EXECUTIVE ORDER No. 16

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 12, bearing date of the 18th of June, 1946, and signed by Acting Governor Haydn Proctor, did direct Harry C. Harper, as the representative of the State of New Jersey, to take possession of the plant, equipment and facilities of the Public Service Electric and Gas Company, located and described as the Paterson Gas Works, Paterson, New Jersey, and such part or parts of such plant and facilities as may be necessary for the purpose of continuing the operation of said plant so as to continue the manufacture and distribution of commercial gas to the public without interruption, and

WHEREAS, the said Executive Order as aforesaid was issued by Acting Governor Haydn Proctor because a strike had been called at the above mentioned plant by the employees thereof, acting through their duly elected representatives had petitioned Acting Governor Haydn Proctor to exercise the power granted to him by Chapter 38 of the Laws of 1946 to seize and operate said plant, and

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 13, bearing date of the 24th of December, 1946, and signed by me, did direct the said Harry C. Harper, to take possession of the plant, equipment and facilities of the Public Service Electric and Gas Company, located and described as the Central Gas Works, Raritan Township, New Jersey, and such part or parts of such plant and facilities as may be necessary for the purpose of continuing the operation of said plant in the name of the State of New Jersey so as to continue the manufacture and distribution of commercial gas to the public without interruption, and

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 14, bearing date of the 24th of December, 1946, and signed by me, did direct the said Harry C. Harper, to take possession of the plant, equipment and facilities of the Public Service Electric and Gas Company, located and described as the Jersey City West End Gas Works, Jersey City, New Jersey, and such part or parts of such plant and facilities as may be necessary for the purpose of continuing the operation of said plant in the name of the State of New Jersey so as to continue the manufacture and distribution of commercial gas to the public without interruption, and

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 15, bearing date of the 27th of December, 1946, and signed by me, did direct the said Harry C. Harper, to take possession of the plants, equipment and facilities of the Public Service Electric and Gas Company, located and described as the Harrison Gas Works, South 4th Street, Harrison, New Jersey, and the Market Street Gas Works, 40 Jersey Street, Newark, New Jersey, and such part or parts of such plants and facilities as may be necessary for the purpose of continuing the operation of said plants in the name of the State of New Jersey so as to continue the manufacture and distribution of commercial gas to the public without interruption, and

WHEREAS, the Executive Orders above referred to and the seizure thereunder in the name of the State of New Jersey was made necessary in order to protect the public interest, health and welfare, of several hundred thousands of our citizens due to the fact that as a result of strikes and threatened strikes among employees engaged in the operation of the above mentioned plants either had left their posts of employment or where threatening to do so, which action promised to result adversely to the public interest, health and welfare of our citizenship and

WHEREAS, the employees of said plants who were actually on strike have now returned to work, and those who were not on strike but were threatening to do so, have withdrawn their threat of striking and all of said employees and their employers have agreed to submit their differences to an arbitration panel appointed by the State Mediation Board in accordance with the provisions of the law first above referred to, and

WHEREAS, as a result thereof the threatened injury to the public interest, health and welfare necessitationg the operation of these various plants by the State of New Jersey no longer exists,