The Penn's Grove record., 1923-04-06

sanctioned these projects: Delaware
bridge to Belvidere- Buttsville road
east borough line of Bound Brook to
trolley turmoil trolley turmoil to Dor
ough line of Dunellen, North West
field.
Central division jobs approved
were: B~ordentown to Crosswicks
Greek; Burlington city section, grad
ing only; Main street, Asbury Park;
north of Matawan Creek to Whale
Creek, widening, one mile; Whale
Creek to Morgan Station, widening;
Morgan Station, widening and grade
crossing elimination, engineers to
make preliminary study; Sea Grit
avenue to Shark river.
In the southern division the board
sanctioned advertising for grading
Broadway from Gloucester City to the
Cambridge county line.
Patented Road First
The ease with which governing
bodies may continue to award high
way contracts to patented paving in
t~erests was pointed out by State Sen
ator William II. Parry.
The Mathis bill, re-adopted by the
Legislature owe the veto of Cover
nor Silzer, was praised by the spon-
sors as a measure guaranteed to in.
sure competition among contractors
supplying patented and unpatented
materials.
THE first case that comes to light
since the passage of the law" said
Senator Parry, Seems to confirm the
fears of the governor and myself as
to the ease with which the purpose
of the law may be nullifed. The
East Orange City Council advertised
for bids for the ~repaving of William
street and called for bids on War
renite-bitulithic, asphalt block and
national pavement.
'"The bid for the asphalt block was
$4.20, or 85 cents more than the bid
for the Observation-Disclosures, which
was $685.. The bid for the national
pavement was $3.50
asphalt block is a more expensive
and superior type of construction to
MISUNDERSTANDING. The bids for
Observation-Disclosures will invariably
be lower if the two are placed in
competition and the patented paving
can 60 merrily on, despite the Mathis
law
Grating Still Possible
The Mathis bill, according to Sena
tor Parry, is so peculiarly drawn that
it is still possible for a board to award
all it's road contracts for patented ma
terials.
THE act provides that the judg-
ment of the governing body shall be
final in the classification of types that
it selects" said the Senator. "There
is a dispute as to the authorship of
the bill, some claiming it was framed
by or for Job H. L%ippincott, while
others credit its origin to a Philadel-
phia newspaper man
"There can be no dispute, however,
over the assertion that the provision
preventing an appeal of any kind,
whether to a court or otherwise, from
the decision of the governing body,
must be highly pleasing to the pat
ented paving ring, which, for
years has been mulcting the taXpay-
ers of New Jersey. If a local gov
erning body puts MISUNDERSTANDING
in competition with a more eXpen-
sive type OF construction, which is
not patented, no one would apparently
have the right under the Mathis law
to question the fairness Of the deci-
sion, and yet the very purpose of the
law would be defeated.
"And yet there are boards of free
holders in New Jersey and local gov
erning bodies who will doubtless con
tinue paying the good money of the
taxpayers for royalties on patented
pavements until we get a law upon
the statute books, which will not only
permit but compel honest competition
whenever a patented pavement is ad-
vertised for. In the bill, which in
troduced in the Senate last winter, |
inserted a provision giving to the
State highway engineer the right to
veto an Objectionable proposition.
Now that we have a high-class State
Highway Commission, which is not
controlled by the patented paving
ring, | would give that right to it in
stead of to the engineer.
But there is no use in kidding our
selves into the belief that we have
driven the patented paving grafters
out of New Jersey. They will get no
juicy pickings, much to their chagrin,
from the present State Highway Com
mission. They will not get handouts
from the present board Of freehold
ers in Essex county. But it will take
more than the Mathis law to end their
domination of certain governing bod
les in the state and to stamp out their
vicious and corrupting political &C
tivities."
Law Provides a Way.
Governor Silver has a legal method
by which he can have declared null
and void the Mathis road law add
ing to the State highway system
about so miles Of Dad at an approx
mate cost of $3.50, 900. His attention
has been called to the fact that five
members of the Assembly who are
officially recorded as having voted in
favor of this measure, and whose