Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-05-13
PAVEMENT WORK
GRAFT SOURCE.
GILLEN CLAIMS
Board of Works Commissioner
Raps Engineer Dept. and
Meadow Proposition.
ECONOMY is DIFFICULT,
MAYOR RAYMOND TELLS
Executive in Trade Board Meet
ing Discusses Inability to
Effect Savings.

In the presence of seventy five
members of the Board of Trade, in
Guiding Mayor Raymond. Board of
Works Commissioner Charles P. Gill
len last night declared that the tax
payers of Newark were getting
trimmed" on paving contracts and
that the responsibility rested with
the engineer department of the board.
Mr. Gillen charged that the depart
ment is disorganized, undiseiplined
and inefficient, and said it was time
to get rid of two or three certain
men i'm it. The commissioner also
declared that the meadow PROPOSE
tion was not straight and needed
looking into"
Mayor Raymond afterward declined
to offer comment on the statements
of Mr.. Gillen.
Mr.. Gillen's speech followed one by
Mayor Raymond on Newark and
Its Municipal Management" One
member of the Trade Board, Seig-
fried Leschiner, made a motion that
a committee of five be appointed To
investigate the Board of Works,
especially the engineering depart
ment, and to lay before the grand
jury its findings, If they bear out
Mr.. Gillen's charges. The motion was
not seconded. and the meeting ad-
journed a moment later. y
Morris r. Sherrerd, city engineer,
could not be seen today. He is at
Cincinnati, attending the annual con-
vention of the American Waterworks
Association.
Newark Night"
The meeting last night was known
as Newark Night" In addition to
Mayor Raymond and Commissioner
Gillen, David B. Corson, assistant
superintendent of education of New
ark, made an address on What the
Public Schools of Newark and the
Board of Education are Doing for the
Education of the School Children" p"
Each speaker presented statistics on
the various phases of city activity
talked upon.
Mr.. Gillen reviewed the merits Of
varioIs pavement, as he saw them,
and the way they have been laid in
| Newark. Grouted granite, he said
! was The, y-best, in his opinion for
heavy traffic streets, while asphalt
was the best for general use on ordi-
nary streets. Wood block was making
good on Broad street he declared
The commissioner gave the prices
for bitulithic, which has been lai,l
extensively in Newark for the last
half-dozen years, and for asphalt,
which, he said, has been barred from
this city for ten years Asphalt was
from siXty-dxe to seventy-five cents
a yard cheaper than the patented
pavement which Newark has used
so much Of He then told of his fight
to have the specifications open 10
permit the asphalt makers to COM
pete with the bituIithic makers
Mr.. Gillen then related what revela-
tions concerning the letting of paving
contracts in Newark were made be-
fore the joint appropriations commit
tee of the Legislature at Trenton. He
went on:
There has been no action by the
grand jury of Essex county or the
prosecutor. although the committee
thought that something should be
done right here in Essex; but, at any
rate there has been a disposition on
the part of someone to open the speci-
fications this spring. trick clause
was put in, but we had it redrafted
by our very able city counsel, Mr..
Fraser, and in short time we may
have honest paving.
Let me tell you gentlemen right
here. You are property-ownens. busi-
ness men and taxpayers, and the
proper ones to know it. You're not
getting the worth of your money
when you pay for paving in Newark.
In plain language, you're getting
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