Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-02-04
MADE
BY N. ]. HEADS
State Architect Bent Issues
Statement in Answer to Re-
cent Attacks on His Work

being directed against him by Bur-
dette q. Lewis, State Commissioner
CO Institutions and Agencies. is the
reason for the attack against State
Architect Francis H. Bent circu-
lated this week. declared the latter
here today when asked for q state
ment In reply to the charges Of in-
competency made by Ogden H.
Hammond, chairman Of the State
Board OF Institutions and Agencies.
Incidentally Mr.. Bent denied the
various allegations respecting his
course on certain work at state in
stitutions and declared that the re-
cent attacks made on him by AS
semblyman w. Irving Glover, Of
Bergen county. former speaker of
the House, and Mrs. Lewis s.
Thompson, Of Monmouth county,
member of the State Board OF Insti-
tutions. we're not based upon accu-
rate information.
To the contention of Hammond
that eighty-five per cent of the
work of this office Is done for the
Department of Institutions a reason
why the bills transferring the du-
ties OF the state architect to the Ju-
risdiction of the Department OF In
solutions should be passed, Bent
lepiicS tLldt uuIiuB the pTcbcnl usCdl
year he is doing SSs3,650 in work
and 100000 for the department
with which Mr.. Hammond Is con-
nected. II 100000 carried over
from the past fiscal year in institu-
tional work Is to be added, then it
Is true that q total of $1,000, 900 is
being handled for the Department
Of Institutions and Agencies this
year.
Denial is made by Bent that he
| ever estimated It would take $4,000
to- repair a leaking roof at the
Jamesburg Boys home, or that he
permitted the use OF ashes by the
contractor building the steam line
at the same institution. What he
did allow. says the state architect,
was screened cinders and an inspec-
tor was stationed there to see the
work was properly done. As to the
charges about the faulty dam at
Morris Plains hospital sewage dis
| posal bed. the architect said that
the dam has not been finished and
no water has ever been turned on.
as the job was condemned by him
and stopped In reference to the
recommending Of the award of the
contract for the erection OF the new
brick chimney at the State Home
for Girls, Trenton. without submit
ting the matter to the board of
managers. Mr.. Bent declared that
the usual course OF procedure was
followed in this case.
1T was very much surprised at
the attack made by former Speaker
Glover on this department." COM
mented Mr. Bent. ut was vicious
and unwarranted and I shall cor
tainly write Mr.. Glover asking him
where he obtained his information.
Speaking about the work at Morris
Plains and the contracts not being
finished. the work has been con-
demned by this ONCE and 1t Is sim
ply a case of a long drawn out pro-
cess by a contractor who - slow
about following Instructions.
Respecting Mr.. Glover's remarks
about the work at Vineland and at
the Soldiers Home at Kearny.
think he Is referring to the Soldiers
Home at vineland and not at Kear-
ny, as the only thing we have done
at the last named place was to in
stall some boilers, which were en-
tirely satisfactory. The two other
Jobs he mentioned at Vineland. one
at the feeble-minded home and the
| other at the soldiers home, were not
executed by this department but by
the old department OF charities and
corrections.
THE comment made by Mrs. Lew
Is 8. Thompson OF the State Board of
Institutions and Agencies, regarding
| the specifications for boilers at the
State Home for Girls, was based
upon absolutely misleading informa-
ton. and I will leave the matter of
the specifications in this instance to
any first class engineer or set Of en-
gineers to determine whether they
were not complete in every way.
my consulting engineer. w. w
Law. who laid out this plant. re-
modelled the original plant at the
| girls home and saved the cost OF the
entire installation in three years be-
cause of the curtailment in coal con-
sumption. His standing as an IN
gineer cannot be questioned, and
since becoming connected with this
department he has. been of fnestim-
able value to the state In the han
ding of our engineering problems.
~ believe that this attack is only
part of a system OF propaganda be.
ing started by the head Of another
state department who last veal
threatened to hinder or eventually
destroy the state architects depart
ment, II I did not withdraw my op-
position to senate bill No. 1873, which
was finally defeated"