The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-09-05
Nemark,s water Conaraet.

At the meeting of the Newark Aque-
duct Board last night, the answer of the
Lehigh Valley Railway Company regard
ing the notifications made in the water
contract by the city officials was read. 1t
wa as follows:-
"The East Jersey Water Company mas
considered the proposed form of contract
formulated by your Boar inc approved
by the Common Council, and is prepared
to agree to the same, provided some I'M
d~erstanding cat be arrived at in regard to
a feature of the contract, which, as 1T
m complication i'll carrying out the I'M
portant work it is proposed this company
shall undertake. Clause second of
the proposed contract provides that
the conduit or conduits are TO
be made and constructed of steel, wrought
iron OF cast iron, in a thorough and work
manlike manner substantially Il thor
oughly built, and of sufficient strength
for the purpose, properly tested and con-
forming in all respects with the require
ments of this agreement 1t is further
provided in the specifications that the pipe
shall be subjected to proper tests as to
strength, etc.
1--WE have insisted and still think that
the duty and responsibility thus imposed
VII 10 LOAiy RLOS1SNo G44S AbJ ARRSSA1AAJ 49,
view of the fact that the eleven years in
which we must maintain the pipe will
amply test it's efficiency. Our interest is
at least quite as great as the city's in see
ing that the works shall be properly
built, az in the event of the city's not
taking them they will remain h pro-
perty of the company.
Your Board has, however, preferred to
further specify in a later clause, that the
conduit shall be of steel wrought iron or
cast iron, as the Aqueduct Board may
elect This is SO far satisfactory to us,
in that it relieves us from responsibility
in the choice of material and stops the
city from future rejectiono of the pipe upon
our complying with your choice, and II a
decision can be arranged at once that
would be just to us we would
be disposed to accept this pro-
vision. We judge there should
be no difficulty in reaching a conclusion
if the question can be dealt with, that
liberty of choice and free competition
may be had as between the different
materials appropriate for the purpose and
named in the contract. The absolute
necessity to us of such liberty of pur-
chase in the open market will be appar-
ent to the men of business composing
your honorable body, as it would be our
only relief from eXtortion by the makers
of the particular materials ultimately
chosen.
"All our estimates to your city have
been based on this usual and proper bust
ness treatment of the subject. Without
this protection we as the contractor, or
the city if it contracted directly for the
pipe, would be subject to unknown on
tingencies which might increase the cost
of the conduit unnecessarily and in
definitely, and we are unwilling to
place u company in such
a position. If your Board are ready
to decide this point we are ready to have
u engineers take the matter up at once
with yours, with the advice and cooper
alton of the best consulting engineers
that are available, and see whether a con-
clusion can be reached that is mutually
satisfactory, and any reasonable arrange
ment to this end would be acquiesced in
by our company"
The consideration of the letter was laid
over to a future meeting.