The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1886-12-26
THE WATER JOB.

last SUNDAY MORNINGS News concerning
the water scheme, one may be excused for
wondering how the Board of Works can
have hesitated, as they did last
Tuesday, about the course they
should pursue in the matter. The
defeat of the motion to rescind the
Boards action in the acceptance of the
North Jersey Water Company's proposition
argues, in view of those exposures, want
of even decent respect for public opinion
upon the part of the Board of Works Com
missioners. There were two salient facts
In the article published last Sunday, which
lay the promoters of tho scheme, Official
and unoffi cial, open to very just sus-
pieion. The less of the two is that the
Pequannock River from which the North
Jersey Water Company proposes to derive
its supply is stream, half the time dry,
tha. IS not adequate to the supply even of
the city of Paterson; and that if it were
equal to the supply of community Of this
size, the Company would have no right to
usesthe waters that feed it, for other than
ordinary purposes. Importance is added
to the more important fact of the two by
the fact we have just stated. For, if the
North Jersey Company cannot supply the
city, it is worse than folly for the city to
make terms of any kind with it. The folly
Emacks crime, or rather suggests crime,
where, as we showed last Sunday merning,
of \
million gallons, when the city can supply
itself from a much more expensive water
head for 81, or at the outside SO per mil.
lion gallons. We speak advisedly when
we say much moro expensive water head.
II is true beyond cayil that Passaic water is
not only the most abominable that we can
drink, but the most expensive as we'll.
From the undefiled lakes that nest in
the Fassaic and Morris County hills, the
most heathful of water viii fall, by natural
gravity and in extensively into the tumb-
lers from which we drink; while, on the
other hand the filthy poison of the Passaic
needs inexpensive, system of pumping,
with retinue of servants, tons of machin-
cry, and monster supplies Of coal, to force
it to our lips. If with the expenses of
pumping water now costs but $11 or $12
Per million gallons, what a triAe of expend-
iture is required to get it without pumping!
Why, after the main is laid the water comes
to US without any expense, except the
trifing one Of keeping the Aain in repair.
when, therefore, ring of city officials
agree to pay sS8 per million gallons for
what nature herself will supply for price
of conduit. they must find no fault with
the people who suspect jobbery and fraud
The consciousness of bargaining with a
company that can produce no proof of ex-
istence for supply from river that dries
mp in seasons of drouth, at . price SO out
of proportion to the cost of the service, ex-
enses men for asking, as was asked last
week, how much of the 'sUonpany's" stock
had been promised to plant city officials
that lent their aid to the scheme; and for
believing that some rich promises Of
wealth were held out to them as Induce
ment for their action. 1t would have been
alwonder if suspicion started by the all-too-
ready haste with which the scheme was
rushed through, had not been confirmed
by the exposure in last Sundays News of
line inherent weakness ana folly of the
whole business. We have no hesitation in
detl lring our belief that it was bold strike
upon the City Treasury by Some of the
~mnx, ", "ohorra IF har vaalkh. mr. n hnld
strike upon some of the better equipped
and responsible water companies that seem
TO have been about to make propositions to
she City. For our part We prefer
that the city should supply herself, with
her own machinery, from some of the
heaIthful sources in the greatest water
shed in the country-for the New Jersey
watershed hes no equal, in this land at
least than that she should continue to
draw supply from the foul river che now
drinks from, or that she Should farm the
job out to private concerns. 1t seems to
be part of the municipal duty. 1t is SO
nAnifcstly public necessity that the city
should net part with the control of it.
Gators Water bill, given to the public first
in these columns last Sunday, and copied
into every paper hereabouts since, has
that, if nothing more, TO recommend it
4 leaves the control of the water in the
hands of the public servants.
The SUNDAY MORNING NEWS presents
IL