township. representatives" In ter
years they have spent on bridges, $582, 4O1
and on repairs to stone roads, $3.50, 416
These are only two items, but they seem
to be the chief aim of the Board of Free
holders. Look over the county reports II
that period and see where the majority o.
this money has been spent, and then re
late how much of figure township
representation" has cut
The abolition of the Board of Free
holders has worked to the benefit of tn,
people in the counties where 1t has beef
put into effect. Letters have been receives
from persons who have had a chance t.
witness the working of the new system
One gentleman writes:
II am very glad that Burlington county
is agitating the abolishing of the presen
Board of Freebooter system. / can give
you so much data and reasons why
is advantageous for any county to be
governed by small board rather than b,
township, borough and ward representa-
ton that / cannot attempt to enumerat
the reasons here. / can state generally
that Hunterdon county under the opera
lions of the old system raised for count
purposes from 800, 900 to $110,0 900 eac
year, and at the close of the fiscal yea
always had a depleted treasury. Unde
the new system the county, In matters O
bridges and county improvements, ia
exceeds that of the old system, and 1t |
only necessary for the county to rails
about $40, 900 per year, saving to tn
taxpayers each and every year of froI
$50, 700 to $40, 1000. We have been able