The Penn's Grove record., 1920-08-20
Contract Awarded
To Improve Streets
]. F. Burke, Of Plainfieid, Given
Contract to Lay Surface on
State Street and Rail-
Road Avenue

A meeting of the Mayor and Council
was held on Tuesday evening, Mayor
Samuel NJ. Hunt presiding. Members
present were George M. Pyne, Edw.
H. Keen, Jr., Harry A. Dalbow and
Robert M. Walker. Owing to illness
Clerk Walter A. Hunt was not present.
The bid of Contractor Joseph F.
Burke, of Plainfield, for laying a sur
face on Railroad Avenue and State
Street and other necessary work in
connection Herewith, was accepted,
and Borough Engineer VIM. A. Sum-
merrill was instructed to draw a con-
tract for same.
The work will be done before cold
weather sets in if material can be Sc
cured. If not it will be done in the
spring of next year. Sufficient funds
to cover the cost of the improvement
are provided for in the budget.
The matter of the license for the
carnival or amusement company which
has been going on in French's grove
for a week or more provoked an ami
mated informal discussion.
When the proprietor of the show ap-
piled for a license he represented it as
an amusement company. The fee for
such shows under the amended ordi-
nance is $50. In addition there is a
tax imposed for each revolving swing,
razzle dazzle, flying horses, ferris
wheels and other co~ntrivances of a
similar nature.
The license fee of $50 does not cover
refreshment stands for the sale of
soft drinks, ice cream, etc. Nor does
it provide for any games of chance
whatever. These do not need to be
mentioned in the ordinance as they are
fully covered by Federal and State
laws. Every concession outside of the
amusement feature is required to pay
an additional tax.
1t was found that the management
was running many booths where ar
ticles were disposed of by chance and
that refreshments were being sold.
Altogether the things which could
be permitted to be operated under
the ordinance would aggregate license
fees far in excess of the $50 which
was paid.
This was the contention of Messrs.
Dalbow, Pyne, Walker and Keen.
They all spoke upon the subject and
said the concern should be made to
Day Tile 1ull CcISc Ice " pow ailo NC
required to keep within the bounds
of the law.
While there was no actual "spin-
ning' wheels to facilitate the drawing
of prizes the schemes used instead
were very similar, electric lights be-
ing used which serve the same pur-
pose.
The Councilmen said they had been
talked to by numerous citizens and
business men, and all were opposed to
outside carnival promoters coming in
to Penns Grove under any conditions.
They have no interest in the place ex-
cept what they can get out of it and
this usually is a large sum to the loss
of the business men. The efforts of
fraternal organizations to raise funds
for their various needs was not to be
considered in the light of a travelling
carnival which invariably takes thous-
ands of dollars out of the town.
The show was still running full
blast last night and all the different
features being operated.
On Wednesday night a special meet
ing was held to consider the matter,
but the representative of the Record
was excluded from the meeting by the
Mayor. Of course, what transpired
at this meeting leaked" the anne as
such things do at meetings of the
President of the United States and his
Cabinet, but the Record, out of cour-
tesy to the Mayor, refrains from max
ing any mention Thereof. Incidentally
we might state in this connection that
the Superior Court of Brooklyn last
week compelled Mayor Hyland of New
York to admit a reporter to a meeting
who had criticised his official acts.
Mayor Hunt has not thus far been
criticised by the Record for any of his
official acts except in a commendatory
manner, hence it was some other rea-
son that kept the reporter out Of the
meeting. Nevertheless "Star Cham
ber'' proceedings by any body of pub
lie servants is not good policy.