Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-05-03

was given the finance committee OF
the Board of Freeholders last
Wednesday by Judge William 2.
Martin in reference to the operation
of the courts in this county. Judge
Martin called attention to the fact
that all court expenses were Jumped
under one item. This should not be,
he claimed, as by this method it was
impossible to determine whether any
one department was being run ex-
travagantly or not.
He pointed out that the expenses
for courts, prosecutors office and
probation office all came from the
one fund. He insisted that the ac-
counts of the three departments
should be kept separate, and so well
did the suggestion please the COM
mittee that it was at once agreed
that S. H. Wenck, who is now con-
Quoting the yearly audit of the coun-
ty books, should devise a plan for
separation of the court expenses ac-
count
The court account as at present
maintained is simply one account. In
the tax budget for 1912 $3.50, 600 was in
cluded for court expenses. Against
that account have been charged
amounts paid for medical examina-
tions ordered by the courts and fees
of lawyers assigned by the courts in
the defense of prisoners unable to fur
nish their own counsel.
In the past year counsel has been
so furnished to at least five persons
charged with murder. Allison M. Nc
Farland, twice tried for the murder
of his wife, and acquitted on the
second trial; Salvatore Loponio. con-
victed of the murder of Policeman
John j. McGovern; William Henry
Overton. convicted of the murder of
his wife and 4-month-old child; Mad
dalena Ciccone, convicted of the muir
der of her husband, and now serving
a life imprisonment; Antonio Fiore,
twice tried for the same murder,
being convicted on the second trial,
all had counsel assigned to defend
them during the current fiscal year Of
the county.
This money has come, and properly
SO, out of the court expense fund. Ex-
penses for the assignment of counsel
and for expert testimony ordered by
a Judge of the Common Pleas is
properly a charge against that court.
The money spent in the prosecutors
Office in the investigation of cases or
for any other purpose Is properly a
charge against court expense, and so
is any expense connected with the
probation office. But the point that
Judge Martin makes is that these ac-
counts should be sub-divided into
charges properly made against the
courts, against the prosecutors office
and against the probation Office, the
general term of the account still to
remain court expenses. 1t could then
be easily determined whether any of
the departments were being run eco
or otherwise.
The question of how much money
will be needed by the county to take
care of the payments to be made
under the widows pension act is an
other thing that is worrying the
finance committee. The committee
at a loss as to what amount it needs
to have placed in the tax budget for
this item.
1t Is expected that claims aggre-
eating fully 100000 will be placed
during the first year the law is in eff
feet, but the careful investigation as
to the worthiness of all claims that
is to be made will, it is expected,
keep the figure considerably below
$100, 900 in actual payments. The law
goes into effect July next
more help for county counsel" was
this week. All of which brings to
mind the fact that the staff in the
executive offices of the Board of Free
holders has more than doubled in less
than four years. At the beginning
of 1910 the staff consisted of the late
Edward L. Conklin, county auditor;
Joseph L. Mum, county counsel;
Richard w. Booth, county collector;
Harry Housed, assistant county au-
ditor. and Jacob Seidler, stenographer
and clerk, five persons all told.
Now the staff consists of eleven
persons, as follows: County counsePs
department, BENJAMIN F. Jones,
county counsel; Harold A. Miller, as
sistant county counsel; Raymond L.
Mahoney, William ]. Rink and Wal
ter Purcell, clerks; auditors depart
ment, Albert I. Guenther, auditor;
Harry Housed, assistant auditor;
William Johnson, clerk; collectors
department, Richard w. Booth, coll
lector; Jacob Seidler, clerk, and pur-
chasing department, George Bergen,
superintendent.
The main reason for this increase
in assistants to the heads of depart
ments is the fact that the work of
the county has been systemized in
the past three years, making more
help necessary in the bookkeeping de-
partment. The small Board of Free
holders also makes more help neces-
sary, as much of the work formerly
done by committees is now per-