Order Sent Gillen to Close Saloons

• Director Price of the State Dept. of Health telegraphed Gillen this afternoon and insisted on the “’strict compliance’” of the closure order after he had been told of Gillen’s order to allow saloons to keep their side doors open• Price’s telegraph: “’Information has reached this office that saloons in Newark are not closed in full accordance with the order of this department, dated October 5. For the protection of the health of the citizens of Newark and the rest of the state, this department insists on strict compliance with this order.’”• This was in response to a proclamation in the morning by Gillen ordering police to allow saloons to sell bottled liquor from side-doors• City Counsel Congleton told Brennan that if the mayor made his order a proclamation, then it would have to be enforced• Because police cannot possibly station an officer at every saloon, the result has been that many have been violating the closure order and have been open for bar customers• The News condemned the mayor’s actions last night, and as a result the mayor threatened to close the newspaper• Gillen: “’If the Newark Evening News attempts to interfere with any orders which I have issued or may issue for the preservation of the health of the people of Newark, I will close the paper immediately under the law of the stat, as a menace to the public health, just as I would close any place of assembly.’”• Gillen added that the News should not attack him for his stance, but rather be on his side, since many physicians have agreed with him that whisky is valuable in treating influenza• Gillen’s order did not specify that prescriptions were needed to buy liquor from side-doors of saloons, but he stated that he assumed that would be the procedure• Dr. FitzRandolph, assistant director of the state board of health, stated that druggists were the ones who normally filled prescriptions• Under the auspices of the City Hospital, the Hahne-Stagg Company building is to be opened late today as an emergency hospital• The emergency hospital is to be used for lighter cases not requiring the services of City Hospital• After finding that some soda fountains were not properly boiling or sanitizing their utensils, Craster ordered all soda fountains closed as of last midnightNewspaper article1,