Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-08-23
KNOCKS
PAVING TRUST
Essex Senator Makes State
ment Regarding Closed
Specifications on Road
tBy Evening News Correspondent

TRENTON, Aug. 23.-Delivering
hard raps at New Jersey law for
closed specifications in bidding on
road contracts and declaring that
open specifications should be made
an issue in the campaign this fall,
Senator William II. Parry, Republic
can, of Essex county, today issued a
statement based on the allegations
of Frederick s. Smith. a Morristown
contractor. that although he was low
bidder on a road contract, he was
paid a bonus and pressure was
brought to bear upon him to get him
out of the way SO the contract could
be given to the Standard Bitulithic
Company of New York. The Stand
ard company represents the Warren
ite-Bitulithic interests, the leading
hackers of the closed specifications
and patented pavements.
Morris county officials deny that
any pressure was used on Smith,
but the contractor insists he is or
rect in his charges. Here is Sena-
tor Parry's statement:
THE need of an open specification
law for road work in New Jersey
was strikingly shown in the incident
reported from Morris county where,
the lowest bidder on a road contract
for laying Warrenite bitluthic, which
is a patented type. asserted that he
had been instructed by Charles H..
Munson, county supervisor of public
works, to assign his contract to the
Standard BitulithiC Company, which
was a higher bidder. The contractor
states hal he realized that the GUN
g, -, tIarifto nn,t11 nnnln H nm
pleasant for him if he insisted upon
carrying out his contract, and he
says he therefore accepted a bonus
and did assign the contract to the
Standard company. According to the
allegations, the Standard company
was not only willing to take the con-
tract at n lower rate than its own
bid, but also willing to give the low
est bidder a bonus to get him out of
the way.
Under the present county act, II
the Board of Freeholders of any
county in the state selects Warren
tie bitulithic or any other type OF
patented road construction, 1t Is ac-
tually illegal for the board in adj
vertising for the bids, to also ask for
bids on other types of a similar kind
which are unpatented, such as sheet
asphalt or Topeka mixed. No bids
can be received except those upon
the particular patented type which
has been selected.
"Our present law not only does
not compel compensation: it actual
ly forbids it.
"There is no other state in the
Union which has a law so unfair to
the public as the New Jersey county
act.
THE advocates of patented pave
ments say there is competition
among different contractors or COM
panies as to which will construct
with that particular type at the low
| est price. But this is not real COM
petition, because it bars the non
patented types which eminent engi-
neers the country over say are equal
" good and are usually cheaper.
Moreover. the contractor who is not
n member of the patented paving
concern. is compelled to pay a roy
atty to the holder of the patent If he
uses hat type.
1.-THE Morris county incident well
shows that the patented paving trust
does not want to let the outside con-
tractor in although he may be will
ing to pay the royalty. The royalty.
when 1t is paid, is of course. an added
item of the cost of construction and
actually comes out of the public
which foots the bill. Other counties
in the state have found that the pat
ented paving proposition is a closed
game with the public, as usual. put
ting up the stakes.
'It is interesting to recall that this
same Mr.. Munson. who receives &c.
600 a year from the people of Morris
county. was one of the most ag-
gressive foes of my open specifica-
ton bill which was defeated by the
legislature at it's recent session. He
was instrumental in having the state
association of freeholders go on rec.
ord against the bill. At an open
| forum which I attended in Morris
county where / attacked the present
law, Mr.. Munson seemed very much
displeased because / had specifically
referred to Warrenite bitulithic as
one of the patented types which was
being unfairly favored by freeholders
under a policy which did not permit
open competition.
1.-The last legislature failed to live
up to the platform of tho RepubE-
can party, which promised New Jer-
sew an open specifications law. Can
didates for the legislature and for
the boards of freeholders are now
being groomed for the primaries of
the two great parties of the state.
Open specifications should be made
| an issue in the primaries of every
county in the state. both for members
OF the legislature and of the board
of freeholders. If the voters of New
Jersey do not nominate men who Will
courageously fight for open specifi-
cations, there is no chance of loosen
ing the grip which the patented paw
ing trust now has on a large part of
the state"