The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-09-09
PENNY WISE WANSER.
His Honor Will Keep His
Grip on the Purse
Strings Till Cholera
Comes.
CITY BOARDS CONFER.
CONFER.
The Mayor Insults Them with the
Suggestion that They Are Using
the Scare to Extort Money.

lSdlGu DOdEOs reSpOnuSu 10 Gne invita-
tions sent out by the Finance Board
to attend a conference to dis
cuss further measures to keep
cholera out of the city. The confere nee
took place in Mayor Wanser's rear Office
this morning. The Mayor was in attend
ance. President Edelstein and Commits
sioner Allen represented the Finauciers.
President Feeney OF the Police
aud City Health Boards and In
spector Benjamin and DR.. Hoffman
of the City Health Board, Lawyer Win
field of the County Health Board, Presi-
dent Madden and Commissioner Somers
of the Street and Water Board, Corpor-
poration Counsel Edwards, City Attor-
ney Hudspe tn and Spencer Weart. the
Mayors private secretary, were present.
1t was evident from President Ede-
STEMS remarks in explaining the object
of the conference, that he WAS incensed at
the reported views of Mayor Wauser, who
was quoted yesterdayln the EUening Jour
nal as sneering at the object OF the
conference and saying that thetinanciers
only wanted to manufacture little polit-
ical Duucombe after the City Health
''1f you think" said Mr.. Edelstein,
''that we are intrudng upon your time l,
for one am perfectly willing to withdraw
from the conference. II
"Wouldn't it be just as well for you t.
ask first if said so?" asked the Mayor
who sat on sofa near his Private Secre-
tary. wv hat papers did you see it in?"
"The World, l think, and the Journal"
answered President EdelsteiD.
Wouldn't it be well to wait until we
had resolved ourselves into meeting to
discuss this matter? The proper thing
would have been to discuss this matter
during the meeting"
your time," said Mr.. Edelstein. anu then
he explained the feelings which prompted
the FiEancieIs to call the conference.
HEALTH BOARDS WORK.
President Madden of the Street and
Water Board asked to hear from Presi-
dent Feeney of the City Health Board.
reht se sad dGqe m egag We te0bg5 bg9t
aoated every nuisance, so far as possible,
that we could find. We have established
II disinfecting corps in addition 10
our regular sanitary squad, and
house TO house canvass has been
regularly and thoroughly made,
Should the cholera become epidemic.
DR.. Brinkerhof, VINO is just about to
graduate from our hospital. has agreed to
become resident hospital physician. We
have seen that all the receiving basins
have been thoroughly cleaned aud disjn-
tected. We have asked the Finance Board
tor an extra appropriation to carry out
the work properly"
NOT MONEY ENOUGH.
Mr.. Somers, of the Street and Water
Board, said his Board had done every
thing possible to keep the streets and
sewers clean with the limited appropria-
tion for such purposes
Mr.. Feeney told of several nuisances
that should be Immediately abated. At
the head of Filth street aud
streets. receiving basins should be
put in Immediately. The water stagnates
there. The same should be done at
Second and Cole streets. Later on dur
ing the meeting Mayor Wanser
said there should be no
trouble in such instances, where
only few hundred dollars were to be
expended, and as the Financiers agreed,
Mr.. Somers, of the Street and Water
Board, said. We'll go to work and get
them Immediately"
Mr.. Feeney claimed that the Delaware,
Lackawanna and Western Railroad
Company had not lived up to its
contract with the city to keep
waste water near its bridge at Eighteenth
and Henderson streets. Mr.. Somers re-
piled it was the fault of the Health
Board.
"Beg your pardon" replied Health In
spector Benjamin. "Where are we going
to put the water?"
Mr.. Edelstein asked Mr.. Madden if any
attention had been given to the Italian
quarter. and if published statements as
to the condition of some of the streets
were true ana how many such places
existed. Mr.. Madden answered that
there were thousands. But there was
not Sufficient money appropriated to
properly clean the city.
WANSERIAN WISDOM.
Mayor Wauser said it appeared as
though the members of the conference
were giving it out that we live in a pest
hole. There was something in the atti-
tude of the Mayor toward the meeting
all the way through that suggested
jealousy of the finsnciers' efforts.
Financier Allen said: "There seems to
be general censure of the Finance
Board. Ali the Boards appear
short of money. don't re-
member any recent application
to the Board of Finance for further
money towards preventing the entrance
of cholera. When such is presented
will Se ready to vote for it, and l believe
the Mayor will sign it,"
Mayor Wanser said ne was much
obliged to the Financiers and the repre-
sentatives of the various Boards for at
tending the conference. He was not in
accord with the prevailing senti-
ment that Jersey City was
a pest hole. The streets were
in good condition. He had talked
with the Street Contractor this morning
and be had promised to look especially
after the thickly tenanted streets. and
other streets he was in the habit of clean
His Honor indulged in som ewhat
spread eagle speech oncerning the
healthy location of the city. He declared
he was not one of the "scare Kind"
He intimated that the different Boards
were taking advantage of the scare to
get more money. Ii money was
wanted when the emergency came
he was as willing to approve
of suitable appropriations as anyone
could be. 81 propose to keep my hands
on the purse strings, however," he said.
Health Inspector Benjamin declared
that the sanitary condition of the city
was better than it had been for ten years.
The condition of Mill Creek was dis
cussed. The opinion of some was that it
could only be wiped out by fill
ing 1t up with solid masonery.
Mr.. Madden will ask for an appropriation
of 81 ,000 to run road wagon to clean
cutters on unimproved streets until next
December. The meeting appeared
to be satisfactory all around and
will result in more appropriations
for sewer cleaning at least It
was generally admitted that were it not