The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-01-10

"
Water SteaI-the Simon Pure, the
One that is Fixed" to go Through
1t is hardly possible than anyone,
after reading the proposition made to
the Street and Water Board yesterday
by the Jersey City Construction Com
pany, will have the least hesitation
in pronouncing it unreservedly, in
conceivably. impudently bad.
It is bad on its face, in the mon
strous terms it proposes to the city.
1t is infinitely worse in the surround
ing and accompanying circumstances.
The proposal is to sell Jersey City
water at the wildly exorbitant price
of $50 per million gallons, for a term
of seven years.
This city consumes, to use round
numbers, twenty millions of gallons
of water per diem on an average from
years end to years end. 1t is there
fore proposed by this company that
it shall receive 81. 900 per day for de-
livering water to US at Belleville.
Jersey City still paying all the ex-
penses of distribution.
One thousand dollars a day is 1855,
600 a year or 50, 500, 900 in the seven
for which it is proposed to make
the Notwithstanding there is no
increase in consumption.
What does Jersey City get for this
sum? Nothingl Absolutely nothing!
1t does not even bring into existence
waterworks, or impound a supply
which would be suitable for the city
to buy at a later date.
And what does the Jersey City Con-
struction Company give? What ex-
pense is it compelled to incur which
iustiies it in asking this enormous
pricef
1t proposes to give us the surplus
water of Newark, water which is alb
solutely valueless as a commodity be-
cause there is no one to use it, water
which it costs nothing to collect, for
it must flow unprofitably over the
Oak Ridge Dam if Jersey City will
not use it.
The cost OF delivering it to US is
practically nothing. The proposal oil
the Jersey City Construction Com
pany says:-The water is now within
a mile of Reservoir No. 1 of this city,
Here is one mile of pipe line to be
constructed. Let us grant, that on &C
count of the expense of syphoning
the Passaic, this would cost 5000, 000-it
probably would cost about half that
sum-but say 5000, 900, then this com.
pany wants So, 355, 600 for seven years
profit on its outlay and n quantity o.
waste water.
Perhaps in the whole annals Of
municipal jobbery, this outrageous
proposition was never before equalled.
Now let us look at one or two OF thu
attending circumstances:-Mr. Rober'
Davis was most marvellously active a
last Thursdays meeting of the Street
and Water Board. 1t was widely
understood that it was at his ''sug-
position. that the bid of Moffett
Hodgkins s. Clarke Co., was re
iected, chiefly on the groune
that $40 and less per million gal
ions was an exorbitant price fol
water. He was present again a
the meeting of Yesterday. Mr.. Davis
is not apt to be present at any meet
Ing without an object.
----
Mr.. DAVIS is for James Smith, Jr.
for u. S. Senator.
James Smith, Jr., is the Presiden
Of the Newark Street and Water
Board which recently paid the Eas
Jersey Water Company about fou
millions of dollars for a water supply
which it was freely admitted fell shor
Df the contract requirements in every
Important particular.
Mr.. Smith has been written OF al
sver the State and in New York as al
intimate friend of the Lehigh Vale,