Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-06-26
SAYS RHODABECK
IS inefficient IN
OFFICE CONDUCT
AutomobiIist Scores Deputy
Motor Vehicle Commission
er for Practises.
SAYS OFFICE is KEPT
IN CHAOTIC CONDITION
Staff Is Too Busy Attending to
Private Insurance Busi-
ness, He Says.


That the business of the office of
deputy State commissioner of motor
vehicles as conducted by John NJ.
Rhodabeck in this city is perfectly
competent to handle a large automo-
bile and general insurance business
but not the business of matters con-
nected with motor vehicles in this
section of the State Is made evident
by the following statement made by
F. w. T. Stiles, who is experienced
both in the motor vehicle and insur-
ance business.
The experience of Mr.. Stiles in
seeking a new license and a renewal
of an old one is but one of many
that have taken place at the office of
Rhodabeck since he took hold of the
position by appointment of Job H.
Lippincott, of Jersey City, an ap-
pointee of President Wilson while he
was governor. Lippincott is now act
i've manager of the gubernaror1al
campaign of H. Otto Wittpenn, of
Jersey City.
So MANY annoyances automobiIists
having business to transact with the
Office have had to contend with that
the matter has become a general
topic of conversation when two or
more car owners get together. AS
result there is we'll defined move
ment under way looking to a pilgrim
age of automobile owners to Trenton
where the abuses that are said to ex-
ist in the office will be formally laid
before Governor James F. Fielder.
Mr. stiles's Statement.
Mr.. Stiles's statement made in a
letter to the editor of the Evening
Star is as follows;
Following my conversation with
you on the street yesterday in ref
erence to John M. Rhoda beck, l wish
to say that 1 personally, and num-
ber of others would like to see the use
of the office of the Commissioner of
Licenses for the State motor vehicle
department as an insurance office
discontinued, and hot blast given
toAthis procedure through your paper.
I would also refer you to Joseph H.
Wood. president of the Newark Ex-
press and Transportation Company,
who feels just as strongly as I do
that the proposition of the State
motor vehicle department into an in
surance office through the agency of
Rhodabeck and Cooper is an outrage
on the public.
ITO give my own experience
would say that in December l went
to renew the license on my car. /
waited twenty minutes while bunch
of 'rubes' or 'hayseeds' endeavored to-
find out, from the files, my car num-
Der (the license required being re-
newaD and other particulars 1 got
tired of waiting and had to come
back the next day.
THE office was in a state of con-
fusion. there was no system, no one
seemed to know what to do, and in
general 1t was conducted in an en-
tirely unbusiness-like manner, but
every person who came into the office
was solicited for liability, accident
and fire insurance on their auto
mobile. Those who had insurance
after informing the clerk to that ef-
feet, were let alone, but those who
had none were 'boned to DEATH and
yet not more than a month or so
after that an article appeared in a
local newspaper headed Auto Men
Want Increased Pay in which John
M Rhodabeck, deputy commissioner,
says that the compensation does not
measure up to the standard of other
public offices, and that 1t does not
compensate for the labor and work
entailed.
Regards Compensation Too Small.
He says in regard, to the local Of
flee that he considers the compensa-
tion entirely too small for the work
required. He also says that because
the State motor vehicle department
refuses to allow a larger fund for
the transaction of the business of the
office the system is antiquated and
entirely inadequate for the handling
of the business during the rush sea-
son.
Mr.. Rhodabeck asserts that a
clerk in any of the city offices draw
ing $4,000 per year without any par
ticular cares or responsibilities do
ing regular office routine is better off
financially than the deputy vehicle
commissioner.
Now, all 1 have to say is this, that
if any of the clerks that he had in
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