Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-06-25
J|TNEY BUS
REGULATION
City Counse's Report That 1t
Belongs to Common Council
Not Concurred In.
COMMISSIONER GlLLEN
HOLDS FOR WORKS BOARD
Latter Also Raised to Wrath
Over Richard Street
Paving.

JUST Wnat branch of the city gov
ernment las the authority to regu
late the jitney busses is still a very
much mooted question. despite the
report by City Counsel Spaulding
Frazer, made yesterday to the Board
of Works, that he believed the power
rested with the Common Council in
stead of the Board of Works.
Commissioner Charles p. Gillen
does not agree with the city counsel
as to the lack of authority of the
Board of Works, ana will in no way
agree to pass over TO the Common
Council its functions. Mr.. Frazer
and his committee, which is made up
of Trolley Inspector Joseph Crawford
and Chief Engineer Morris II. Sher-
rerd. has been continued by the
board to make further investigation
and to report more fully at next
weeks meeting of the board
City Counsel FraZer's idea of reg
ulation was not set forth at yester-
day S meeting, although he said that
he had been working on a draft of
an ordinance, which he had in his
pocket. The provisions of this draft,
which were not brought to the light
of the public in a formal way, carry
proposed license scale OF from
$t5 year for the smaller cars To $500
year for the larger busses. 1t also
provides for the bonding of the own
ers, the establishing of routes and
schedules.
Most of these provisions are dis
tasteful TO the jitney owners, who
say that they are discriminatory and
too high. The idea of a bond is some
thing which they declare they will
Rrr1,3 IN, ,Is -
the fact that an effort was made be-
fore the New Jersey Legislature TO
have law enacted to have all auto
mobile owners give a bond, but that
it failed of passage.
Honest Regulation, Says Gillen.
Commissioner Gillen says that he is
not going to surrender his belief that
the Board of Works should regulate
the iitneys He also asserts that
While the iitneys should be regulated.
something which even the jltney
owners themselves admit, he con-
tends it should be an honest regula-
ton. He says that, after ALL the
people own the streets and that they
should be allowed to do business on
them. He said no obstacle should be
put in the way of the iitney people
which would drive them out of busi-
ness.
When City Counsel Frazer made his
report to the Board of Works yester
day for mis- committee he said that he
had come to the conclusion that, be-
cause the Common Council was the
only body which had the power 10
fix a license fee, it also had
regulatory power of the jitneys. Then
he discussion between him and MI.
Gillen followed. The latter contend
ed that the board had exclusive juris-
diction over the streets, and common
carriers such as street ears and 1lt-
ney busses. came under their eX-
elusive jurisdiction and IL The
power was taken away from the
board that he, as one, would vigorous
" oppose any such move.
Mr. Fraser explained that there
was no intent to take from the board
it's authority and supervision of the
use of the streets, but suggested
that it could not legally impose any
revenue-p producing tax on vehicles.
This function, he said rested entirely
with the Common Council. After
this was done. the board could take
up the matter of regulation
Dispute Over Paving.
Matters of paving Richard street
in the Twelfth ward and other
streets reused Commissioner Gillen,
who charged that Thomas f. Halpin,
a former member of the board, had
interfered with the action of the
members. He asserted that Mr..
Halpin was trying to have certain
streets of The Twelfth ward paved
with bitulithic.
Commissioner Gillen charged that
delay in paving Richard street with
Il IL
playing into the hands of the
bitulthic paving trust. whose product
is considerably more expensive. Other
streets that the commissioner insisted
should not be held UP were Oraton
street Clifton avenue and oxford
street
In regard to the latter thorough
fare. Street Engineer William Howell
reported that there now was petit
ton in favor of bitulithic and IL the
board wanted to make a change the
ordinance passed to pave the street
with asphalt would have to De
rescinded. This brought Commits
sioner Gillen to his feet, who de-
nounced a resembling of the ordinance
at this late date asf"bunco game"
GiIien Against Resembling.
The ordinance to rescind the former
action was passed on first and second
reading, Commissioner Gillen voting
against it.
For the rest of the streets on which
Mr. Gillen based his attack, contract
for paving the same with asphalt was
awarded to the Continental Public
Works Company as follows: Richards
street, $6.609.23; Oraton street,
IS, 1923, and Clifton avenue, $11,769.
The board voted to ask the Com
mon Council to issue S25O,000 dock
bonds. With the issuance of these
the last quota allowed for meadow
development under the law setting
aside SO, 500 900 will be drawn on. The
original act allowed S2,000,000 and
this winter the city recovered $3.50, 900
more instead of the 100000 asked for.
This curtailment has recently ne
cessitated a change of plans by the
engineers in order to keep within the
scope of the appropriation. The
changes have, however, been made
in such a manner as not to impede
the using of the developed zone for
revenue producing purposes.