Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-04-27
BATTLE ROYAL
At So. AMbOY
Council Room Filled as Bitter
Fight Comes to a Head at
Special Meeting Held.
WILL PAY FOR AUDIT
Audit is Received by Council,
Following Long and Heated
Argument.
WILL PAY FOR AUDIT

SOUTH AMBOY, April 27.-Those
who gathered in the council cham
ber of the city hall last night, and
the place was packed. expecting to
see the fireworks" and be further
informed on the audit of the city
books. recently completed by Rich
ard f. Carroll. were fully repaid for
taking the trouble to come out.
The meeting started off rather
dry" but following the reading OF
the communications the meeting be-
gan in earnest.
The trouble started when Coun-
Gilman Shuey moved that the bill for
$3.50 rendered by r. +. Carroll and
which had been properly signed, be
paid.
Councilman Lovely asked if the re.
port had been received from Com
missioner Darby.
The clerk replied:
Not that l know of"
Councilman Lovely then stated
that he dad not think the bill should
be paid until the audit is accepted
and wanted it laid on the table un-
til Commissioner Darby was heard
from,
Councilman Stanton agreed with
Councilman Lovely. saying that he
thought the bill should not be paid
until the audit had been accepted by
Commissioner Darby in Trenton and
the council SO notified.
Councilman Kvist said that he
knew Carroll had seen Darby and
had given him the report of the au-
dit and that although he could not
report officially. he knew the report
had been accepted by the commits
sioner.
Councilman Lovely said he still
was not in favor of paying Carroll
until the city had been given official
notice that the report had been ac-
cepted.
Councilman at Large Stockton
then asked if last years bills were
paid without an official notice to
which Councilman Lovely replied
that this was 1921 and if the council
had made mistake in paying the
bill last year without getting an Off
cial report of the audit being ac-
cepted they should not make the
samn mistake this year.
At this point in this debate Solici-
tor Francis Coan was appealed to-.
He informed the council that mas
much as Mr.. Carroll had been hired
by the council to make the audit
and had made the audit and pre-
sented it to the council the bill
should be paid.
Councilman Stanton, following this
opinion from the solicitor said that
inasmuch as the same condition may
exist next year as this now was the
time to correct it.
Councilman Shuey took issue with
Councilman Stanton and remark cd
that 1t is funny that the third ward
councilman takes the stand he does.
He pointed out that Carroll was
done when he audited the books
and as he had done the work he
should be paid.
At this point Councilman Kvist
again gained the floor and stated
that at the last meeting he had
made foolish motion. when he
moved that the auditors report be
placed under lock and key in the
safe and held until this meeting
for when report is held in this
manner it is officially received. He
said that at that meeting the idea
was TO keep the report from the
newspapers but it had been pub
hshed and he was at loss to ac-
count how copies of the report had
been obtained by the reporter.
Councilman Stanton then said
that in other cases when bills are
paid, they are referred to the fl
nance committee, and after they
have been passed by the committee
reported for payment without COM
ment. That was not done in this
case, according to Councilman
Stanton. He maintained that the
h Il -
this time. but should be referred to
there, and then brought up before
the council with the committees
recommendation.
Councilman Lovely remarked that
he thought the bill was on the ta-
Bile, and although he was mem
Der of the finance committee had
not signed it. To this Councilman
Kvist replied that he had asked
Councilman Lovely to sign the bill
a few minutes before the council
had entered the council chamber,
but he had refused. Councilman
Lovely then said that he asked
Councilman Kvist If Darby had ac-
cepted the report and when he
found out that it had not been ac-
cepted he made the amendment
that the bill be laid over and re-
fused to sign 1t.
At this point Councilman shuey
withdrew his motion for the time be
ing that the bill be paid.
Councilman-at-Lar Stockton
then put to vote the motion that
the report of the audit be received
and filed. This motion was de-
feated by Stockton, Kvist and Shuey
voting against it and Lovely and
Stanton for it,
Following this vote Councilman
Shuey again moved that Carrolps
bill be paid.
Cou Gilman Stanton then recalled
that a ording to the auditors re-
port thee is a difference in the cash
book balance and the bank balance
of $3.50 and that he did not think
the bill should be paid until this
shortage was located. He said that
he did not question Mr.. Carroll's 8
CONTINUED on page %
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