Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1916-01-03
FUSION FORCES
TAKE HOLD IN
WEST ORANGE
Mayor Says Aim Is to Make
the Town a Better
Place.

Having organized on New Years
Day, the new West Orange Town
Council, in complete control of the
Fusion party, will begin the 1916 bust
ness tomorrow night. In his message
to the council, Mayor Farnham Yard
ley, at the organization meeting, said
he would strive to make West Orange
better place in which to live.
The Fusionists were not backward
in replacing all of the appointiye
Democrat office holders with selec-
tions of their own and the organiza-
ton took only as long a time as the
resolutions could be read in and ayes
and nays given.
The members of the council are:
Fusion party, Mayor F'arnham Yard
ley, Councilman Clarence o. Wood
ruff and William F. Nehr. Second
Ward; Benjamin p. Baidlaw and
John Garven, Fourth Ward, and
Daniel w. Gillum and James II. Reid.
Fifth Ward; Democratic Party, John
r. Killing and p. J. Corr. First Ward.
and Thomas S. Drummond and Julius
WeigeL Third Ward.
Borden ID. Whiting was appointed
town counsel to succeed Simeon H.
Robinson; Douglass r. Todd, tax as
SCISSOR for one year to succeed Francis
A. Byrne; former councilman Will
lam A. Kerr, tax assessor for two
years to succeed Augustus Brands.
jr.; Fred G. Erwin, auditor, to sue
ceed George f. ziegler; Enoeh p.
Coward, building inspector to sue
ceed Herman Freye; James T. B.
Lohman, school commissioner; DR..
Morris Farkas, Board of Health;
Charles r. Browning, sinking fund
commissioner; Charles c. Goodrich
playgrc md commissioner, and Lieu
tenant Patrick McDonough. Linus
Dean, George A. Naulty and Alfred
N. -Pierson, police pension fund
trustees.
Mayor Yardley was given the ap
pointment of all committee chairmen,
privilege the Mayor had not en-
joyed under the Democrats for some
time. and in consequence all of the
Democrats found themselves minus
chairmanships and serving only on
the least important committees.
Urges New Water Contract.
Mayor Yardley In his message
urged that the town make a new
contract with the West Orange Wa
ter Company, upon terms suitable to
the protection of the interests of the
town, for a period of ten years, to
take effect as soon as possible, and
by which the source of supply should
be in part under surface and in part
surface streams.
MY reasons for making this rec
ommendation," the executive said,
ARE as follows:
1.-THE town will secure the prompt
Aef le, ifafr Of
rior underestimate water that re-
quires no filtration, and the speedy
correction of the defects in our pres
ent distribution system.
''The residential population will be
supplied with a. pure, cool, clean and
sparkling potable water, while the
factory district will have the use of
O. softer water from surface streams.
These improvements can be Sc
cured without adding to our present
heavy bonded indebtedness. and
without involving the town in the
uncertainties connected with a joint
municipal enterprise.
Predicts Higher Tax Rate.
The executive predicted that the
tax rate for 1916 could not possibly
be as low as in 1915, when the figures
were $3.50.
There has been more or less crit
icism," the mayor said. that there
have been lax methods employed, and
favoritism shown in connection with
the office of the building inspector.
/ trust that there will be no more
unfavorable criticism, and that the
lives of our citizens will not be jeop-
ardized by any faulty construction of
buildings.
There is no reason, that know of,
why our building code should not con-
tain the same requirements as other
neighboring municipalities, and be as
rigidly enforced, and il our building
code does not compare favorably with
codes in use elsewhere, | trust that
the building committee will take up
the matter and recommend the
changes to the council
Continuing the executive said in
part:
"The mayor will be glad IL the
Board of Assessors will investigate
the assessed valuations throughout
the town, and satisfy themselves that
these assessments are fair, equal and
impartial.
Rules for Police Force.
IT recommend that a manual OF
rules and regulations be compiled by
the police committee and adopted by
the council for the use and guidance
of the police department.
1T also recommend that hereafter,
when pAtselmen are appointed, they
shall be selected from the list of
active chancemen, and that a merit
system be prepared and installed and
that the chanceman possessing the
highest number of merits shall be ap-
pointed as patrolman when a
t. e. he ;,,o
in the number of patrolmen Is deemed
necessary by the Town Council.
There should also be an age limit
(of say. thirty years. for spatrolmen,
so that the town may be assured of
the services of a patrolman during
the best years Of his life"
would Abolish Once.
The mayor recommended the abol-
ishment of the office of street com
missioner and superintendent OF
sewers. He favored better trans
portation for the Fourth ward, and
asked a revision of the rules of the fire
department The mayor would like tc
have the town triangle be made q
civic center. He asked that the mat.
ter of issuing liquor licenses be re.
moved from politics.
The men elected last November
were also presented with gifts by ad
mirers when the 1916 body was or.
ganized. Recorder Thomas ]. NC,
Laughlin, whose term has another
year to run, made the presentation
speeches when Councilman John r
king was given the stickpin ant
Councilman F.. ]. Corr received a fin,
lamp. William Cohen presented
Councilman Reid with a chair from
his friends in the Court House. wher,
he is a constable, and flowers from
Fifth ward friends. William J. Smitl
handed Councilman William F. Nehl
a floral horseshoe from Second ware
admirers, and likewise made a speech
and Charles Covington did the honorl
for Councilman John Garyan. of th'
Eo1irfl ward The reciniants all mad,