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


One thousand dollars a dayi
Three hundred and sirty tiUe thousand dollars
q pear!
Tauo million fue hundred and fftY .tiue
thousand dollars in seve1t years!
And the city, in the long run, gets nothing.
The proposition of the Jersey City Con-
struction Company to- supply this city
with Newark's surplus or waste water
at the stupendously exorbitant figure of
$50 per million gallons was the sole
topic of conversation last night amongst
business men and property owners.
On every hand it was condemned. IL Is
highly probable that the Street and
Water Commissioners will have a large
delegation of indignant taxpayers to
contend with at next Friday mornings
meeting. and any attempt to foist such
an outrageous contract upon the city will
be fought tooth aud nail In the courts.
The fact that "Bob' Davis is under
stood to be strong supporter of the
proposition doubiy condemned 1t in the
taxpayers estimation.
COOK AGAINST IT.
Perhaps one of the most outspoken
gentlemen in relation to the proposition
is the far seeing Street and Water Com
missioner William II. Cook.
"What do you think of this PROPOSE
tionw asked JERSEY CITY NEWS re-
porter this morning.
"What do think Of 1t? I don't think
anything about it. 1t is no good, and I
| was only restrained from saying SO at
vest erday's session of the Board out OF
| respect to Mr.. Corbn."
"Wiu you vote for such contractf l
| asked.
mo, will not. nor can be made to do
so. I own home in this city and / do
not propose being driven out of 1t by any
individual or corporation. Such pro-
position as that could never be accepted
by the city,
"We have had one bona-fide offer made
us, and that was by the Moffert. Hodg-
kins & Clarke Co. There was company
that could have given us good water,
which, to any sensible man.
was fair one. The more
water we used. the lower the price be-.
came Never again will Jersey City get
another such offer. I do not wish to say
a word against any Individual but II some
people, who meddled in that transaction
had Kept their mouths shut and attended
to their own business, they would have
been more thought of. One man in par
ticular who had no interest In the matter
at all. accompanied our Board
on its tour of inspection, and long before
the party left Hoboken was condennlng
the plan of the Clark Company. He was
a representative o: The Board of Trade,
and an officious one."
WHO IS IN IT.
"Do you know who Is in this Construc-
tion Company" l continued.
No, do not: but whoever is in it is
out for a barrel of money"
"We consume about 20.000,000 gallons
of water daily. At $50 per million
per day. or 1866, 600 per year.
Tho present Indebtedness of the Water
Department creates All interest OF more
than $500, 600 per year. which would make
a sum of 100000 per year which should Il
paid if this contract were adopted. Be-
sides, there weuld be, the cost of pumping
to High Service and the general expense
of maintenance. Now, the income from
the Water Department Is scarcely $780,
900, and it anyone can tell me where
the extra 100000 to $2OO.000 is
to come from, will say no more.
''That proposition is no good, and do
not believe it will ever be accepted.
CiJlzens would howl it down, and / would
aid them"
YoE AGAINST IT TOO.
Commissioner Yoe was the next
terviewed. He did not seem
inclined to discus the proposition, but
was not backward in saying that $50 per
million gallons for water. was figure
that he could not agree to pay.
President Madden smiled when ap-
preached on the subject. and said that he
would have to look the matter over before
saving anything for publication. He
believes the price high one.
Mayor Wanser had not read the pro-
position this morning. He had heard of
it but would not discuss 1t.
sit will be time enough to discuss such
proposition as this one when ir comes
before me officially" be said. "The rice
per million gallons is a triie high"
His Honor declined to sey more.