The Penn's Grove record., 1921-03-25
Treacy and Osborne, With Bach
arach, Give State First Utility
Board in Six Months.
WILL HANDLE 10 CENT FARE
Governor Edwards New Apprentices
Confirmed by Unanimous Vote Of
Twenty Senators Present at Ses-
sIon-Take Office at Once.

Trenton.-The senate by a unani-
nous vote of the twenty senators pres
ent confirmed Governor Edwards new
appointments to the State Board of
Public Utilities, Judge John ]. Treacy
of Hudson and Judge Harry V. Os-
borne Of Essex county.
The action of the senate settles the
bitter and prolonged fight between
Governor Edwards and the senate fol-
lowing the chief executives ousting
of the old Public Utilities Board last
year, and one more gives the state
a board to handle its various rate
Notwithstanding of which it has
been deprived for the last few months.
The new appointees were of such
high caliber that Republican leaders
in the senate felt that no valid ex-
use could be offered for refusal to
confirm them.
Will Handle 1o-Cent Fare
The first big task of the new Public
Utilities Commission, created under
the Wallworth law, will Ire to take up
the application Of the Public Service
Corporation for a 10-cent fare.
This application was made to the
former Utilities Commission Of five
members, and was laid over from De
cember 81 for three months.
If there had been no commission by
March 81 the 10-ceut fare would 1--we
gone into effect by default, for there
would have been no commission func-
%tioning at the time to deprive the troll
ley companies Of their right to charge
10 cents.
1t is now likely that another delay
will be made, in order that the new
commission, composed of Messrs. Os-
borne, Treacy and Bacharach, may
take up the matter.
Application was made to the former
Utility Commission of which Ralph
Donges was chairman. That is the
commission that Governor Edwards
''fired'' as a result of campaign pledges
made In 1919, when he ran for office.
1t took a long time to accomplish the
firing" and to get the Ousting con-
frmed by the court of errors and ap-
peals. AS soon as the custer was con-
firmed by the courts, the senate re-
fused to confirm Governor Edwards
five appointees.
Then the legislature passed a new
bill, providing for a board Of three
members at $4,000 a year, instead of
a board Of five members at $500 a
year.
Under this new law Governor Ed
wards appointed James Hamill Of Hud-
son, Joseph Hoff of Princeton, both
Democrats, and Harry Bacharach of
Atlantic, Republican.
The Republican senate confirmed
Bacharach, but refused to confirm
Hamill and Hoff.
The claim was made that Messrs.
Hamill and Hoff were not of sufficient
fitness for the big job, and the new
appointees were selected by Governor
Edwards for the purpose Of overcom-
ing that objection.
The Appointees
Judge Osborne is forty-nine years
old, and a native of Newark. He
studied law in Trenton, In the office
of the late Robert S. Woodruff; was
admitted as an attorney in November
1895, and as a counselor in February
1900. He removed to Newark and
began practice here in 1896.
His advent into public life was
In 1908 as an independent candidate
for the nomination on the Demo
cratic ticket for state senator from
Essex. He won over two other can
didates, one of whom was an indie
pendent and the other a regular or
ganization man, being elected by a
plurality of 6S4 over Everett Colby,
Republican, his predecessor in office.
He served three years in the sen
ate, until 1911 when Governor Wood
row Wilson appointed him to the Es-
sex county bench. He was reappoint-
ed in 1913, and again ln1918 to a
term of five years, to expire in 1923.
Judge Treacy's Career
Judge John ]. Treacy was born
in Jersey City forty-eight years ago.
He was graduated from st. Peters
college, that city, in 1891 attended
the New York Law School the follow
ing year and received his degree
in 1894.
The ensuing November he was ad-
mitted to the New York bar and be-
came associated with the law firm
of Reed, Simpson, Thatcher & Bar
num-, of which the late Speaker
Thomas B. Reed was the head. He
was admitted to the New Jersey bar
In 1901.
The following two years he was
a member of the assembly from
Hudson county, and in 1903 was leader
of the Democratic minority. He was
appointed judge of the Court Of Errors
and Appeals by Governor Wilson in
1911 to fill a vacancy caused by the
resignation of Judge Mark a. Sullivan.
In January, 1912, he vas named and