Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1919-08-30
AN ARRANGEMENT UNPARALLELED

Il am glad if my objections To
awarding the contractor $4,000 as
an extra for constructing the re-
| tanning wall on the Palisades loon of
the state highway system has saved
the taxpayers this amount and addi-
tional $11,S05 on the same lob If
my objections have been so efficacious
am glad that | remained a member
OF the State Highway Commission.
and that l didn't sit mum when mat
tiers affecting the taxpayers interests
were being 'railroaded' through that
body"
This is the manner in which State
Highway Commissioner George E.
Blakeslee, of Jersey City, replied to
the statement of John w. Herbert.
chairman of the commission, taking
Mr.. Blakeslee to task for his public
/ utterances on the extra" in the Pal
| isade road job
Chairman Herbert knows full well
how the recommendation was made to
give the contractor $4,000 extra on
the retaining wall in question, and he
] also kE, vs. full we'll. If he read the
papers, that the articles he complains
of were absolutely correct. He knows
that the State Highway Engineer rec
commended the $4,000, extra that the
latter said his department had made
IL mistake with regard to the stone
and that because of that the state was
morally bound to protect the contrac-
tor, and to use his own words. that
the contractor should not be 'stung'
Mr.. Herbert further knows, or he
should know, that the state engineer
recommended grouted wall, and that
it should be paid for by an extra
! allowance of $4,000 with no quaIifi-
/ cations. He also knows that my voice
was the only one raised against this
recommendation, and that not a word
OF objection was uttered by any other
member of the commission. A couple
OF the members inquired what it was
all about, as if they didn't know the
/ situation, and subsidized. The motion
! to refer the recommendation to the
/ executive committee was carried by
solid Republican vote, with my vote
alone in opposition.
THE trouble with the Highway
Commission is that it is dominated bv
one member and the subordinates en-
+ ployed by the commission. The Exec
utiXe Committee is the official 'morgue'
and dark room of the commission.
If any objection is made to any prop
]
/ that doesn't have the Q. X. of some
boss or Cotere of bosses, it is refer
red TO the Executive Committee. The
/ public knows nothing about it and if
1 it doesn't meet the approval of the
! powers that be, it is Squelched, while
on the other hand if it is desired by
certain elements, the steam roller is
set in motion and it is put through
with no discussion, or very little ar
least.
when the Highway Commission
meets for about two hours each month
the program is prepared in star
chamber session of the Executive
Committee, set to the music and rail-
| roaded through. In this way an av-
erage of 100000 is spent monthly and
the public knows nothing about the
details. \ little light was let in on
this particular expenditure, and this
light apparently served good pur-
pose 1t further showed that even Il
minority has power when it is fighting
for right, and fell gratified if l had
any small part in bringing this saw
ing about. 1t would be a good hing
to have the spot light of publicity ON
other matters in the commission, as
| am sure there would be more saw
mgs."