The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1912-12-10
SALARY SUGGESTED
FOR POLICE JUSTICE
Ald0rmanic Committee Disap-
proves Of Fee System.

Suggesting that police justice be
employed at fixed salary instead
of three men being compensated by
fees as at present the special com.
mittee of the board of aldermen to in
vestigate the alleged wrongful dis.
charge of Adolphe Englehart from
custody reported to the board of al
dermen Friday evening The charges
regarding the Englehart case made
against Police Justice Patrick j
Howard by a Newark newspaper were
found to be groundless and the only
wrongful act committed, according to
the investigating committee was a
technical error in drawing the pa.
pers.
Aldermen Sturgis, Linder and Vor.
holz presented the following report
as a special committee to investigate
the Englehart case and the office of
police justice generally in the town:
"We have made an examination of
the police justice system of the town,
and in addition have examined all
available witnesses and records in
CORRECTION with the case of Adolphe
Englehart, and were unable to find
any evidence to substantiate the as
sertion that Englehart was unjustly
treated by the police justice and that
nothing more serious than an error
of Judgment on the part of Mr.. How
ard was committed. Errors of his
kind being of frequent occurrence by
laymen holding similar offices, due
probably to a lack of knowledge of
such matters, the matter is not one
calling for particularly drastic treat
ment
I'VE would, however, strongly rec
ommend that steps be taken to pro-
vide for an administration of justice
upon another plan than the fee sys-
tenn now in effect, whereby the police
justice receives his compensation ac-
cording to the number of complaints
made and fines imposed. We would
recommend, therefore, that one po-
lice justice be employed at fixed
salary instead of three as at the pres
ent who are paid by receiving fees
when fines are imposed. This method
may cause added expense but it
would appear to your committee that
a proper administration of justice
would justify a reasonable outlay If
such proves necessary in order to Sc
cure decided Improvement over the
present ontgrown system"
Alderman Conkling objected To the
statement in the report that similar
errors had been frequent. In my
-four years experience as chairman
of the police committee | did not dis
cover a single case of this kind" he
.sajd.- y s44ke. exception to that phrase
and move yoS tnat it be stricken from
the report
ut is true" asserted Alderman Lin
der who called upon Town Counsel
Mills for an explanation but the lat
= ters explanation was that several
years ago when he was assistant
prosecutor CT the pleas he looked over
/, papers prepared by justices Of the
! Seaee and found errors in them.
what have justices of the peace
EARS ago got to do with police JUS
kfces," asked Alderman Conkling
Upon Alderman Sturgis' motion the
report was accepted and ordered filed
Alderman Conkling dissenting
Alderman Under then presented a
resolution providing that steps be
taken for the dispensing of justice
by another plan than the present one
, of compensating the justices by fees
3 but on Alderman Conkling's motion
Z the resolution was laid upon the
table.