The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-07-26
VAN HOUTHN POST ROOMS
Always Understood They
Should be Vacated if the
City Needed Them.

|
missioners on the upper floor Of the City
Hall, which is now occupied by Van
Houten Post, has met with the approval
Of taxpayers generally. A gentleman
who is acquainted with the premises said
last evening that there was ample room
upon that floor for the Board of Tax Com
missloners and the District Court. The
noor is laid out exactly as the one
| below, now occupied by the
the Aidermanic Chamber, the Comptrol-
Ter and Treasurer and the Board of
Finance. The room occupied by the
4 veterans is over the Aldermanic Cham
| Der, and is about the same size, except
that the ceiling is not quite SO high.
| This defect, if it can be called such, is more
| than compensate for by the fact that the
room is much lighter than the council
| room Of the City Fathers 1t has as many
| windows, and those on the West side are
| not darkened by the adjoining building
| to the extent that the windows on the
| Hoor below are. Over the offices of th g
/ Treasurer and Comptroller is a large
room now used as store room, and over
| the apartment occupied by the Board of
Finance is room Of about the same
| dimensions, which is used as lavatory.
A broad easy stairway leads to the floor,
and ends In wide. commodious hallway.
The gentleman further said that he could
| not see why the city should pay large
rental for offices for the District Court and
| the Board of Tax Commissioners when
! hero was ample room for the accommoda-
\ tioL of both, especially in the large room
used as storeroom. The books and pa
| perS which were now stored there and
| which he said did not occupy the entire
space by half could easily be stored in the
cellar.
HOW THE VETERANS CAME IN POSSESSION.
a fhn fk,is
floor were unused and filled with rub
bish. The other two floors of the City
Hall were ample to accommodate the
business of the simple and unoomplicated
government under which the city then
seemed able to flourish, and the upper
fioDr Of the building was neglected. It
was then that the veterans applied to the
Aldermen for the use of the large room,
and their application was referred to the
Committee on Public Grounds and Build
ings, OF which Jacob Ringle, one OF the
present Sinking Fund commissioners was
chairman.
Mr.. Ringle looked into the matter and
reported to the Board the condition of the
floor, the fact thatsthe city had no imme-
diate use for the rooms, and recommend
ed that the request of the Post be
granted. A resolution was then adopted
giving the Post the use of therootn upon
the express condition that it should sur
render it whenever 1t was needed by the
city.
In speaking of the occurrence Mr..
Ringle said;--"At the time the veterans
We're allowed to used the room it was full
of rubbish and of no use to the city and
recommended that the old soldiers be al.
lowed to use it upon condition that they
should give ID up whenever the city
should need the apartment. At that
time the post began to lay ont a
large some of money in repairing
and fitting up the place when told them
they had better go d little slow as the
city might need the room at any time.
They replied that there would be no
trouble about that. Now the city needs
that room, and / don't see why they
should not have it. The Common Coun-
Gil should not be obliged to pay rent for
the accommodation of its Boards when it
has plenty of room of its own which is
bringing them in no return"
ALDERMAN Hoos' VIEWS.
Alderman Hoos was equally ennphati
In his declaration that the city should not
be obliged to rent extra room when it
already had enough of its own. He said
that he thought that under all the cir
cumstances the Grand Army men should
vacate the room they now occupy rent
free in the City Hall.
"The Board of Tax Commissioners" /" he
said, should be given a more suitable
Office than the box they now occupy in
Ul0 Alu0rudulC Cldtup6r, DeSluS5 UQ6
room they occupy is needed by the Alder
men. OF course the room back of the
Mayors office is entirely too dark and
inadequate for the accommodation of the
Board. The city used to have plenty of
room in the City Hall for the needs of all
its Boards under the old charter
The District Court when Judge Ran,
dolph sat upon tho bench found ample
accommodations in the offices now oc-
cqpied by the Mayor, and Mayors Taus-
sig and Cpliins transacted the city's
business satisfactorily In the City Clerks
office. But when, Mayor Cleveland came
into office he had TO have n suite Of rooms
and the District Court went elsewhere at
a large rental"
Alderman Simeon Smith was reading
THE JERSEY CITY NEWS when I found
him last evening at his comfortable home
on West Hamilton place. He said that
the articleiR the NEWS upon the subject
was the first thing that had brought the
matter forcibIy to his mind
1T would be an easy matter to decide"
he said, 'if the Post should apply for
the use of the room at this time. but the
veterans have been in possession of the
room for such a long time that it would
be serious question whether they should
be put out. have not given the matter
the consideration I should like to before
expressing an opinion as to whether the
Alderman should request the Post to
move. There is no doubt that the Tax
Board should have better aceommoda-
tions than they have now, and I as chair
man of the Committee on Public Build
1ngs. propose to see that they obtain
them"
Alderman Norton, of the Second district,
was unwilling to express an opinion upon
the subject for the same reason advanced
by Alderman Smith. He had not thought
of the proposition to request the veterans
n en- "
what he would do if q resolution to that
effect was introduced into the Board. He
said, however, that whatever action he
took would be for the best interest OF
the taxpayers OF the city.
WHAT VAN HoUTEN POST SAYS.
Mr.. Emanuel Sands, the present COM
mander of the Post when spoken to upon
the subject, said:-
1--WE have occupied that floor since
somewhere in the neighborhood of '7S.
We were given permission by Ex-Mayor
Taussig and the Board of Aldermen. At
that time the third story OF the City Hall
was a mere attic, riddled with rat holes.
At our expense we laid new floor and
expended 81 900 upon the rooms iii fitting
them up for post headquarters. This
money was mainly contributed by out
side citizens, who felt they owed home
to the boys. Since then, however, Mayor
Cleveland has made several Intellectual
attempts to dislodge US.
HE tried to persuade ex-Alderman
Jewkes to offer resolution to that effect,
but Mr.. Jewkes wouldn't touch it, nor