Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-12-14
BOARD Gets
AN ULTMATU I'M
Three Suggestions for Free
holders as to System for
County Road Work
CHIPS ON SHOULDERS
Declare Charges Made by the
State Highway CommiS-
sion are not True
CHIPS ON SHOULDERS

NEW BRUNSWICK, Dec. ID
Three suggestions from Assistant
State Highway Engineer Edward
Reid were laid before the freehold
ers yesterday as an ultimatum from
the State Highway Commission as
to what system was to be used by
the Middlesex county freeholders If
state aid in road repair work is con-
tinaed.
The appearance. of Mr.. Reid and
Commissioner Abraham Jelin before
the board had the apparent effect of
of waving a red flag before a vicious
bull as the freeholders with the pro-
verbal chip on their shoulder has
tened to justify the condition OF
county macadam roads as compared
to those maintained by the state al
most before Mr. Reid had an oppor-
tunity to lay his complaint before
the body.
News items carried in Wednes-
days papers charging the treehold-
ers with ineflicieDcy in road repair
work were openly declared by the
freeholders to be not only unfair
but untrue, but these stories were
obtained at the meeting of the state
Highway Commission on that day.
Mr.. Reid advised the freeholders
that he had made an inspection OF
macadam roads on the north slde OF
the river and found them in very bad
shape. He expressed the opinion
that something was wrong with the
freeholders maintenance system and
declared that in his survey of that
section of the county he found
marked difference in condition OF
roads, which would appear to
stranger as if he were passing from
one county to another.
Under the instruction of the high
way commission Mr.. Reid laid the
three propositions for improvement
of the system before the freeholders.
The first being that the entire road
repair work be concentrated under
one head, that of the county road
instead of continuing un-
der the present plan of each Tree
holder supervising one district.
The second suggestion provided
that certain repairs to be outlined
by the state body be made, the
money receivable from the state to
be held until the work is completed
to it's satisfaction, while the third
suggestion would permit the doing
of the work by state forces and paid
for from the county's 1924 motor
vehicle allotment moneys.
Neither of these plans proved ac-
10 frpah hn1HnTG a II IN M n
Director Dey said: 1--WE are willing
to have you suggest what repairs
you want made, but we are not will
ing to allow the road supervisor to
have complete charge of all that
work, and we will not permit the
State Highway Commission to come
in here and do the work even though
we fail to get our money from the
state"
In response to a query from Free
holder George S. Applegate as to
whether or not the macadam road
ways under the jurisdiction of the
state are permitted to get In bad
shape Mr. Reid replied: I'VE have
an extensive mileage of macadam
roads but under our system we keep
after them and maintain traffic and
do not permit holes to go unattend-
ed"
Mr.. Applegate then asserted that
there was generally a lot of room
for criticism OF the condition of state
roads though this the engineer de-
MED.
1--WE try and keep after our roads
in the same manner that you have
Continued on page 81