The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1846-09-18

be conformed 10 the wishes OF ismites and IL be
comes bugbear.
Sincerely is it to be hoped that our citizens will
when upon jures, and the defence is insanity
look narrowly into the testmony thatithey will
regardless of personal feelings of compassion OF
prejudice, give verdict of" guilty." or &c not gull
y," without reference 10 the subsequent sentence
that lies in the hands of the Judge, and with i,
they have nothing to do.
THE JERSEY CRY FERRY AoAIN.-We have re-
ceived great many communications on this mat
ter since we first alluded to it, which have come
from persons living in Jersey City, New Bruins
wick, and other places in the State ofNew Jersey,
as Well as from citizens in this city We would
cheerfuly insert all these communications if our
limits would permit, but they will not. We will,
however, from time to time, avail ourselves the
information they contain, and embody it in edi-
torial articles Some of the writers Of these com
municatons having minated that we were
wrong in some of our statements. and that we
were doing injustice to the company by publish
ing them, we considered it advisable to 90 to
the Comptroler's Office, and ascertain the exact
condition of things. We did so, and we found
that there is no lease at present in existence be-
tween the Jersey City ferry company and the
common council. The old lease expired in 1910,
/ or ls4l, and renewal of it was drawn up, but
/ from some cause or other, it has never been exc
cuted, and il remains unexecuted to the present
day. We cast our eye over this new
lease: and found that it was for the term of
seven years for the slip at the foot CORTLAND
street, at the rent of $4,000 per annum that the
company were to run a boat every fifteen minutes
between sunrise and sunset, and that the rate of
fare should not exceed 81 cents for foot passen-
ger, and that the Communication should not exceed
SIS per annum for the male head Of family. We
give these particulars early publication, because
an erroneous impression may have been inferred
| from what we have stated on this subject. Now,
we free to acknowledge, from personal
observation, that the company has rigdy COM
piled with the terms set forth in the renewed
lease, and performed them strictly; but on the
other hard, we can never admit that those terms
are, ever can be satisfactory to the public On
the contrary, charge that the public is dssatis
fed, and that the citizens of New York are daily
and hourly deprived of a great source of income
as long as this slip is held at the paltry sum of
$4,000 per annum. The public is dissatisfied be-
cause boat every fifteen minutes, from sunrise
to sunset, not sufficient to its wants,
|
on the ferry; and our citizens who are heavily
taxed to support our city government must be
dissatisfied to see slip in the most eligible part
of the city, and from which a revenue of 500 900
| per year could be derived from wharfage, barter
ed away to monopoly of wealthy individuals of
a foreign State for the miserable sum of $4,000 per
| year, when at the same time they have not even
the slight privilege of committing it. This is an
al, -.
citizens are deprived of the privilege of commu-
ting, and yet their slip is bartered away for mere
nothing A citizen living in New York, whose
business perchance needs his attendance in New
Jersey for an hour hal: an hour each day,
must pay six cents every time he crosses, amount
ing to tax'of some S45 year. Was there ever
so odious feature connected with any mo-
nopoy?
Now that the Common Council have before
them the matter of renewing the lease, it is to be
hoped that no contract will be made with any
company that will not enter into stpulanons to
give all proper accommodations, at reasonable
prices, to the travelling public. The fare now
charged is six cents per passenger for a distance
barely mile. This too, on a route which is
second in amount OF travel only to Fulton street,
Brooklyn ferry.
At three cents, or even at two ce hts, many no
doubt could be found who would provide good
boats, with better accommodations, than now on
that route. The present company have enjoyed
this monopoly of charging what they please, long
enough. 1t has been suggested, that the slip be
leased to the highest bidder, to such as will run
at the lowest rate, with proper accommodations.
This would, no doubt, secure to our citizens, Just
such ferry as is required and when it is under
stood, that an exclusive landing may be had on
the jersey City side, in despite Of the present
company, no doubt many of our enter prizing
steamboat owners would be glad to engage in so
certain a business, in preference to running to
Albany for twenty-five cents
The present lessees are running ferry boats by
virtue of their lease of Barclay street slip, with
the Common Council; on the Jersey side they
have no such privilege their charter is simple
railroad grant, not including ferry privileges
Their monopoly of travel by railroad between
New York and Philadelphia is well known and
felt by our citizens; but when it is carried over the
Hudson river to shores, it is time for New
York to protect herself
We now repeat what we have said on a former
occasion, viz this monopoly must be broken up.
We call on the Common Council to disregard the
representations of certain persons in this city who
are members Of this concern, and to execute a
lease for the term of five years, to any individual
or association that will pay the highest sum al
auction for the exclusive of this slip, and tina
will also covenant to run a boat every ten minute.
during the day and night to twelve O'Clock, and
every half hour till an hour before sunrise in the
morning. We have heard great deal, and oul
correspondents have said great deal, about the
distractions this company have raised to
the improvement of Jersey City, and the
surrounding neighborhood, which they re-
present Chinese wall, preventing the en-
of any spirit of enterprise into that region.
With that we have nothing to do. II the claim OF
this company to the water lots in front of Jersey
City to low water mark, even to the middle OF
I the strean, ara IN Tounded M flair IF ours