The Penn's Grove record., 1920-10-22
Dismisses Old
Utility Board
Jersey Governor Removes -Four
Members and Appoints
Three New Men.
FINDS THEN ALL GUILTY
Favoritism to Corporations Charged
Officials Ousted Will Appeal. Men,
bers Claim Evidence Did Not
Show Neglect of Duty.

pleleu TIE membership VI HIS HeW Otll-
ity Board to take the place of the com
mission he ordered Ousted, and which
is defying him by continuing to func-
tion despite his custer.
The old board is giving hearings
just above the chambers where the
senators are considering the confir-
nation of nominations for the new
board. In his message the governor
calls attention to the fact that the
supreme court refused to review his
action in ousting the old board.
The nominees for the new board
are Congressman Joseph A. Hamill,
Democrat, of Jersey City, to replace
Commissioner Alfred A. March; Ar
thur A. Quinn, Democrat, of Perth
Amboy and president of the New Jer-
sey State Federation of Labor, to sue
ceed Commissioner Andrew Gaul !:
Walter F. Whittemore, Republican,
Newton, n. J., to succeed Commits
sioner George F. Wright; Treadwell
Cleveland, Progressive Republican,
Newark, to succeed Commissioner
John w. Slocum; ex-senator James
A. G. johnson, Democrat, of Engle-
wood, to succeed Commissioner Harry
l.. Knight.
Senator Allen, Republican, majority
leader of the senate, said that the SEN
ate ought not take action on the nomi-
nations, but should postpone action on
the nominations until there had. been
time to become further acquainted
with the records of the new appOin-
tees.
Many senator's were in favor of de-
laying confirmation of the new board
until the legality of the custer had
been untangled by the courts.
Until the custer was upheld by the
courts, it was said, the old board would
continue as a de facto body.
Keeps Prediction Pledge.
The action of the governor fulflls
the promises made by the governor in
his campaign in 1919. The utility
question at that time was n of the
important issues, and he promised in
his speeches that if elected one of his
first official acts would be to summari-
ly dismiss the members of the Utility
Board because they had lost the con-
fidence of the people. The governor,
however, did not take quick action,
and he has beer the subject of much
criticism because he has allowed the
matter to go owe a great number of
months. In the meantime he has Civ
Ell public hearings in Trenton and Jer-
sey City, and great volumes of testi-
mony have been taken to prove or dis
prove the charges Of unfaithfulness
made against the commissioners.
Every step in the proceedings to GUST
them has beer fought by the members
of the board, and now it is their inten-
ton to carry the action of the COVER
nor through the courts of the state.
OF the members dismissed Gaul,
Knight and Wright are Republicans,
and SlOcum is a Democrat. OF the
new members appointed Hamill and
Quinn are Democrats and Colonel
Whittemore a Republican. There will
be one more Republican and ne nor
Democrat named, and it was learned
that the governor has under consider
alton for appointment to the board
Frank B. Jess, of Haddon Heights,
president of the state board of taxes
and assessments and a Republican. A
place has been rendered City Commits
sioner Thomas L. Raymond, of New
ark, also a Republican. 1t Is under
stood, however, that he will not accept
and Mr.. Jess was suggested. Mr.. Jess
has been president of the tax board
many years and is considered an au-
thority on tax and utility legislation.
He is a former speaker of the assem-
bly,.
1t is understood that the. governor
has had several destinations of ap-
pointments to the new board. He of
fered one place to Frank Sommer, for
mer counsel to the board and conceded
to be one of the foremost utility law
yers in the county. Mr.. Sommer,
however, is the dean of the New York
Law School, and he refused the honor.
1t is also understood hat former
Mayor Percy Stewart, of Plainfield,
declined to serve on the new board.
In his detailed statement the gov
ernor discusses the utility case from
its inception and disposes of the con-
tention that the governor has no pow
err to sit as a judge on the members
of the board by declaring that if he
did not do so he would be violating
a duty laid upon him by the legisla-
ture. He said that he was not will
ing to take responsibility for declar-
ing unconstitutional that provision of
the utility act that gave him the pow.
err to remove any commissioner for
neglect of duty or for misconduct in
office.
Failed in Their Duty.
The real reasons for the removal OF
the utility commissioners by the gov
ernor may be summarized as follows:
They have failed to carry out the
duty imposed upon them to fix proper
and adequate rates of depreciation for
each public utility and to compel such