The Penn's Grove record., 1923-03-16
Road Contractor
Will Go Ahead
Assured By FreehOlders If State
Fails Approval. Few Road
Prisoners

monthly meeting of the County Board
of Chosen Freeholders could have been
pulled off in one session this week If
they had met one hour earlier. 1t
generally takes the members some
time to get together but it must be
said for the body that it dispatches
business with very little unnecessary
delays. The meeting on Wednesday
was not distinguished for any very
important business although a lot of
routine matter was cleared away.
This year the board will have two
shad dinners. The regular annual
shad dinner will be held at the Salem
County Clubhouse, on Wednesday,
May 9, the day of the monthly meet
ing. To this dinner will be invited the
members of the new State Board of
Highway Commissioners, the heads of
the departments in the offices at
Trenton and the field engineers. There
will also be the usual number of
guests of the individual members and
the representatives of the county
press. On May 18th, the board will
entertain the members of the State
Freeholders' Association at a shad din
ner at the Country Club. The Asso-
CldIlOll VIII IlOIu It's ICSuldI HlOIllllIy
meeting in Salem on that day.
Director has designated the Road
Committee and the County Engineers
as the parties to go to Trenton at a
day to be fixed to meet the members
of the new State Highway Commission
and confer with them as to the needs
of Salem County.
Among the resolutions adopted was
one that is of great importance to the
people of Salem, Penns Grove and all
the territory between those two ON
munities. 1t appears that the Weldon
Contracting Company, which has exc
cuted the contract for building sections
2 and 3 of the Salem-Pennsville road
and which will mean the completion of
a hard surface road between Salem
and Penns Grove, We're afraid to be-
gin work because no new Board of
State Highway Commissioners had
been appointed and the contract had
not been approved. AS the Board of
FreeholderS are very anxious to have
this road completed they adopted a
resolution assuring the contractors
that if the new State Board does not
approve the contract that they will
bear the cost without approval. This
means that work on this last stretch
of an important highway in the
county will be started as soon as
weather permits.
As the Township Committee of
Pittsgrove Township has approved the
Pole Tave1n-M onroeville road from
Pole Tavern to the county line the
Board adopted a resolution taking
over this highway.
A letter from State Forester C. P,
WILDER congratulaing the Board for
the activity in the planting of road
side shade trees was read by Clerk
Ochs. The State Forester stated that
there was a Statewide movement for
more of this kind of work and sug-
gested that the Freeholders seek the
advice and assistance of some one
who is an expert in the work.
1t is the intention to mark all roads
with direction signs and each Free
holder was asked to make a list of the
signs he will need in his district.
1t was decided to order an Austin
gasoline road roller which will be
taken on trial. If it proves satisfac-
tory it will be purchased.
The reports of the Jail and road
camp committees showed that there
were ten prisoners in the jail and
thirteen in the road camp. The cost
of maintenance at the jail for the
month was $38.21, or 17.2 cent a
prisoner a day. This is the lowest
cost in many years. The cost of
maintenance in the road camp was
$224.0S, or 1856 cents a man a day.
This of course includes the cost of
supplies other than food used in the
camp. The fact that there are only
thirteen prisoners in the road camp
is causing serious thought to the
Freeholders as this is a very small
number with which to continue the
work of road building this summer if
they expect to get the Centreton road
done and the camp moved to where
it has been promised. 1t is thought
that it will be necessary to employ
outside labor.
A numerously signed petition ask
ing that John Bishop be restrained
from closing the back road from Mon
~roeville to Alloway was presented to
the Board. Mr.. f. R. Borton appear
ed to back it with a personal appeal
The signers of the petition were some
of the most prominent taxpayers OF
Alloway Township. 1t appears thai
Bishop, who recently bought a farm
along this road has a field on the OPP
posite side of the road and he put w
a fence, thus blocking all traffic. The
road was established about twenty
years ago and has always been very
much travelled. While the Board
sympathized with the compliments
they were powerless to act under the
law. According to Solicitor Keasbey
the taxpayers themselves can have
any obstruction of a road removed
by proceeding according to the stat
utes.
The Bridge Committee recommend
ed the adoption of the plans and speci-
fcations for the new concrete bridge
and spil1way that is to be built at
Elkinton Pond on the back road lead
ing from Alloway to Quinton in Quin-
ton Township. This bridge will be
built Jointly with the City of Salem
The pond was bought by the city to
Continued on page 8