Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-04-05
REFUSES
ROAD AID WITH
PATENT PAVING
Highway Commission Takes
Firm Stand Against Morris
County Road Action
PLANS NOT SANCTIONED
Contract Already Awarded by
Morris County FreeholderS
For Warrenite Paving
PLANS NOT SANCTIONED

TRENTON. April 5-Hereaffer
counties which plan to build or re-
pair roads with patented pavements
cannot expect to receive financial
assistance from the state. T..is
sweeping ruling was made yesterday
by the State Highway Commission
in a letter to the Morris County
Board of Freeholders refusing to
sanction plans for the constructor
of East Main street, Boonton, Nor
ris county, unless the advertisement
for bids provides that a non-Fat-
ented type of pavement shall Ge
used in the work. The Board of
Freeholders had already awarded
the contract for a warrenite Pave
ment at cost of about 100000 u
contractor.
In It's letter to the Morris couft ty
officials the commission said that the
decision it was making in this case
would govern all similar situations II
other counties. Therefore, the ac-
ton means that the new road board
is definitely against the use of War
renite. which is a patented road sar-
face. The money to be used in the
Morris county instance was to con
from the motor vehicle receipts Tor
1928 to this county.
1t is now believed that with the
elimination of this and other pal-
ented types of pavement, the state
commission must adopt the use OF
cement and build concrete roads
during the coming year. This Was
forecasted here early this week
when the members of the Ioard con-
ferred with representative contrlc-
tors of this state. At this meeting,
the question of the states gong
into the business of cement man i
featuring for use in concrete road
work or buying the material from
the private cement companies ard
selling it to the contractors who
get state work, was considered.
The last legislature passed a law,
upon the recommendation of Gov
ernor Silzer permitting the state to
own and operate a cement plant.
This was advocated after the exec
! utive in a special message discussed d
the heavy costs of road materials
and showed that cement had vastly
increased in price IN 1922 over the
figures which obtained for it in
1914. At the same time, he ar
raigned exorbitant cost of patented
pavements laid in New Jersey during
the past few years declaring that
million dollars more or less. have
been wasted in this way.
The open specifications" Law
passed by the last legislature pro-
vides that where governing body
specifies a patented pavement in ad-
| vertising for bids, it must also call
for a non-patenteu pavement. In
| its letter to the Morris freeholders,
| the road board says that the work
| at Boonton will not receive state
| financial aid unless the advertise
ment for bids specifies a "non-pat-
ented type" of pavement. The ques-
tion has been raised here whether
this is not in itself a "closed speci-
fication" in that it prohibits all but
non-patented payements.
However. since the open specifi-
| cations act only applies to cases
where patented pavement" is ad-
vertised for. it is not felt by the road
| officials that they are committing
any breach of that law in their de-
| cision just made. The complete let
ter by Secretary Grover to the Morris
| freeholders is as follows:
Il am directed by the State High
| way Commission to inform you that
| the commission has considered the
! matter of approval OF contract sub
mitted by the Board of Freeholders
| of Morris County for the construc-
! ton of East Main street, Boonton,
with respect of the next allotment of
motor vehicle moneys, which the
| former commission decided at its
meeting of April II, 1922, would be
| considered as an increase of motor
| vehicle allotment for the year 1928,
'I am further directed to inform
| you that this commission is now
| called upon to approve the contract
| referred to and has resolved that ii
will approve such contract if ad-
| vertisement for bids shall be made
/ to the end that a non-patented type
| of pavement shall be used in the
construction of the road, but that il
is unwilling to approve a contract
requiring the state aid which calls
! for construction of highway by
the use of patented pavement.
This determination of the State
| Highway Commission, I am directed
| to inform you, will also apply to state
| aid to counties in other cases
y Hdwe for Sportiug Goods.