The sun., 1919-06-15

continuous from January I, 1914 to
January /, 1918.
THE continuous violation OF this
statutory requirement has cost the
county," reads the report. untold sums
OF money. the extent of which II Is AL
most impossible to ascertain, and II Is
the most potent factor in producing
many Of the evils In county government
which the record discioses prevail.
May he Indictabic offence.
This habitual and wilful violation Of
the statute savored OF a conspiracy to
cheat and defraud the citizens OF the
county. Such a concerted plan TO vio-
late the statute is or ought to be penal
offence, and incidentally the fact that
the statute itself does not provide a
penalty by its terms for such habitual
violation does not seem, in our judgment,
to alter the situation, for IL the course or
conduct engaged In by the freeholders
affects injuriously the rights Of 80 many
It might be q conspiracy at common law
and therefore an indictable offence"
The commissioners said that In their
judgment the charge concerning viola
ton OF the competitive bidding law Is
most serious and one not to be treated
lightly.
SPECIFIC mention is made in the report
Of Frederic A Reimer. county engineer,
having shared the responsibility OF the
Freeholders in violation of the compcti-
tive bidding law. The report declares
that he and "alf persons who aided and
abetted In the continuous violation VI
the statutory enactment" are held to be
equally culpable.
Instances are cited as having been
the most fragrant evidences OF the "im-
proper alliance" between officials and IA
vorite contractors whose names are de-
clared to appear with startling reEu-
larity" upon the records Of the Free
holders. The awarding of forty-five
separate contracts totalling s14.777.3S
in the remodelling Of the wardens cot
tage at Overlook; the giving Of thirty
one separate orders, all under $500, for
road work on the Overlook grounds
and numerous orders given in a similar
manner to Joseph Lee for building
fences along the county road are set
forth.
Lavish Entertainments Proved.
with regard to the first charge. which
had to do with the entertaining by the
Freeholders of their friends and strang-
ers sin a lavish and extravasant man.
ner'' at the county institutions. the in
vestigators assert II was clearly sub
stantiated by a great amount of evidence
from the Freeholders and other county
officials
On the third charge, which had to do
with the expenditures on the Overlook
Hospital warden's cottage without ad-
vertising for bids, the report asserts
that this was typical of the methods en-
ployed by the Freeholhers generally.
Comment also was made to show what
was held to be the laxity OF business
methods pursued in this work.
The Commissioners criticised the
fourth charges, relating to alterations
made to the new women's wing at the
county penitentiary, in n similar way
The Investigators placed the response
bility for the Overlook freeze up to the
Freeholders on the fifth and sixth
charges. The seventh charge Is about
the competitive bidding.
The eighth has to do with the Illegal
administration OF finances by the board
Of managers OF the Verona tuberculosi.
| sanitarium where the report says the de-
parture from statutory procedure wa,
unjustifiable and the extravagant cos
of maintenance" has not yet been ex
planned to the satisfaction Of the inyesti
gators.
In connection with the ninth charge
the investigators find that not only wal
extra work ordered without advertising
in the paving OF Central avenue, Eas
Orange. in 1915. but they cite the paw.
ing of Lyons avenue, the Pompton turn
pike and South Orange avenue as othe,
| instances where like methods were pur.
| sued.