Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-09-22
TO THE TAXPAYERS OF NORTH
WILDWOOD

From a communication, unsigned,
except as to the corporate name OF the
Civic Improvement Association of
North wildwood, recently appearing
in the Five Mile Beach Journal and
the wildwood Leader, l learn that the
purpose for which this association was
formed was to promote by education
and active cooperation a higher pub
lie spirit and a better social and politi-
cal order. A laudable purpose, indeed,
but pray. who are these social and
political pilots who so generously Of
fer. bv education, to guide others to
their own haven of social and political
beliefs?
Experience and ability are the usual
qualifications for any position, and to
Won members of the association whom
it has been my misfortune to meet n
observe in the Council Chamber,
would say that if our ability to pilot
others along social and political chan
nels is to be judged by your ability as
displayed in affairs municipal, l would
heartily recommend that you be kicked
from the bridge and reduced to the
rank of deck hands, where you prop
erly belong.
Regarding your statement that the
investigation was primarily Tor the
purpose of learning what became OF
the money paid into the city treasury,
and tina nothing criminal was sought.
A personal inspection of my books,
-
always open to the public, would ap-
~parently have given you the informa-
ton desired, and l would state that
during the major portion of the period
covered by the Investigation the sec
ond ward was represented in Council
by either Messrs. Stockholm, Premium
or Larcombe. Statements covering re-
ceipts and disbursements were sub
mitted by me to Council monthly; all
bills were passed in open meetings,
and if either of these gentlemen are
or were members of your a%ssocia-
ton, unless they belong to that class
commonly known as "cigar store
Indians should also have been able
to enlighten you; but perhaps this
would be expecting too much, for If |
have been correctly informed, one
member of Council during the con-
struction by the County Of Cape
May of the North Wildwood-Grassy
Sound road, believed this road to have
beer built by the City of North Wild
wood. This man is no longer a mem
Der of the governing body and | un-
derstand Joined your association so
that he might mingle with his own
element. How fortunate Judge Black
did not order that the affairs of the
city be turned over to the Civic I'm
provement Association of North Wild
wood, who so greatly desire it.
Regarding the statement that the
was found to be a silent partner
Of McGory in the garbage contract,
witness the following affidavit:
State of New Jersey, l.. |,
county of Cape May. 50
JAMES McLINDEN, of full age, per-
sonally appeared before me the subscriber.
a Notary Public in and for the aforesaid
county and State. and he being by me
duly sworn on his oath according to law
lid depose and say that, he does not now
have, and never has had any interest
l0ancldllY OF OIlG1MlSG III Tie COulIdCl "
the Collection of Garbage in the City or
North Wildwood awarded to Albert Nc
Cory by said city.
JAMES McLINDEN.
Subscribed and sworn to before me this
20th day of September, 1922.
LEON A. WHEATON,
(SeaD Notary Public of New Jersey.
The statement that in one case two
bills aggregating over $500 were sent
in to avoid conforming with the law
is true in one particular only. This
covered fire apparatus, and my recol-
lection is, amounted to $525. AS part
of this equipment was purchased in
New York and the balance in st. Louis,
two bills were necessary.
That the method of bookkeeping in
vogue at the time of the audit was
found to be so loose that Trenton i'm
mediately ordered the officials to pro-
cure an entire new set of books is I'M
true, and the same method of book
keeping is still invogue in this office.
The recommendation referred to coy
a uniform system of bookkeeping be
adopted by each municipality. AS the
audit covered a period of twenty-one
years, and as the departments charge
was $50 per day, the cost of the audit
was remarkable in one sense only
it's cheapness.
My former statement that liens
against delinquent taxpayers are be-
ing enforced as speedily as possible is
absolutely true, and l have in no man
ner been influenced by you, for have
no fear of the members of your asso-
citation, either collectively or %individu-
ally, but regard you as a collection of
dirty jokes" worthy of my loathing
and contempt.
Shortly after purchasing a new au-
tomobile I was asked by Mrs. Harriet
Pierce, of East Spruce avenue, Angle