Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-24
MADISON MAY GET
Commission RULE
Influential Citizens Confer With
Orange Leaders on Cam
paign Methods.
Especial to the Evening star.I

MADISON, April 24,-Infuential
Madison citizens have recently held
several informal conferences, which,
1t is expected, will eliminate in a
movement for commission govern
n1ent. They have even gone so far as
20 confer with the leaders in Orange,
who recently brought a campaign for
commission government to a success
gul termination. They have done tbs
partly to ascertain the best methods
to use In a campaign of this sort.
While the citizens who are behind
the present movement have no con-
nection with the Board of Public I'M
provement, they have no desire to Sc
cure commission form of government
under cover of the present agitation
along those lines by the board, Which
now has the issue under considera-
ton. They wish, IL possible, to CO
operate.
One of those foremost in the move
nent told an Evening Star CORE
epondent today that they already
have the petitions, but that they W Ii
not be put In circulation until after
the May meeting of the Board OF
Public Improvement. 1t liz expected
that committee which has the mat
ter under consideration viii make
definite report at this time. If the
board decides to carry out the matter,
they may do SO, with the aid of the
other agitants. If nothing is done at
the May meeting of the board, the
petitions will be circulated soon after.
1t is therefore practically certain that
the question of whether or not Mad
1son wants commission government
will be submitted to the people in the
near future.
Commissioners Salary $3.50.
An impression has been created"
stated one of the men in favor of
the new form, that the salaries of
the three commissioners in town of
Madisons' size would aggregate
$4,000. But perusal of the law
shows that salary OF $3.50 is provided
for the mayor and $500 each for the
other two commissioners, a total of
SI,750, This eliminates one of the OBJ
5ectionable features of the change
as it has been presented to some
citizens"
Promoters of the new government
for Madison claim-and state that
shev nave substantiation for their
ciaims--that commission form OF
government would save Madison
three times the amount of salaries
ol lUS Oiittiht5s 1hCS lSiiiS SNN 1900
$4,000 is spent for coal for the pump
ing station every year, for which
amount no bids are ever asked, the
coal is never re-weighed nor Is any
checking system kept. The same
thing is true of the hundreds OF tons
of cracked stone purchased every
year. 1t Is the opinion that the saw
ing here alone would be a big item.
Other Savings.
Each year there Is spent in horse
hire from 1880 to s2,000. They state
that with autos to do the work
would save about $1,000 annually:
The commissioner OF streets and
highways, it is pointed out, would
have direct charge of the streets,
thus eliminating the street commits
sioner and saving 81 per day, now
paid to that official. 1t was also
stated that 1t ought to be feasible td
combine the assistant to the borough
clerk and the clerk of the Board OF
Health, saving the salary of one.
Making q broader statement, one
of the leaders of the movement said
4hat It is their belief that there is a
chance for saving in every depart
rnent of the borough, especially the
liPht department.
They also point out that the militia
tive, recall and referendum make the
government more democratic one,
and make the officials more directly
reenonaibla TO the voters at large.