Introduction
Martha Kemble
MARTHA KEMBLE was born May 6, 1887 to Martha and William Kemble. After serving as confidential secretary to City Commissioner William D. Sayrs in 1927 and 1928, she went on to serve as Deputy Commissioner of Public Works for the City of Camden in the mid-1930s, under Commissioner Frank Leonard. She resigned her post when Leonard lost the election of May 1935, an election which was not settled until August of that year after a recount and much litigation.
At the time of the 1930 census, Martha Kemble was renting a home at 929 South 8th Street, where she was taking care of her widowed mother. She was then working as a secretary at City Hall in Camden. Her elevation to the post of deputy commissioner would come sometime thereafter. After leaving city government, Martha Kemble took a job as an examiner with the New Jersey State Employment Service, where she was working in the late 1940s. She later moved to Collingswood NJ, where she was living in late 1959.
Never married, Miss Martha Kemble died December of 1963.
City Engineer Clerk Is Again Discharged
Camden Courier-Post —
Hanna Serves Latest Firing Notice on Weinstein Who Appeals
E. Allan Weinstein, chief clerk in the office of Thomas J. Daley, city engineer, received notice today from Frank B. Hanna, superintendent of streets, that he has been discharged. Dismissal papers, Weinstein said, were served by Hanna personally at Weinstein’s home, 441 Kaighn avenue.
Weinstein said he has filed an appeal with the Civil Service Commission asking that he be granted a hearing. The discharged clerk reported that he had been suspended December 29, by Daley, followed by another notice of suspension December 30 signed by Commissioner Sayrs. He said the charges made against him included inefficiency, insubordination, absence without leave, failure to obey orders and neglect of duty.
Weinstein declared that he denied all the charges in the appeal he has filed with the Civil Service Commission. He said he was previously suspended last September on charges of “loitering in the City Hall offices” and “reading a newspaper.”
The discharge notice served on him today, he said, contained the name of Commissioner Sayrs, signed by Miss Martha Kemble, the director’s confidential secretary. Weinstein said Hanna explained he had not received notice previously because Commissioner Sayrs has been ill. The commissioner is a diphtheria patient at the Municipal Hospital.
Weinstein, commenting on his dismissal today, charging discrimination by Commissioner Sayrs before the director became ill.
“As chief clerk,” Weinstein said, explaining his charge, “I had charge of the payroll. He had several persons in the department who were paid by the day. If they had been appointed by Sayrs, and they were absent from work a day or so, they were given their pay for the time they were away. But if they had not been named by Sayrs and were hold-overs from the previous administration, they would not be paid for the time they happened to be absent. This was particularly the case during the Christmas season. The Sayrs’ appointees were paid for Christmas, and those not appointed by him, but who had been Non-Partisans, were not. It was a plain case of discrimination.”
Hartmann Charge Denied by Sayers
Camden Courier-Post —
Former Commissioner of Streets Admits Buying Grader, But Praises It
Alfred D. Sayers, commissioner of streets before 1923, last night asked the Courier-Post to deny statements made last week by City Commissioner Frank J. Hartmann, Jr., concerning street repairs during the old councilmanic form of government.
The controversy arose when former Commissioner Martha Kemble stated that an idle $10,000 grader was purchased by William D. Sayrs and was obsolete and on purchase and that Chelten avenue near Seventh street, now in a deplorable condition, was paved when “Bill” Sayrs was attached to the engineer’s office.
Hartmann replied to Miss Kemble that the grader was purchased and the paving was done not by William D. Sayrs but by Alfred D. Sayers.
Sayers statement follows:
I see, by an article in the Courier-Post of Thursday, August 22, I am accused of paving Chelten avenue between Seventh street and the railroad. I would state that this street was paved by the Union Paving Company of Philadelphia before I became street commissioner. It was on account of the bad work on this street and others in the city of Camden that I built the asphalt plant and did the asphalt paving myself.
“In reference to the Keystone Grader, I bought this machine for $3500 and used it for eight years. In fact, I did all the grading prior paving with this machine of all the streets during that period. I left this machine and all other machinery in good condition when I left the department in 1923. Of course I can not be held responsible for what happened since that time.