Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-01-22
SCHOOL BOARD LAX,
IS EXPERTS CLAIM
State Inspectors Report May
Lead to Indictments at
Long Branch.

LUNG HANC6 Jan. 6l,-r oAAoWS
ing the report of Sherman o. Dem
mis-. inspector Of accounts Of the
State Board of Education, which al
leges that the local school board has
been guilty of Irregularities. comes the
rumor that tho present grand jury.
the first drawn by Sheriff Wilbert Bee.
croft, may indict several If not all the
members OF the board.
The investigation alleges that the
commissioners Of the school board did
not comply with the law and that no
real accounts were kept by them.
Mr.. Dennis says In his report that
the books sept by the secretary of the
board, C. Asa Francis, who is also col.
lector Of customs for the Port OF Perth
Amboy, are nothing but memoranda
of partial payments and cannot be re-
garded in any sense as account books
Other points alleged are that mern-
bers of the board carried school in
surance, lat the coal bill were not
itenlized and that in most cases the
honesty of the contractor had to be
depended upon absolutely. Contracts
were let without getting Kids, as re-
quired by law, and in some cases the
quantities were not shown OIL the bills,
The report was made public Saturday
and coming so close to the arrestNof
Mayor Packer on bribery charges, the
city Is in a high pitch of excitement.
The members Of the Long Branch
board are: Thomas RI Woolley, presi-
dent; c. Asa Francis, secretary; An
thony T. Woolley, Daniel WardelI,
Frank K. Gano, John T. Britton, John
A. Eaton, Clarence G.. Van Note and
Harry Blodgett. All but the president,
Van Note and Blodgett are Republic
cans and nave been in office for many
years. In fact, citizens declare that
most offices in Monmouth county are
heirlooms.
Despite the fact that there are evil
dences of Irregularities and hat Chief
Justice Voorhees, has asked the Grand
Jury to investigate the matter.
Melvin A.. Rice, who is a MEN,
Der of the State Board of Education.
and also one of the grand jurors of the
present panel, declares hat he does
not believe that n wrong has been
done by the school board and that he
is anxious to give the board time to
put its house in order" BY time"
Mr.. Rice said he meant until the first
Saturday in February, when the State
board holds its monthly meeting.
The peculiar part Of the situation is
that when the State body meets the
local board will have rome out of office,
according to the new school law. 1t
Is not expected that Mayor Edwin w.
Packer will reappoint the present
board.
1t was thought that Mr.. Rice was
responsible for the investigation, but
he denied this. Mr.. Rice affirmed,
however, the rumor that he had been
set aside as foreman Of the Grand Jury
by Justice Voorhees, and that in his
Charles Conover was appointed.
When asked to explain this Mr.. Rice
said:
"Al I know is that Justice voorhees,
told Surrogate David Crater that he
had nothing against me but that he
was exercising his prerogative, as he
had been in the habit of doing, and
appointed another man, a man well
known In the county"
But, Mr.. Rice, have you not heard
the rumor hat C. Asa Francis, who
was secretary of the board, and whom
the report charges with negligence,
used his influence to have you re-
lnoved?' asked a reporter for The
Star.
No, I have not heard that. il what
l have been told by Mr.. Crater to be
the real reason, is not the real reason,
I would like to know more about the
affair"
Rumor has 1t hat MI. Francis, who
at n time was Mayor of Long Branch
and sheriff and secretary Of the school
board, besides being a Republican
political leader of the county all at
the same time, thought that Mr.. Rice.
as member of the State board and head
Of the Jury. would be inclined to be
too severe with the local board, and
for that reaso managed to have Mr..
Rice set aside.