The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-03-01
NATHReSQPPL8
East Jersey Water Company
Trying to Saddle Expense
on the City. U
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NEWARK, March 1, 1S94.@The Board Of
Trades speeial.eommittee, appointed toeon-
slider the proposition of the Board'ofs Street
and Water commissioners to buiida s., OO0,-
600 storage reservoir at Ivy Hill, met yester-
day afternoon and ordered a c~opinllnication
stransmittedto the latter board. The report
says:-9 ~
less thans20, 600, 900 gallons daily, and a reserr
voir, such as isFfQposed, would hold nearly
a months supply. Until the worksSh have
been tested and found inadequate teflrnish
a greater quantity than is now supplied, we
cannot understand what good reasons can
be advanced for the expenditure OF s$l,00O,-
900 for the construction OF another reser-
voiI.Y 81
sAsthe responsibility for the expenditure
of such an amount of public money devolves
upon YOU, we believe that before imposing
an additional burden Involving an immense
sum of money upon the taxpayers OF our
city, you wilIbe willing to give further con-
sideration to the question. We have, there
fore, determined to place before you some of
struction of said reservoir at the present
time.
HAS any test been made to demonstrate
whether the works constructed by the East
Jersey Water Company are capable OF de-
livering within the city limits 50,O0O,000 gall
Ions OF water daily!
ttIf the contract with theS Jersey
Water Company has been complied with,
why are the pumping stations at Belleville
and Seventh avenue maintained at large ex-
pense to the city annually!
THE COMPANY RESPONSIBLE.
ssIr the maintenance of said pumping sta
lions are necessary to make good the daily
water supply of the city, why should not the
East JERSEY Water Company defray that ex-
pense, which amounts to a sum equal to the
interest on several hundred thousand dollars
yearlys
has not provided the reservoirs, reservoir
sites and constructed the pipe line in accord
ance with its contract, will an action now
lie against the said company in behalf OF the
City of Newark. either to compel them to
at once complete them, or to recover dam
ages for their non-completion!
What is the estimated cost of laying sup
plv mains from Ivy Hill to Newark, and
should not the cost of such mains, if laid, be
betrayed by the East Jersey Water Com
pany, that guaranteed to deliver the needed
supply within the city lmitss
ibid the proposition to build a new reser-
voir originate with the company, and if not,
who first suggested that such an undertake
ing was necessary after the contract was
signed?7
The report concludes as follows:-
'sWe further find in the contract dated
September "a, 1889, that after the lapse of
eleven years the city of Newark cannot en-
force a claim against the company for non
fulHllment of the provisions of said contract.
That limit of time is rapidly growing less.
The city has left a little over six years in
which to determine whether the works have
been furnished for which our citizens are
obligated to pay &c. 600, 900, and so far as we
know, there been no official steps taken yet
to determine this important question.
CITY MUST ACT.
sIn this connection we offer the inquiry
If the East Jersey Water Company succeeds
in keeping control of the works and the
supply until September "a, 1900, and con-
tinues during the interval to prevent the
city from obtaining the information needful
for determining how far the contract has
been compiled with, how is Newark to OBJ
tain redress for a violation of the contract by
the company.
SIN the opinion of this committee, now is
the time to settle that question before all the
payments are made, and before the eleven
years expire, when it will be too late.
"Another reason for determining the oues-
ton involved in the contract is to find out
whether, If the terms of the said contracts
are enforced, they will not render the build
ing of an additional reservoir unnecessary at
the present time, and save the outlay of an
other million of dollars by the city"