The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-27
ESSEX co. TO SPEND
S47O,OOO ON ROADS
Bond Issue to BE Made Soon by
Observation-Disclosures Home
for Warden.
SEEK LICENSE MONEY

T'rrxroS. y. T. 1uly 9s--rhe Board
OF ~f'reeholiers Of Essex county Is
prepared to issue bonds for sNs6,"0o
to raise money with which to
improve seven county roads and build
a new home for the warden OF The
county penitent!ary. The warden's home
il 10 cost about $4,000. SO NIo.Ooo
will be spen, OF the roads. The bonds
are to run fog twenty years.
II. since .he gooi roa'is movement
was ~inuagura,ed IN New Jersey. a high
way has been built or improved thnt
lasted twenty years. the contractors and
material men have failed 10 call a'ten-
ton to the fac, and secure a lot OF
free advertising. There are roads In
the STATE tina, were rebuilt less than a
wear ago thai are already going 10
pieces.
These are macadam. watch twenty
or twenty-five years ago were regarded
as the ideal roads and so they we're
until the automobile came into general
use. Even now "A macadam road gives
excellent satisfaction where the traf'ic y
mainly farm and business wagons. Now
n macadam road Is scarcely finished
before IL begins TO show signs OF wear.
una dlttI Il ifh NN'tN NV i'N' ''N'
been torn of by the rushing automo-
bile tires and scattered into ADJOINING
fields. That's why ESSEX and Bergen
counties have been faVoring hard top
or b!tuminous concrete surfaces.
Neither the contractors who build this
type of road nor the material men wNo
own ard sell the patented mixtures
claim tina. the roadway Will last for
twenty Years. Sometimes they are
butt under a five years guarantee ana
bond, am occasionally a contractor WIZ
boast that his wor,; wi. be good :or
at least ten years bU. that is all.
II H. said that every STATE. "Ncent.Gg
New JERSEY. has some nduner " SUPER
vising the finances OF local Subdivisions.
and that IN his state between 5000. 900
and $4,000. GOO l. hejrs wasted yearly
because OF :he bad system % Municipal
financing.
When. several yeas ago. a commission
wa created TO .uves'.gatc the Subject
Of municipal charters. It reported n
favor Of "A plan drafted on the Ines
of the present general Cos p~otaiun d't.
which would give - eve t.ty. town
and township almost m Im'e 81 power
rf s-lf-govelnmcut. hui limiting them,
IN the matter of bonding, to a certain
percentage Of the assessed prope ~
values.
In view Of the sentiment fdvori"g
local nom. rule" f. .a. been called IN
consistent TO urge that THIS power Ne
further restricted. aai that provision
shall bc made to ms are the retirement
Of all municipal bonds wittiu the h'e
Of the improvement for which they are
issued. and tina, n. pr'rcipl" lie estab-
lisiIed by statute that un bond shall run
for a longer term than the Utility or
the life OF the Improvement 1t creates
The next Legislature will Ice asked to
do II. among other things. for the pro-
lection of the small property owner. A
year or two ago the discovery was
made that the city Of Newark had about
two and q half million dollars lying
die In the local banks. drawing " per
cent interest. while the city was borrow
ing money from those same banks and
paying : per cent interest.
The explanation is that the bonds had
been sold to raise money Tor building
two or three new schools ard something
occurred to hold ny building operations.
So the money was left in bank. The
city was borrowing for other purposes
1t could MOI use the school moneys, hat
II was virtually borrowing It, own
money from the banks and paying 3
per cent. net for its use.
Apparently the desire TO issue $500
o0U OF road bonds now Il due To the fact
that the county has been promised about
$l0o. 600 from the auiomobil. liceus"
fund 10y Commissioners stevens, VINO
makes the distribution. But other
counties that have been depending upon
getting a share Of this fun have been
badly disappointed. notably SUSSEX.
Hunterdon, Somerset, Atlantic, Mercer
and Bergen.
The Commissioner ~ Roads Is un-
able to do anything but promise. II ~
state Comptroller Edwards who does
the performing. and he refuses To release
any state moneys until he has been
assured that all administrative expenses
for the year have been provided for.
Essex after issuing the nearly half =
million dollars in roa bonds may fnd.
AS have several other counties, that the
| state is unable to make good at present.