Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1921-04-15

meet again in regular weekly session on
Monday afternoon, April 18th. This
arrangement was made because the
April term of court for Cape May
county wa to open Tuesday, the 18th, AT
Cape May Court House. The city being
interested in several cases on the docket
at this term, the presence Of some of
the officials there that day was de-
manded-particula!ly that of the
mayor, the commissioner of evenue
and finance and the city clerk.
One of the first cases 10 be heard be-
fore Circuit Judge Ralph Dopges was
that of Acting Chief Of Police A. L.
Sherlock VS.. the City of Wild wood, an
action to recover six months salary, at
$l10 per month, from July LIST, 1920, to
January 1st, 1921, amounting to $500.
The jury awarded this plaintiff the fnll
amour of his claim.
The second suit against the city, that
Of former City Engineer H. E. Weir, to
collect the sum Of $418 80, claimed to
be due him for services rendered in pre-
pairing certain plans aud specifications,
and for surveying 900 lots in Second
and Third wards, did not come to trial.
1t was settled out of court, the city
agreeing to pay his charges in full.
Another suit of this plaintiff, to re-
cover the sum of $500 OF a note drawn
to his order by Commissioner Frank E.
Smith, was also settled u of court, the
defendant agreeing to satisfy this claim
in full.
Out of a list Of twenty-eight cases set
down for a hearing at this term of court
no less than thirteen of them concerned
the city of Wildwood and citizens
thereof; that Is, in this series Of thirteen
either the plaintiffs or defendants, or
both, were Wildwood people. Who
said wildwood isn't on the map?
The most sensational thing, perhaps,
which occurred at Cape May Court
House this week was the submission
to the grand jury by Supreme Court
Justice Charles c. Black, of a report
made by an investigating committee
into the legislative and administrative
affairs of Cape May county. This re-
port represents four months work by
William j. Kraft, of Camden, and Ed
ward P. Bacon, of Jersey City, ordered
by the court to probe for alleged irregu-
larities and violations of law. So i'm
pressed, it is further stated, was Judge
Black with the allegations made in the
report that he advised the grand jury
to find true bills of indictment against
the persons involved, failing to do
which he threatened to discharge them
and personally see to the calling of an
other grand jury. Gross extravaganza,
mismanagement and in~efficiency are
charged in the report; and OF the
county's bonded Indebtedness of ST.
416, 900, half of this was authorized in
one year, 1920. This is spending money
most heedlessIy and lavishly and has
reduced the county's borrowingcapacity
to the Insignificant figures of S26, 300,
the probers assert. Collision between
the Board of Freeholders and con-
tractors in the construction of roads is
alleged, and attention is called to the
most fragrant violations Of law regu-
lating the letting of contracts.
In addition to s~extravagant expendi-
ture of money in road building, careless
management and inefficiency," it is
charged that the county has lost interest
on more than S4OO, 900, because this sum
or over was deposited 10 the Union
Bank Of Wildwood, where nc interest
payment was arranged for.
AS an example of the alleged care
lessness and extravaganza Of the County
Board of Freeholders, the investigators
cite an instance where the Tiffon Wagon
Company was paid S4,114 each for two
automobile trucks, when it is claimed
al the time the market price Of said
trucks was only $1,000.
The County Board of Freeholders
consists Of fourteen members at present.
Floyd Hewitt, of North Wildwood, is
the present director, having recently
succeeded in that office Augustus Hill
ton. of Wildwood. Mr.. Hilton is re-
ported as saying that 1t got too rotten
for him to remain on the board and he
declined q reelection last November.
w. H. Stein, of Wildwood, was elected
to succeed Mr.. Hilton. Other local
members of the board are John w.
Young, of North Wildwood, and Otto
Koeneke, of Wild wood. North Wild