Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-04-01
Evening Newspapers Attitude
Is Scored in Open Meeting
of Insurance Board.
COMPTROLLER PARMLY
AND OTHERS SPEAK
Auditor Rowe Denies Statement
That He Placed $4,000
With Cross.

Charaeterizing the article i'll the New
ark Evening News of Thursday, March
"a, which referred to certain transac-
tions of the Insurance Fund Commits
sion. Tyler Parmly. member of the COM
mission and city comptroller, took oc.
casion today. at the meeting of the
commission, TO say that if the News
had fault to find with anyone POLITICAL
ly it should do so without "going over
the shoulder of someone else and cast
ing slur on any municipal body
The comptroller referred to the arti-
Gle published with reference to the all
legged threat of Joseph Wright, secre-
tary of the commission, to see that no
more policies are given to William F.
Macksey, and the holding up of the
check due Macksey on an insurance
policy
Reflects on Commission.
In part Mr. Parmly said:
ITO a certain extent what am
about to say is personal matter, but
nevertheless, the article in the New
reflected upon the entire commission.
There was no foundation for the article,
and he who wrote 1t did not get at the
whole truth--he singled out the Mack
sey policy. 1t seems to me that it
should be the duty of the newspaper TO
build up municipal bodies rather than
tear them down.
There was reference made in the
article about the payment of the Mack
sey policy. As matter of fact the
policy was ordered paid a week before
the publication of the article If a
newspaper wants to attack anyone let
it be done honestly and directly. Ny
attitude towards the press has always
been fair, but I do not think that
shol'ld be singled out and criticised for
"a thing that did not occur. l hope it
VIII not he done in the future.
Auditor James A. Rowe spoke on
the matter and said: "As to the plac-
ing of policies it is my opinion that
they should be placed with the best
companies. I do not want the placing
of any. 1t is my purpose to make this
commission worth while. and really it
was through my suggestion that the
commission assumed more insurance.
/ suggested this in accordance with
the mayors message. The article in
the News said that / placed $4,000 with
Washington Cross. 1 did not do so at
all. l do not wish to place any insur-
ance."
Calls Article a Slur.
Albert T. Guenther, president of the
commission, declared that the article
was slur on the commission. II feel
we have a right to place insurance" I"
he said. If we have any insurance to
place that is our affair. We agree on
who is to get the insurance as body,
and If it is agreeable to the body that
we give it to the lowest bidder I do
not see why fault should be found.
The News article as much as said that
there was SO much graft in the COM
mission. In justification of Mr.. Wright
1 wish to say that he asked me azout
the paying of the bill due Mac'Ssey
and 1 said that there was no hurry
as we always took from thirty to sixty
days to pay bills. 1t was also decided
that the secretary compare the rates
with the rates in other companies be-
fore the bill was paid, and this took
some time"
Mr.. Parmly agreed to this and said
lndt d lHOllOIl 1aQ DeSH Indue 10 pay
the bill provided that the rate be
found correct. He further said that,
contrary to the News, he did not send
for Mr.. Wright and order the bill paid
because he believed Mr. Wright to be
in Trenton at the time mentioned in
the News and consequently could not
consistently send for him.
Mr.. Parmly said that the whole
thing originated In a political scrap
and that the comm ssioners should not
have been drawn into the matter. He
asserted that the reason for Mr..
Cross's presence in his Office several
times is accounted for by the fact that
he was looking into the matter of
selecting the best kind of insurance
for the city and had asked Mr.. Cross
to assist him in the matter
All three of the commissioners
agreed that there was nothing to hide
in the workings of the body and that
insurance was always placed with
those who gave the lowest rates. This
was borne out at the committee meet
ing. for in placing a policy with Joseph
NJ. Byrne and the Newark Fire In
surance companies both were told that
if the rates submitted by them are
not the lowest then the policy would
be Cancelled.