Put Influenza Ban Up to State Board

• At a City Commission meeting today, two commissioners stated that it would not be proper for the commission to take any action since the state board has not yet exhausted its powers in directing public health measures• The two commissioners were Raymond of Streets and Public Improvements, and Archibald of Revenue and Finance (Directors Brennan and Monahan are ill with influenza)• They were advised by City Counsel Congleton that all powers of the local health administration rested with Mayor Gillen• The statement made by Raymond and Archibald stated, “We are, therefore, without any power to exercise any functions of that board [the board of health]. The only action which the City Commissioners could take would consist in either removing him (Mayor Gillen) as Mayor, and thereby as Director of the Department of Public Affairs , or removing him from his control the matters of the Board of Health and the City Hospital and assigning them to some other department.’”• The commissioners concluded their statement by saying that they do not feel it proper to take further action at the time and to instead allow the state board to exercise whatever authority it has; after that avenue was pursued they would take whatever action was then necessary• After the statement was read, Gillen gave a reply that, according to the News at least, was “in effect a denial that an epidemic now exists in this city and a denunciation of the State Department of Health and its course in the present situation.”• “He also paid his respects to the News in much the same terms that have hitherto characterized expressions from him on that subject.”• Gillen also stated that the state board of health all live in rural communities “’and are actuated more by a desire to please the Newark Evening News than to protect the health of the people of New Jersey. They have never consulted with me or taken me into their confidence or attempted in any way to find out what the conditions are in Newark.’”• Gillen added that he did not attempt to lift the ban until he was satisfied that the epidemic was over, and that “’we would have acted in a criminal manner not to do so. It’s confiscation without proper warrant, reason or authority.’”• Gillen: “’These medical authorities of the state, I understand, ride to their meetings on loads of hay. Our medical men in Newark know more in five minutes than they will know in a hundred years.’”Newspaper article1,