Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-05-01
MAYOR ANSWERS
. STATEMENT Of
VIM. {. WILSON
Deals With Auto Purchases and
Charges Contained in First
Ward Alderma1'S Statement

Mayor Frank Dorsey today came
out with letter to the EVENING
NEWS which answers the statement
or Alderman William c. Wilson pub
lished on Tuesday. The MAYORS
statement deals with automobile pur-
chases and charges as contained in
the Wilson letter and refutes the
charges. 1t follows:
To Editor of EVENING NEWS:
Dear Sir-In justice to the citizens,
whom l have the honor to represent,
may l present through your columns
the facts, as they pertain to any
action taken by me, concerning the
proposed purchase of auto equip
ment?
shall deal with each item, in or
der, as presented in your issue of
Tuesday last, purporting to have
come from Alderman William C.
Wilson.
First, the 1886 tax rate. "It tends
to make one laugh when you stop to
look at the facts. The purchasing
price of dollar Is less than half of
what 1t was when the rate was S2."
Can the people who are paying the
bills see where the laugh comes in?
Do you need any one to call your at
tention to the purchasing value of
dollar? is 1t not emphasized by your
The point is we are compelled to
lnGeo$3.36 on each 800. For what?
" ----;S the tax rate was 81 we had the
satisfaction of seeing some improve
ments for our expenditure, and could
reconcile the rate with the improve
ments. What improvements have
been made the past two years?
1 do not believe the people of our
city are interested in a light criticism
of the high tax rate, but rather in q
concrete effort on the part of the gov
erning body to eliminate unnecessary
expenditure, and to give to the people
who are paying the bills the consid-
GRAFTON to which they are justly en-
titled.
Second: AS for the political situa-
ton, it will be left with the people.
Third, the auto sprinkler purchase.
My first information was received at
a committee meeting at which time it
was stated that our horse-drawn
equipment was worn out, and that
purchase of new sprinklers was neces-
sary. The purchase of a combination
dump body and sprinkler was dis
cussed. This would keep the truck
chassis working the full year. AS AL
derman Wilson has stated, ! emphati-
cally favored "the purchase of two
auto street sprinklers of a standard
make, and of the same make" and /
recommended that they purchase any
of the big Four as the trade knows
the Packard, Pierce-Arrow, Mack or
White. The idea purchasing two OF
the same make was to standardize, as
interchangeable parts would reduce
liability of both truck being out of
order at one, time.
At the next meeting I was informed
that the committee had decided to
purchase two Selden trucks. Inquiry
Af fIa ta1St 20 nh la6
no investigation or knowledge of
these trucks. I then prevailed upon
them to defer purchase until they had
seen the different makes of trucks and
knew what they were buying.
At a meeting preliminary to the
regular council session, was asked
to read a resolution prepared by AL
chase of one Selden and one Day
Elder truck. I returned the reso-
luton without comment. Later, when
asked my opinion, I said would favor
the purchase of Selden and a Mack
truck, but not a Day-Elder. Seeing
they were unfavorable to two higher
grade trucks. my next thought was
that the purchase of one such ma
chine would demonstrate that its SUI
perior service warranted its higher
cost.
do not wish to create any unfa-
impression regarding the Sell |
den and the Day. Elder trucks. They |
are good trucks of their class, but |
could not be expected to compete |
with those higher priced.
After a careful investigation and |
upon advice of experienced truck !
owners. favored the Mack. A man |
ager in this city, operating twice the |
number of trucks used by any other |
irrn in this vicinity. maintaining an |
lp-to-date garage and keeping accu-
rate cost accounts stated that he con-
;iders the Mack the most satisfactory |
ruck on the market.
Continued on page 81