Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-17
HOME RULE ACT
DEALS PENSIONS
STUNNING BLOW
Police and Firemen's Funds
Seriously Affected, Says
Trenton Commissioner.
CERTAIN MUNICIPALITIES
ARE DIVESTED OF POWER
Hennessy Bill Strips Commits
sion-Coverned Cities of Au-
thority Facilitating Business.
Especial to the Evening star.I

TRENTON, April 17.-In a care
fully prepared statement issued yes
terday, Commissioner La Barre
points out some new and startling
disclosures in the operation of the
Hennessy "home rule" act, so-called.
In the estimation of the commits
sioner the Hennessy act works a
revolutionary and perhaps a ruinous
change in the management Of the
affairs of municipalities governed by
commission rule. The changes will
affect revenues and have a serious
and embarrassing bearing upon meth
DDS of government created for the
purpose of facilitating court work
These things are exclusive of the
doubt surrounding the power to issue
bonds for public improvements.
Cities like Newark and other mu
nicipalities not under commission
rule are, of course safe from the
troubles and hardships that the
Hennessy act is imposing, and VIII
remain free from its disturbing in
fluenee so long as they adhere to the
old and popular form of government.
According to Commissioner La
Barre. the city and several of its de-
partments are hit in one way or an
other. He says that included IN the
vafious departments affected are the
police and firemen's pensions, police
fines. salaries of policemen and the
mower of police sergeants to take
bail The statement in full follows:
provisions of the Hennessy Home
Rule Act providing Such munici-
palities shall be, and are hereby de"
clared TO be, a dist net class OF nlu-
nicipalties, and shall be subject TO
any laws of this State, except lave
Applicable to all munic pal ties OF TINS
state other than counties and school
districts have suspended the power
and authority conferred by certain
laws upon the city and its munic. pal
officials. Among these laws are; An
act to remove the fire and police
departments in cities OF this State
from political control
Pension Funds Affected
'sThe Pol &c Pension Fund rs MAIN
tanned, managed and controlled un-
der the provisions of a supplement
to the above mentioned act, approved
April g. 1902 This law designated
the Board of Police Comm ssioners
(now the Board of Commiss. .oners) as
the trustees of said fund and the
secretary of the board as the treas
urer Of said fund, and requires pay
ment OF ] percentum of each officers
salary in order to entitle such officer
to the benefits of the pension.
"As the authority conferred by
said law lita been suspended the re
suit is that there is Police Pension
Fund without trustees and a treas
urer to sign checks payable to those
entitled to receive pensions.
"The supplement to the fire and
police act requiring the city to ap-
propriate and put in the annual tax
levy a sum equal to at least I per
centum of the salaries in 1ne aggre-
gate paid to the police force If such
city for the maintenance of a pension
fund, is likewise rendered inopera.
tive.
IAN act entitled an act concerning
paid fire departments in certain mu-
inequalities of this State. and for the
relief of mem bers thereof, their wild
ows, dependent parents and Children
approved March 90, 1906, is likewise
imperative.
Effect ON Insurance Premiums.
"The Hennessy act eliminates all
these sources of revenue. The loss of
one-half of the 2 per centum of the
premiums for insurance will be es-
pecially felt. The entire per CEN
tum will now go TO the Firemen's Re-
lief Association, as provided by an
act entitled, AN act to facilitate the
collection from fire insurance com
panies.
Hereafter retirements and pen
sions will be controlled by the pro-
visions of an act entitled. AN act
concerning the fire departments of
this State and to provide for the re-
tirement of firemen and employees
therein
Under this act the city must bear
the whole burden of pensioning fire.
men, and the curious anomaly is pre-
scented of the current pension fund
amounting to about $4,000, to which
the city has contributed a large por-
tion vested in the hands of a corpora
tion, and which can only be used to
pay the pensions now in effect, and
the city compelled TO bear the bur-
den of additional pensions.
Limitations on Discipline.
"a supplement- to the fire and po-
lice act, approved May %, 1906, per-
hitting the imposition of fines or
other penalties not exceeding thirty
days for derelictions of duty, is inop-
erative. Suspensions without service
and without pay and dismissals are
now the only penalties tnat can be
imposed.
1.-THE maximum salary law of 1905,
adopted by the voters of Trenton in
1907, is imperative, but the salaries
cannot be reduced by reason of the
adoption of the amendment to the
Walsh act in 1918, which provides
That the salary or compensation of
any member of the police or fire de-
partments shall not be fixed at q. less
amount than that received by the
said member at the time of the adop-
tion Of said act
"The provisions of the act entitled
An act authorizing sergeants of po-
lice in any first or second class city
to take recognizances of bail from
any person charged with having COM
mitted a misdemeaSor, or any offense
against the vice and immortality act,
or the provisions Of an act concern
ing disorderly persons approved April