Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1921-05-27

under the control of individuals who are
not responsible to the county, and indis
criminiately drawn on, whether for
county purposes or for individual use
some of it permitted to lie dormant for
several years under such control, while
like commodities are being purchased
from time to time, thus indicating a de.
sire to buy for the sake of obtaining the
petty graft or "rake.off' paid to certain
individuals in authority for throwing
the business in a particular direction.
Bills have been approved and paid
without Notifications, in accordance with
the law, and in many instances bearing
the earmarks of being padded and in
flated for the purpose of defrauding the
county of its money.
Evidence of bribery for the awarding
of contracts, and collusive bidding, with
a tacit understanding as to the successful
bidder upon the payment of a certain
consideration to the competitor discloses
the Interior motive of the extensive i'm
provements made in the past, which has
caused the county Indebtedness to reach
almost its limit.
inexperienced men have been selected
to discharge the duties requiring knowl-
edge and experience; moneys collected
by officials for services on days and
dates when they were not engaged in
county work; charges for automobile hire
xusfba.sf ryorrovk Of IaxJ ord IN rnonu in
stances which never reached the person
who was alleged furnished the automo-
bile; bonds disposed of and the proceeds
thereof, which became county money, per-
mitted to be used, after the delivery of the
bonds to the purchasers and the deposit
tory designated by them in New York, to
be loaned out at a high rate of interest
on call loans, and the earnings thereof
divided between the purchasers, the de-
p~ository in the City of New York and
the depository of the county, who had
never handled any portion of the pro-
ceeds except by giving credit to the
county for the total amount on its books
without any interest whatsoever to the
county; indicating a Generalization and
depravity which should rouse a senti-
ment among the inhabitants of the county
to place the responsibility for the con-
dition of affairs upon those who have
created and permitted this condition, and
to aid and assist the prosecution of those
responsible therefor.
As a result of the knowledge gained by
our deliberations, and feeling our respon-
sibility as members of the Grand Inquest
of the County of Cape May, and with
a desire to further the ends of justice
and to aid and assist in the elimination
of the evils above stated, as far as pos
sible. we, the foreman and members of
the Grand Inquest do hereby present
and recommend for the consideration of
the Court and the inhabitants of the
County of Cape May, the following sug-
gestions which we believe, if carried out,
will aid and assist in breaking up the
system, better the conditions Of the adj
ministration of the public affairs of the
county and centralize the responsibility
for the honest administration OF the
county's affairs, to wit:
1. SMALL BOARD: By reason of a
large number comprising the Board OF
Chosen Freeholders of the County, COM
binations have been formed for the pur-
pose of carrying out the %extravagant pro-
gram above referred to, and as a result
thereof some of the members of the
Board who have not been actuated by
motives have been led on by the
combination in omissions in the discharge
of their public duties. AS a result, we
therefore recommend that immediate
be Instituted to submit to the citi-
Gems of Cape May County the adoption
the act providing for a small Board OF
F~reeholders, realizing that the smaller
board elected by voters of the county in
stead of wards and districts, would result
N the selection of men known throughout
he county for their honesty and integ-
.ity. and not swayed by local conditions
md influences, and vesting the RESPONSE
,iIity for the administration of the
.ounty affairs upon the shoulders OF three
members instead of fourteen.
2. CENTRAL LOCATIONS: The Board
f Chosen Freeholders is constituted by
he Legislature of the State of New Jer-
ew as a body corporate and vested with
ertain powers, and, like all other cor
,orations, should maintain a principal
lace of business. The business of this
being co-extensive with the
ines of a county, its principal place of
usiness should be at the county seat.
Ve therefore recommend that adequate
be provided at the Court House.
,gether with proper files, safes and