Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-09-13
INVESTIGATION OF
ALLEGED FRAUDS
TO Be THOROUGH
Severance to Be Present at
Kearny School Probe
Tomorrow.

George NJ. Severance, who, with John
P. Kay, is seeking the Republican nom
nation today for school trustee at the
primary in the Second ward of Kearny,
has been invited to be present at a
special meeting of the Boar of Educa-
ton at the Kearny High School to-
morrow night to explain the charge
made against him that he defrauded
the town by substituting a wooden
fiume for tile pipe in laying about $50
feet of drain from Hoyt street to Devon
terrace on the grounds of Public School
No. 5. The affair has caused a decided
sensation in KearnV.
Such was the decision reaehed last
night at a special meeting of the build
ings and grounds committee of the
school called by Chairman Cecil Arnot
to investigate the case. AT the session
were present, besides Mr.. Arnot, Trus-
tees Gerrish Newell and President
James Cox. as also Town Surveyor
Harry p. Kreiner.
Severance's Defense.
In his own defense, Mr.. Severance de-
clares that the wooden fiume was put
down expressly on the order of Mr.. Ar
not. and that a 4S-foot stretch of the
wooden conduit was substituted, in or
der to cheaper the eos to the town, 500
being held back from the contractor to
make up the difference in cost. Mr..
Arnot n the other members of the
board have known all about the substi-
tuition, declares Mr.. Severance, since
the work was finished and there was no
attempt at deception. He says he is
only to9 anxious to appear before the
board and explain himself.
Trustee Arnot this morning denied
emphatically that he ordered the sub
stitution of wood for tile or thai he
knew anything about the alleged fraud
ulent transaction until a few weeks
ago. Mr.. Severance got the contract
at 20 cents a lineal foot for tile pipe
exclusively and was the lowest of six
bidders. A bond was given by Mr..
Severance for 81, 900, the Fidelity and
Casualty Company, of New York, being
the surety. But this bond expired on
January 1, 1910. As to the 500 which
the contractor said made the difference
In the cost of the material, which he
says he was authorized to substitute
and which the trustees say that he was
~ 49, Aiho SUES hbot hitiC1y was q
h~old-back, the contractor not having
done part of his work. the laying of an
offshoot from a leader to the drain.
Being asked why the revelation had not
been made sooner. MI. Arnot said that
when Joseph Child first intimated to
him that there was something wrong
he couldn't credit the accusation, but,
the charge being repeated, he finally
dpridp6 tO nUnefiQafp and thic ho AID
with a laborer last Saturday. finding
not the tile pipe. as contracted for, nor
the field stone covering that Mr.. Sever
ance was to have put on top of the
collarless piping. The town still holds
back s14 from the contractor for fall
ing. it is said, to complete the facing
on a concrete retaining wall. Mr.. Arnot
said that Trustee Gerrish Newell was
familiar with the whole situation and
had Endorsed his course.
Knew of substitution.
Joseph Child, in an interview today,
said that he had known of the sub
s~titution a long time, and that Mr..
Severance had himself told him that
he had put down the wooden conduit
instead of the tile pipe, and that he
had not been authorized by Mr.. Arnot
or any member of the board to make
the substitution. In fact, the trustees
knew nothing about the matter until
he (Mr. Child told them a few weeks
ago. The contractor did much of the
work as late as IL o'clock at night.
When Mr.. Child asked the contractor
! why he had put down the tile pipe Mr..
Severance said that it did not make
any difference. and that while the tile
pipe was laid on the ground in the
daytime it was carted away at night
| and the wooden nume substituted. Mr..
| Child, who did the filling of the trench
and grading, says that he indorsed Mr..
| Severance's note for 500 to David
Harper in order to get the material,
and that he still owes him (Mr. Chilly
$40 for work lone ten months ago.
If Mr.. Severance did violate his on
tract, as alleged. he did not save much
money in doing SO. Surveyor Kreiner
says that such a saving "could not
amount to more than a couple of dol
lars" and Joseph Child, who is also a
contractor, says that all Mr.. Severance
could rave made in substitution would
be about $40.