Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-04-25

knights returns from his outside
work as head of the George w
Knight Company are from $4,000 Il
$4,000 annually. l can hardly SCI
that that work could be performed II
mans leisure hours, and for thai
reason I made an investigation into
the conduct of that department.
went to the home of Mr. Knights
stenographer, Alfred Kriess, to whom
the board pays salary of $1,000 g
year. I told him that had been In
formed that he had done considerable
work in board hours in connection
with the George w. Knight Company
He said 1t was true"
The commissioner then went on tc
say that Kriess told him that he had
used fictitious initial, 81" in desig-
mating to whom the letters for Mr.
knights own business had been die
tated, and that in designating the
dictatee on letters written for the
/ boards business he used his own in
itial TX" Then the commissioner
said that Kriess had produced rec
ords which claimed to show how
much work he and Knight did dur
ing hours they both were supposed
to be working for the board.
The record of this work that the
commissioner read for March 10 OF
this year was four personal letters
for Mr.. Knight, four board letters
one board report and three George
w. Knight Company letters. The
record he gave for March was five
George w. Knight Company letters
and four board letters; for March s.
three Knight Company letters. one
personal letter and two board let
ters; for March 6, four board letters,
and for March 7, three board letters,
four Knight Company letters.
Further, the commissioner stated
that Kriess told him Knight dictated
many of the letters, but that Perry
West. who gets $1,000 as Knights
assistant in the employ of the board,
and who is a member of the Knight
firm, dictated many others in con-
nection with the firms business, and
that on such letters the same fictitious
initial of the dictatee-"I"-was used.
Commissioner Johnson said there
were at least some twenty-odd engi-
neering projects that Mr.. Knight had
been working on and among the more
important he mentioned schools at
Bayonne and Highbrldge, the City
Hospital, the State Hospital for the
Insane at Morris Plains. an Engle-
wood school and residence in Plain
field.
Says Practise Has Been Hidden.
"Since the chairman of the build
ing committee of this board took
office in February of 1872" said Mr..
Johnson, mo permission has been
given by him to Mr. knight to do
outside work. Aside from the fact
that these practises have been hid
den, here is a case where the city
OF Newark has been robbed. Is this
man (KnighD making his $4,000 a
year? With the assistance of his
assistant, West, he is doing as large
an engineering business as there is in
New Jersey.
"Who Is to judge, if we adopt this
resolution, whether the work done
by Knight will conflict with his
duties to- the board? Why, Knight,
Of course. / say that he is not an
honest man."
Commissioner Johnson then referred
to President Taylor's connection with
the Beaver Engineering Company,
which he said did work for the
Knight Company, and he hadn't gone
very far with his remarks in this
vein when Mr.. Taylor objected and
asked him to desist and to confine
himself strictly to the question. Then
followed a series Of Tits between the
president and the commissioner, the
president holding that Mr.. Johnson's
attack on Mr.. Knight was not ger
name to the resolution then under
consideration. and that it should be
made a special matter later.
Cant I relate how Knight Is dis
honest?" asked Mr.. Johnson.
''You are not to confine your re-
marks to an attack on Mr.. Knight"
replied Mr.. Taylor. and he added that
Mr.. Johnson would have to eliminate
all personalities.
I'm deal in personalities as long as
they are pertinent to the resolution"
shot back Commissioner Johnson.
"Mr. Knight also employed Krless to
work on specifications for his firm in
board hours"
At this point President Taylor
again ruled the speaker out of order,
and Mr.. Johnson appealed from the
ruling of the chair His appeal when
put to the test of roll call was
not sustained.
MY point is" said Commissioner
johnson. that 1t is very important
that man who is to be allowed to
serve only part time should be honest.