The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-22
The Water Supply Problem.

The Water Supply Problem.
The "Chronicle," of this city. thinks it
inconsistent on the part of 1.-The Jersey
City News to advocate a better water
supply and still express doubts as to the
good faith of some of the individuals who
are engineering a boom on the Hill. We
cannot see where the inconsistency comes
in. There has appeared in the midst of
the present discussion of the water ques-
ton what looks like an organized effort
to push a syndicate scheme, partly by
political influence and partly by faxed
public sentiment. To this we strenuous
~ object. If we are to have a new water
supply. it should not be a political job.
1t should not be a product of Republican
League Club agitation conducted in the
interest of one of the State bosses of the
Republican party.
1t is very doubtful whether it is abso-
lutely necessary to rush into the pur-
chase, lease or construction of a new
water system just at this time. No doubt
that is the ultimate solution of the prob
lem, to which we will have to come in a
few years; but there is good reasonsto
think that we can for the present adopt
a plan of alienation, sufficient for all
practical needs of the city and much
better adapted to our financial situation.
Every day affords fresh evidence that
schemes of filtration work in highly sat
isfactory style. Other cities are getting
healthy and palatable water through
their use, and there is no reason why
we should not. Perhaps no supply as
large as ours is anywhere subjected to
the process; but that is no argument.
Very large volumes of water, seven or
eight million gallons a day, are frequent
ly filtered. If plants cannot successfully
be built for twenty millions a day, why
the same result can be reached by dupli-
eating or duplicating smaller ones.
In one respect the construction of a fill
tering plant has incalculabIe advant-
ages over all other proposals. 1t is
cheap. 1t is said that the most extern
sive one the city could need would cost
the cheapest estimate for a new supply
is about Sc, 0OO,0 900, or an annual rental
representing that amount of capital.
rr--J -
completed their work, and the result
appears in '"The News of today. The
commissioners claim that they lave
hewn out four sure Republican wards,
four sure Democratic ones, and four
which are to be fighting ground" #
they ave done this, they deserve much
credit for their impartiality; but we
will insist on attaching a string to all
praises sung in their behalf until we see
how the vote turns out next election.
There is a way of arranging a 'douot-
full district with the odds about twenty
to one in favor of one or the other party.
We have seen much doubtful districts
QdckeQ out III IHlS county before. Inc
First Assembly district is a specimen. So
is the Fifth They are SO doubtful that
both are represented by Republicans
now; but about eight times out of ten,
1t was calculated when they were laid
out, they ought to go Democratic. If
these are the sort of fighting
grounds the Ward Line Commission is
giving US, we will put our appreciation
in the form. of leather medals or some
other suitable tributes to political gen
erosity.s' i re
Well, we will know al #about it in a
little while. us