Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-03-10
HEALTH OFFICER
SCORED BY BOARD
Action in Awarding Printing
Contract Attacked by
Commissioners.
Especial to the Evening stnr.I


SUMMIT, March 10.-The action of
Health officer Max ]. Cotton in. dele
eating to himself the authority to
award the contract for the printing
of the annual report of the Board of
Health to an East Orange printing
concern, despite the fact that the low
est bid for the Job was submitted by
local printery, was abrogated by the
Health Board last night, and Cotton
was directed to cancel the order which
he had given.
Three bids were received by the
board at previous meeting for the
printing of the report. The bid of
the Summit Herald was $780, the
East Orange concern s115 and the
Summit Record 1872. To the surprise
of the health commissioners, they
learned yesterday through a protest
made by Alfred =. Lane, published of
the Summit Record, that Cotton had
awarded the contract to the East Or
ange firm.
The health officer spent a very I'M
comfortable half hour last night,
when the board in executive session
unanimously voted to rescind his
action and awarded the contract to
the Summit Record. Cotton, in really
to questions by President DIR. William
Fl. Lawrence, jr, Commissioners
Michael ]. Kenny, DR.. Thomas r.
Prout, Parker w. Page and James G..
Ovens, attempted to explain his
course in ignoring the local low pro-
posal by saying that the board should
be willing to pay the extra cost to the
East Orange concern "for service,
azida 10 pf inst a1JtfinU
the type together" Cotton admitted
that he isn't a printer, but said that
work which he had done by the low
bidder for the printing of the report,
even after two proofs of the job had
been passed upon by himself, was
printed inaccurately. He expressed
the opinion that the local plant could
not do the work "as nicely as the firm
down the line
President Lawrence, who is head Of
Overlook Hospital, and Commissioner
Page, the latter New. York lawyer,
stated that they had considerable
work done at the local printing office
which had been satisfactorily eXecut-
ed. All of the commissioners were
pronounced in their opposition to the
action of Cotton, each declaring that
there were specifications for the
printing of the report and all that
is necessary is to see that the reports
are printed in accordance with these
requirements
The health officer made a strenuous
effort to have the board reject all
three proposals and request new
bids, but his plea proved unavailing.
He then expressed the fear that the
firm would not cancel the order, but
President Lawrence quietly but firm
" a 10 oc tod
by the board, and if he encountered
any difficulty in having his pnau-
thorized order Cancelled, he, Presi-
dent Lawrence, will personally at
tend to the matter.
In the open session a communica-
ton was read from c. j. Phillips, of
the Lackawanna Railroad, in an
swer to notice served on the rail-
road company relative to the sani-
tary condition at the railroad station
here. Mr.. Phillips wrote that the
company had expended more money
in caring for the sanitary condition
of the station here than in any depot
on the Morris and Essex division of
the road.
But there. is an element of ,hu-
manity in your city which seems to
have as much regard for sanitary
conditions as have the people of the
dlSliltt III All NIL llli-
lipps wrote. Since the company was
notified by the board of the condi-
lions in the station some weeks ago
the health officer reported there was
much Improvement.
Report was made that milk from
two of twelve diaries is very little
above the required standard of the
board and unless this supply is inn
proved it's sale in this city would be
stopped. No action was taken on
the recommendation of Health Of
ficer Cotton that all dairykeepers be
ordered to install sterilizing outfit
for the cleansing of milk bottles and
utensils.
The revised ordinances will be
given second and third reading and
will be adopted at the next meeting
of the board. The requirement for a
sterilization outfit in all dairies sup
plying milk to this city is contained
in the revised ordinances.
| The vital statistics report showed
there were two marriages and ten
deaths in February.