The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-06-09
THE MAYOR VH7OES IT
He Is Opposed to the Con-
Meeting Railroad juno
tion Agreement.
DEN0UNCES STAR CHAMBER METHODS.
No Public Hearing. and, There Are
Other Grave Objectionable
City Gets No Compensation.

Mayor Wanser today vetoed the reso-
luton OF the agreement of the Street
and New Jersey junction Connecting
Railway Company. the plan of which
was published in THE JERSEY. CITY NEWS
at the time. The veto reads:
Hon. Board OF Street and Water Commis-
sioners:-
SIRs-I herewith return without my ap-
proval Your resolution passed May 20,
1892. entering into an agreement with the
National Docks and New Jersey junction
Connecting Railway Company, under the
provisions an act entitled "An act
to authorize any city of this State TO
enter into contracts with railroad COM
panies whose roads enter their 'corpo-
rate limits. whereby said companies NAV
regulate, change or elevate their rail-
roads, and, when necessary for that Dur-
pose, to vacate, change the grade of, or
alter the lines of any streets or highways
therein approved March 10, 1874, aud
the supplement thereto. approved March
9. 1898.
CoMPANY's PLAN.
This company, as appears by its petit
| tion to your board, was formed for the
purpose of connecting the New jersey
junction Railroad. which extends from
the Pennsylvania Railroad, north to
noeas savay with which tis saaena ensenas
from the Pennsylvania Railroad
south to Caven Point and Jersey City.
and thence to Constable Hook in
Bayonne. Although only few hundred
feet in length it will form very valu-
able link IN the national docks railway
system.
The one great obstacle in the wav of
constructing this road has beeu
the requirement. of its right of
way under the yard OF the
Pennsylvania Company at the Point OF
Rocks; for change of grade of few
feet in the yard of said company, after
bitter contest with many hearings In the
court. the Pennsylvania Railroad has
been awarded damages over one hundred
and eighty thousand dollars.
THE CoMPANY'S PLANS.
In order either to lessen the award or
at best to build its road III conformity
Herewith and thus save a better outlay
of money, the Connecting Railway Com
pany resolved to procure the vacation OF
Railroad avenue at this point, aud the
lowering of the grade of Wayne
street; to accomplish this result applica
zion WAS first made to the Legislature OF
1898 for the tiassage of a supplement- To
the powers OF the municipality Ill this re-
gard. the powers granted by these
acts TO your board are very broad
in order to promote the interests
of the.city your board was investnd
with power ITO open, yacate. alter the
lines and change the grade of any streets
Or highways or any part thereof within
the city and to all such acts as may be
necessary and proper to effectually carry
out such contract" etc. These, as have
said, are very sweeping powers, and the
Legislature, in granting them, reposed
great confidence in the judgment. integ
rity and public spirit of your board.
UNSEEMLY HASTE.
Nine days after the passage of this sup
plement written petition for these
changes was executed by the company,
as appears from their tiled application
now before me; it was not made public
by presentation in open meeting, but 1t
was discussed informally by the men,
bers of your board before such
presentation. On May 30. 1898, after
weeks of secret discussion the
petition was presented in open
meeting referred to a committee: In hf-
teen minutes thereafter, and without
taking a recess the committee reported
the series of resolutions now under
consideration, and they were adopted by
the unanimous vote OF the board. No
public notice was given. no public hearing
was granted; no one appeared Openly{
before you on behalf OF the company.
/ confess that / cannot understand the |
delay of two months in presenting the
petition after it was in your possession,
and while it was undergoing secret dis
cussion, nor the unSeemly haste in which |
it was finally passed.
The hearing for the property owners |
affected by the change, which should
have been held before you. was by this
haste transferred to my office. AS you
did not hear their voice, permit me to in-
form you that they are unit In opposi-
tion to the scheme. For this lack of
publicity should feel compelled TO veto
the resolution without regard to their
substance. am not a believer in star
chamber methods.
But there are two grave objections to
the resolutions themselves; They pro-
vide ~ for the vacation of Railroad
avenue for the block west of Fremont
street: (2) for the lowering of the estab-
lished grade of the street at the proposed
crossing eighteen inches, leaving a
clearance over The now grade
Of less than twelve feet They
do not provide ~ for the conpen-
sation to the city Tor the land nor (2) any
compensation to the abutting owners for
change of grade nor (3l any provision to
compensate the city against claims for
such damsges. Wayne street is already
too low; this change might make IL use-
less for travel. How such an agreement
can be construed as for ''the best interest
of the citp" is not clear to my mind.
ADDITIONAL OUTLETS.
We have already TOO fee streets now
leading from the lower city to the Hill;
from the Caven Point road to the Hobo
ken line. a distance Of three miles, there
are only Communipaw avenue, Grand
street, Montgomery street, Wayne street.
Railroad avenue and Newark avenue.
The residents Of the upper part of the city |
are clamoring for additional outlets at
Thirteenth and Seventeenth streets; in
my opinion the board should turn It's at
tention rather to increasing these faciii- |
ties than to cutting off those we have.
1t may be urged by abe Railroad Com
pany that Wayne Street aud Mercrr
street can take the place Of Railroad ave-
nue. at this point; while this is true in i
measure. you should in my Judgment
have made some arrangements with the
Company for the improvements of these
streets
As the company expects to save many
thousands of dollars in the construction
OF It's railway by the adoption of this
plan, you should have suggested that the
city share this benefit Ia some way
You could, among other things, have