The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-02

as to render such stream and waters at the
point where they enter this State unfit for
supply of cities and towns or for domestic
use, and the Attorney General was required
to commence and prosecute the actions so
instituted by the State Board.
BOARDS OTHER REPORTS
The board made two reports in 1854, one
in January which was an administrative
report, and the other on March IL The
latter was purely technical and treated of
the scientific Investigation made by the
board under the act and Of the Pequannock
as source of a joint supply for Newark,
Jersey City and adjacent cities. In further
ance Of the plan to stop the diversion Of the
Ramapo water out of the State. the
board procured on April II, 1884, the pass
age of joint resolution authorizing the
Governor to open negotiations with the
authorities Of the State of New York in re-
lation to the control OF the waters flowing
into New Jersey from that State. Such
action was to be taken under advice by the
Attorney General and the State Water
Board. This power, although unused, is
still at the disposal of the board and can be-
used at any future time that the inte rests or
the State can be served by such action
ENMITY TO THE BOARD. ns
The action of the State Board in making
definite recommendations. based upon care
full examinations of the Peuuannock River.
as source of supply for Newark and Jer-
sey City, had alarmed the Morris Canal M
terests and induced them to enter into
secret compact during the year 1884 with
the then authorities of Newark, by the
terms Of which the city was pledged to re
lection of the State water scheme and the
suppression, SO far as possible, of the State
Board, and the ultimate acquisition OF the
Morris Canal and its conversion into an
aqueduct for supplying the Inhabitants OF
Newark with water drawn from Lake Hop
atcong.
The representatives of Essex, in view of
this compact, deserted the State Board in
the Legislature and have practically re-
manned hostile to its existence ever since.
1t might be said that the representatives of
the Society for Establishing Useful Manu-
factures which claimed an absolute control
over the waters of the Passaic and its tribu-
tories above Paterson, while equally hostile
to the claims OF State control over the water
of running streams for public purposes and
the existence of the State Board as the ex-
ponent of the doctrine shrewdly determined
to avail themselves of the work of the board
as an aid to the exploiting of the Pequan-
mock water shed, by means of water con-
tracts with the identical cities named in the
report of the State Board, as those entitled
to that stream as source of public supply.
These united with others and succeeded in
shelving the State Board and from that day
to this the duel has been going on between
the board and the private parties who are
trying to subvert the public right to the full
use of the potable waters of the State.
GOVERNOR GREENS MESSAGE.
In the first year of his term in 1888, Gov
ernor Green called attention to the able and
instructive reports of the State Water Board
which he said were the result OF careful ex-
animation and investigation and urged the
necessity of some efficient legislation to
secure for the citizens of New Jersey the
benefit of the pure water supply found in the
mountainous portion Of the State. At the
same time he called attention to the fact
that the claim had already been made by
different parties that they had secured water
rights by purchase to which the interests of
the State were subservient.
It was in pursuance of that claim that ohm
f. Bartlett in November 1883 in the
name of the Society for Establishing Useful
Manufactures, the Lehigh Valley Railroad
Company as lessees of the Morris Canal, the
Dundee Water Power and Land Company,
and four water storage companies controlled
by a syndicate, made his proposition to the
city of New York to supply it with water
from the Passaic water shed at S75 per
million gallons.
In March, 1889, Newark openly began ne
gotiations with the Lehigh Valley Company
to furnish the city with a supply of water.
the original scheme being the purchasing of
the Morris Canal and turning it into an
aqueduct fed by the waters of Lake Hopat-
cong.
ACTS FOR THE sY INDICATES.
Notwithstanding the recommendations of
the message of Governor Green to the con-
trary, at the session previous to this the
Legislature passed an act authorizing the
Morris Canal Company to surrender its
franchise and be relieved of the duty of
maintaining navigation. 1t also passed an
act known as the Fuller act, which authorized
any municipality to contract for supply or
for further supply of water, andi in doing
SO any municipality might enter into con
tract for twenty-five years with any water
company or other company, contractor or
contractors whatsoever"
This act opened the door for water con-