Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-04-19
TRADE BOARD IS
UNANIMOUS IN
CHARTERS FAVOR
Answers Objections of Colonel
Price, Who Opposes
Many Features.
THOROUGH DISCUSSION
OF COMMISSION PLAN
President Hardin Calls Attention
to the Good Things in
Proposed Measure.

A lone assailant attacked the pro-
posed new charter for Newark at a
meeting of the City Charter Revision
Commission and the Board of Trade
last night and cast but a single vote
against its Endorsement. With this ex-
ception, the charter, stripped Of its
initiative, referendum and recall
features, was unanimously approved.
Colonel E.. L. Price led the forlorn hope
of opposition, declaring that he. pro-
posed to mention only those features of
members met those objections.
Colonel Prices objections were to the
following features of the charter:
The abolition of the Common Council.
The fixing of the city's debt limit at
10 per cent. Of its ratables.
The provision under which the refer
endum was to be voted upon at a
special election. Colonel Price declared
that the word Against" should appear
on the ballot In addition to the word
For" the only n proposed.
The placing of the police and fire de-
partments under control of one COM
missioner each.
Objections Answered.
The answers to these objections were:
To the abolition of the Common
Council-"The suggestion that the char
ter be revised came from the Common
Council ITSELF. Harry Bachelor.
IT, Tho Hvin4 of $I1a nttxysa dnht liNaf%
at 10 per cent. of its ratables-'There
present time. Nothing would prevent
the raising of this debt to $4,000, 900,
still it has not been done. and why
should Colonel Price be afraid of it in
the future ?"-J. Harry Bachelor.
The referendum provision--"Colonel
Price wishes that the words For and
Against be placed on the ticket and
that only the word not stricken out
should count. Our charter provides for
the word For which, If stricken out, is
regarded as against the provision, and
if not marked it is counted for it. This
means simply a saving of labor.
Harry Bachelor, John r. Harding.
To placing the police and fire depart
nents In control of one commissioner
each-"Colonel Price is responsible for
the Board of Works act, which took
power from the Common Council and
gave it to a smaller. body. Why not
extend the idea still NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
members of the commission and Colonel
James v. Howard, Of the Board. OF
Trade. tdstt
Looking Backward Not Forward.
Colonel Howard said he thought Colo
mel Price was looking backward instead
of forward. He held that the time had
come to simplify the city government.
Colonel Price finds fault that we
didn't eliminate partisanship in the new
charter said Judge Martin when an
swering some of the objections made
by Colonel Price, IAN / am willing to
admit that If it can be done at all the
commission did not know how to do 1t.
We have done the next best thing and
that was to concentrate the power Of
the government
President Hardin went back at
Colonel Price, taking exception to his
remark that he would not say anything
about the good things in the charter.
III Colonel Price will not say any
thing about the good things in the
charter he said. II will call attention
to them. 1t concentrates power, makes
one body responsible to the people d.
rect, abolishes the Common Council,
aboiishes the Board of Works, abolishes
bipartisan boards and establishes a
debt limit"
George F. Reeve. former president
of the Board of Trade, declared that
the new charter was a vast improve
ment over the present system Of city
" .srnment.
fore the resolution was unanimous
t~.isopted former Mayor william H.
~ iedler took occasion to state that
tics had had no part In the pre-
pairing of the charter and that the
word politics had not once been
mentioned.