The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1914-09-15
LAW CUTS DOWN
COUNTY RESOURCES
County Collector Mclean Asks
FreGhOldeTS to RetrGnCh.

The war in Europe has made itself
felt in the board ui freehodess OF
this county County Collector Joseph
+. Mclean, who mas just returned
from Europe, at the SeDtcmber meet
ing OF the board, said he had had a
talk with the banks and had been in
! formed that although they would be
glad to loan the county money they
asked that it borrow as little as pos
sbile. He said a glance over the bal
anee sheets show that the county has
number OF obligations and to get
through the next three months Will
have to conserve. He then called tie
attention OF the freeholders to the
result OF the repeal OF the Hillery tax
act and urged the members to get
after the legislative committee and
| try to get a remedy for this. He sa d
! he did not believe the county could
+ pay its expenses at one-half OF one
per cent. The law allows the raising
of only S100000 while there We're Coz
dltiens arising that VOID make the
/ expenditures of the county $3.50, GOO.
''Our taxing capacity has been redue-
ed and our expenditures increased,
he sad. Other causes OF the in
crease OF expenditures this year he
told the freeholders were the snow
bills due to the blizzard that were
/ higher than ever before and the trans
ferring, OF $4,000 to the widow pen
sion fund The increased cost of the
poor house was another cause, he
said.
! Another attempt was made to get
the bill OF Charles N. Bowlby, of Do{-
er, for $310.55 as sealer OF weights
and measures OF Morris from Janu-
airy 6th to March 11th, 1913 through
the board, but after two trials it was
lost by tie vote. At the last meet
ing the bill was referred to the coun-
sci and he gave an opinion that If
the county was sure Mr.. Bowlby had
4 been appointed and, il appointed, and
performed the duties OF the Office,
the bill should be paid less $3.50, the
amount OF a Judgment he secured
against the county. freeholder Dick
I erson, OF Mt. Tabor, said Mr.. Bowlby
had not visited his store, which Nh
Bowlby denied saying he had explain
ed the law to Mr.. Dickerson's s. son
but had not placed his seal upon the
scales as he had not been supplied
+ with proper equipment The question
then arose as to whether Mr.. Bowlby
Was performing the duties of his Of
flee when he did not have the proper
equipment When the matter was put
to vote it resulted in tie of thir-
teen to thirteen. Later Freeholder
j Leonard Elliott moved that the bill
be paid when approved by tire counsel
and Mr. Eowlby had presented an
itenized account of his work. This
motion was not carried, tie vote
resulting.
Freebooter George Hulmes, of Lake
Hopatcong, asked what had become o
his resolution on the taking over of
a strip of road in his district Chair
man Anderson NJ Guerin, of the road
committee, said he had gone over the
records and found that there were ten
miles of road that had not been touch
ed by the board and that the com
mittee has only~ Twenty per cent. Of
the amount necessary to properly re-
pair all the roads now governed by
the county. In view of these facts
he said, he did not see how the road
could be taken over. He said a $780,
900 road had already been built at
one end of Lake Hopatcong when $25
900 would have been enough for a
road that is used only three months
in the year. The committee had en-
deavored to repair those ROADS most
in need of it, he said Freeholder
Fancher said the Mine Hill road was
very much in need and had not been
touched.
The contract for supplying the coal
for the county buildings was given to
Pruden & Burke at $3.9S ton.
The sheriff reported thirty-six pris-
oners in jail A transfer OF $500
from the Jail account to the perman-
ent improvement account was approv-
ed. The aims house committee re-
ported 210 inmates. In the children's
home are eighty-four inmates.
The contract for the laying of catch
basins and tile drains ON Madison ay-
enue was awarded to John T. Ritter,
of this town, for 81, 1868 TO- The NOV
ing of railing along the Mountain
Lakes road was discussed and laid
over as impractieable.