Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-03-05
Clark BaIkS at Signing
Several Bills Giving
List; Gives His Reasons
Fifth Ward Alderman Gives
List of Bills He Will Not
Approve of.

AlueTIndn JOnn y. clark, as Cnd1r-
man of the judiciary committee, has
baked on signing bills presented to
the council since the first of the year
amounting to $1,105. There are no
official records to show that any of
this work or these services were duly
authorized by the council or the
committee on judic. ary, Alderman
Clark says, and he has refused to o..
K. the bills prior to checks being
drawn for the several amounts. The
city has received no services or goods
in return for these bills, the fifth
ward alderman asserts.
The contingent account at the be-
ginning of the year had $22, 900, AL
derman Clark declares, and thus far
$4,000 of this amount has been spent
covering a period of two months. If
this continues, the alderman de-
clares, the account will be exhausted
long before the end of the year. Last
year, Alderman Clark states, he went
through the entire year with his
original appropriation and had bal
ance remaining at the end of the
year.
Following are the bills which AL
derman Clark has refused to sign:
Two hundred and fifty dollars to
o. j. Morgenson, former comptroller,
for services rendered in assisting the
new city comptroller with his work.
One hundred and twenty-five dol
lars to Arthur f. Graham, former
city clerk, for services rendered In
! assisting the new city clerk.
| Forty-two dollars to Otto Peterson
an employe of City Engineer Louis
P. Booz, for services rendered in the
tax office.
Twenty dollars to City Attorney
David T. Wilentz for widows pen
sion applications, which work Alder
man Clark claims was formerly done
by Leo Goldberger, as city attorney,
free of charge.
Ten dollars to City Attorney Will
entz for something about the Cres-
cent theatre" the exact nature OF
which Alderman Clark does not
know. ...,
Thirty-five dollars, City Atty. VIII.
| entz for services rendered in the trial
of Patrolman James Egan. Alderman
Clark claims the city attorney was
never instructed to assume the re-
sponsibility of representing the city
IN this case at additional cost to
the city.
Four-hundred and fifty dollars to
City Attorney Wilentz for services in
the case of Mullen VS.. Hornsby (the
/ fight for the office of city collector
shp). This, according to Alderman
clark, is a case which the city had
nothing to do with.
Twenty-seven dollars to Joseph
Hornsby in the certiorari proceed
ings brought by him against Mullen,
Thirty dollars to James Lane for
services rendered at the Mcclellan
Engine Company firehouse in work
ing for Martin A. Noonan. Alder
man Clark maintains that Noonan
was given several days off on con-
dltlon that he engage a man to take
his place. The city was not 20 pay
this. Alderman Clark states.
Seventy dollars to James A. Null
len for services rendered to the
Board of Assessors. Alderman Clark
claims that he did no work to re-
ceive this money anC that other
clerks are idle now waiting for the
county board to announce the
tax rate.
Twentysix dollars to taxi hire to
Trenton. This trip was made by sew
eral city officials in an automobile
hired for the occasion. Alderman
Cldrk says, IN OruGI lIldl LHey
might work in favor of the passage
of the city finance bEl which would
make it possible to issue additional
bonds for grade crossing elimination
work.
1t is likely that the fight over
these bills will be continued at the
committee session of the aldermen
which will precede the regular
r1eptiOe tonight
Several other matters of import
ance are scheduled to come UP chief
among which is definite answer to
the Board of Education's request
for the money necessary to conf
mence building the new Hall ave-
nue. school.
The Anboy avenue paving SUBJ
ject will likely come up tonight also,
as the present fill has not come lid
to the standards of the state high
way department and cinders have
been ordered used for part of the
fill. This will mean an additional
expense.