Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-09-13
TOMK|NS FEELS HE
DIDN'T BREAK LAW
Makes Statement Regarding
Supplying of Material to
City Buildings.

The story published exclusively in
the Evening Star of Monday last,
that matters wece no. as rosy and
serene in the Board of Education
as they might be and that friction
anc discord had disolacs1 harmony
cannot apparently he longer. con-
sistently denied. The Star referred
to rumors that { member of the
board was suspected of furnishing
supplies to coutrac .ors for use in
the construction of public school
buildings and printed the statute
law bearing upon matters of that
kind. The Ian guage % the statute
is clear and emphatic on tine sub
ject
Individual commissioners when
interviewed by Star reporters, secuted
the idea of friction IL first, and in
dignantly denied that any memter
was concerned in the furnishing Of
supplies for public school purposes.
They admitted knowing the law, that
i prohibited such practices ahd pro-
vidad a severe penalty for a viola
tim CT its provisi ors.
Inc commissioners AiON6Ntis hCA~
a conference Wednesday afternoon
at the call of President Taylor and
among other things took up the mat
ter of supplies and the stories pub
lished After and before the confer
ence conflicting stories were made,
there being marked difference be-
tween that given out by President
Taylor, spokesman for his colleagues.
and the news expressed by others.
Commissioner Tomkins has come
out with a statement as to his posi-
tion in the matter
THE rumors- and stories, said he,
do not worry me greatly, but
naturally feel hurt. There is no ap-
prehension in my mind that / have
been a party to a violation of the
law.
Commissioner Thomas ]. D. Smith
is said to have in his possession slips
which show that material from our
yards was delivered to the various
school buildings. But eeen that does
not prove anything. Tomkins Brothers
does approximately S1,0e0.0oO of busi-
ness a year. and cement for the New
ark Board of Education work would
form a small part of this.
THE wholesale department of Tom
kins Brother is under my direct
charge. l have nothing directly to do
with the retail department, from
which contractors could purchase
their supplies. AS an officer of the
company, however, I have issued
orders, as did my gather before me,
that no supplies are TO be sold TO con-
tractors on school work. On its face
that is apparently an easy order to
obey and to live up to. Tt is renewed
from time to time, and I have given
assurance to my colleagues that it
would be again emphasized at once.
There is one thing of which | am
certain. Our wagons did not deliver
bit of cement to any school job.
We sell probably 200 loads of cement
a day to contractors and they usually
come for the material with their own
wagons. Is ii UP to us to follow those
wagons with a private detective in
order to make sure they do not de-
liver to school jobs?
How do we know where goods
ordered by contractors go?
"Stories of my possible resignation
are not without foundation, but the
present situation has nothing to do
with it. The newspapers, at least.
are perfectly familiar with the fact
that have wished to resign for more
than year. 1t was at the urgent
request of Mayor Haurshng that /
have stayed as long as | have. only
the other day | waited on the mayor
and expressed desire to sever my
connection with the board and he
again asked me to hold off. That was
before any stories of my selling TO
the city had been published and be-
fore I even knew anything of the
situat ton"