Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-12-03
new SYSTEM OF
BUILDINGS FOR
ESSEX COUNTY
Freeholders Obtain Option on
Mountain Land, Caldwell to
Overbrook.
PLAN TO cENTRALIzE
INSTITUTIONS THERE
Soho to Be Abandoned, Though
$4,000 Improvements Are
Proposed.

A first step by the Board of Free
holders toward the establishment of
county reservation in Western Es-
sex, in which all the county hospitals
and penal institutions eventually will
be erected, was taken up yesterday
afternoon at a joint meeting of the
hospital and Jail discharge and prison
committees Of the board, which was
held at OverbroplS.
The joint committee passed a reso-
hutton recommending to the finance
committee of the board that a bond
issue Of sl50,O0O be authorized for the
purchase of 200 acres of land that ex-
tends between the present hospital at
Overbrool and the penitentiary at
North Caldwell. Included II. the
property TO be purchased is the city
tuberculosis Nsanitarium at Verona.
During the discussion on the resolu-
ton 1t was brought out that 1t Is the
intention of the freeholders to aoan-
don the present Isolation Hospital at
Soho and to relocate 1t on the prop
erty to be purchased
only few weeks ago the board
authorized the issuance of $6O,OOO
worth OF bonds for extensive improve
ments at Soho, which included the
erection of new pavilion, new light
ing system and a fire alarm system,
new incinerator and new boiler.
The reason given for the abandon-
ing of Soho is on account OF the lack
Of room, there being a state law
which prohibits the erection of isola-
tion hospitals within $50 feet of a
public road. The Soho property Is
now crowded to its limit with build
ings, it Is said.
1t is also intended to locate. the
county Jail on the new reservation
the present jail building on Newark
street to be used for housing prison
ers who are awaiting sentence.
None of; these gptemplated changes
are to be made at once, but will be
effected gradually.
Freehoider Richard F. Malta,
chairman Of the prison committee
introduced thA resolution for the pur-
chase Of the reservation property
HThe time has come.' said Free
holder Malta. when 1t is necessary
10 extend the grounds of the peni-
tentiary II win also ReSasa7H
for fis IN a short time 70 make pro-
visions for, the removal of the hos
pital at Soho to some other location
With this idea in mind. the COM
mittee has been working for several
months. and we are now ready to
make report on the matter.
I'VE visited number of prisons
while attending the prison convention
at San Francisco. We found out tnat
the more advanced forms OF prison
reform showed a trend toward keep
ing the prisoners in the open as much
as possible.
work for Prisoners.
This is impossible in Essex county
now because of the present crammed
condition at the penitentiary Wife
deserters and drunkards who have
been housed in the county jail should
be placed at work in the open and
made to earn at least their keep by
working on a farm which will be es-
tabished.
.sThe property we have in mind can
be secured by purchase, gift or by
condemnation. 1t contains about 200
acres ct ground 1t can be purchased
ut the present time for fair value,
whereas If we wait several years it
Is going to cost whole lot more, for
it is being continually improved by
the owners.
THE fact that we intend to locate
all Of our county buildings in the
tract in the near future will no doubt
increase property values in other sec
tions of the county where people lived
in fear that some day the county
would secure property in their neigh
borhood for county institution.
Soho will have to be abandoned on
account of the lack of room. The day
IS coming when the present county
jail will have to be abandoned and
the present building or some other
one that may be acquired in. the city
will be used for the housing of pris-
oners waiting for sentence only.
Personally, I think this is good
proposition The reservation prop
erty can be purchased for about $780,
600. 1t already contains several work.
able farms I'm addition to q stone
quarry of high grade stone and also
a lot of woodland, which can be util-
lied
THE city sanitarium lis located on
the proposed reservation property
and understand that the county can
purchase the property from the Board
of Health and 1t can be used at once
for incipient cases OF tuberculosis, the
pavilions at Soho being for advanced
cases only.
We already have options of two
thirds of the property in the tract.
The remainder can be secured by
condemnation proceedings if the own
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