About the electronic version
Report of Royal Commission Investigating Highway Irregularities in Queens and Northumberland Counties.
[electronic resource]
New Brunswick. Commission on Highways in Queens and Northumberland Counties.
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1999
Note: Images have been included from the print version.
About the print version
Report of Royal Commission Investigating Highway Irregularities in Queens and Northumberland Counties.

New Brunswick. Royal Commission on Highways in Queens and Northumberland Counties. 1927 Print copy consulted: Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, RG30, RS261.
Note: Includes evidence.
Note: Digital image scanned from a copy of the typescript held by the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, Records of Independent Agencies and Commissions, RG30, Series RS261, Royal Commission on Highways in Queens and Northumberland Counties (1927).
Note: Commissioner: Emerson C. Rice .    Prepared by the University of New Brunswick Libraries, in partnership with the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick and the New Brunswick Legislative Library under contract for SchoolNet, with the assistance of the University of New Brunswick Libraries Electronic Text Centre.

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  • Roads -- New Brunswick -- Design and construction.
Revisions to the electronic version
2/25/99 Editor Elizabeth Hamilton, Project Manager, SchoolNet project no.1269, University of New Brunswick Libraries.
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    Abstract: Report of the Royal Commission Investigating Highway Irregularities in Queens and Northumberland Counties, 1927

       The "irregularities" in Queen's County referred to in the title of this report related to the actions of J. Garfield McCrea . In the early 1920s, he enjoyed the position of Road Supervisor for Queen's County. In this capacity, five charges were brought against him, the most serious of which included the diversion of funds and nepotism.

       The Commissioner appointed to conduct this inquiry, Emerson C. Rice , did not mince his words when deciding the case. For instance, with reference to the first charge that McCrea had purchased a two thousand dollar tractor without the authority to do so and then sold it at a considerable loss to the government, Rice stated, "I have no hesitation in coming to the conclusion that McCrea was given no authority to purchase this tractor for the department."

       As to the charge of nepotism, Rice reported that McCrea's wife, daughter, son, two brothers, two nephews, sister-in-law, and two brothers-in-law were all on the government payroll simultaneously. As McCrea no longer worked as Road Supervisor, Rice made no ruling to either fire or retain his services. However, he did note in his summary that McCrea's immediate supervisor, D. W. Burpee , was in no way to blame for McCrea's questionable practices, because McCrea, it appeared, had been in contact with "members of the Administration". Thus, blame for his actions, in part, was placed on officials higher up in the chain of command, though no names were mentioned.

       As for the irregularities in Northumberland County , Rice found the same sort of problems as in Queen's County -- in this case falsified work records and men being paid for one project working on another. Concrete proposals arose from the investigation, the most significant of which that bookkeeping be attended to with greater vigilance and accounts be submitted promptly upon completion of work.

       h.c.

       Commissioner:
    Emerson C. Rice .




    Résumé : Rapport de la Commission royale d'enquête sur les irrégularités relativement aux routes dans les comtés de Queens et Northumberland, 1927

       Les "irrégularités" dans le comté de Queens dont il est question dans le titre du présent rapport ont trait aux actions de J. Garfield McCrea. Au début des années 1920, il a occupé le poste de surveillant des routes pour le comté de Queens. Cinq accusations ont été portées contre lui, à ce titre, la plus grave étant le détournement de fonds et le népotisme.

       Le Commissaire désigné pour mener cette enquête, Emerson C. Rice, n'a pas mâché ses mots lorsqu'il a rendu sa décision. Par exemple, concernant la première accusation, à savoir que McCrea avait acheté un tracteur de deux mille dollars sans autorisation, pour le revendre à perte pour le gouvernement, Rice a déclaré : "Je n'hésite nullement à conclure que McCrea n'a reçu aucune autorisation d'acheter ce tracteur pour le ministère."

       Quant à l'accusation de népotisme, Rice a déclaré que l'épouse, la fille, le fils, les deux frères, les deux neveux, la belle-soeur et deux beaux-frères de McCrea figuraient tous sur la liste du gouvernement simultanément. Comme McCrea ne travaillait plus comme surveillant des routes, Rice n'a rendu aucune décision quant au renvoi de McCrea ou au maintien de ses services. Toutefois, il a noté dans son sommaire que le surveillant immédiat de McCrea, D. W. Burpee, n'était aucunement à blâmer pour les pratiques douteuses de McCrea, car il semble que McCrea ait été en contact avec des "membres de l'administration". Ainsi, le blâme pour ses actions a été dirigé, en partie, vers les fonctionnaires aux échelons supérieurs, bien qu'aucun nom n'ait été mentionné.

       Quant aux irrégularités dans le comté de Northumberland, Rice a trouvé le même genre de problèmes que dans le comté de Queens, soit cette fois la falsification de fiches de travail et la rémunération pour un projet versée à des hommes qui travaillaient à un autre projet. Dans ce cas, toutefois, des propositions concrètes ont été formulées à la suite de l'enquête, la plus importante étant que l'on devrait s'occuper de la tenue du livre de façon plus vigilante et soumettre les comptes promptement après l'achèvement des travaux.

       Commissaire:
    Emerson C. Rice .