The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-09-06
Is BAYoNNB BANKRUPT
Third Ward Property Owners Asks
Pertinent Questions.

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Pertinent Questions.
To the Editor of the Jersey City NetOs:
Is the city of Bayonne nearing bank
ruptcy, OF is it only afraid of its bonds go
ing below par?
The question is pertinent in view of its
cratic course on the Third Ward School
The Third ward is and has been without
/ school facilities for over a year and not a
move has been made towards getting one,
and, in consequence, this ward is rapidly fill
ing up with vacant houses which can't be
rented. because tenants will neither go or
stay in a section without a school.
The Board of Education and the Council
| nave both been backing and filling for over
a year on the question of building a new
| schoolhouse, appointing committees, sub
committees. conference committees, etc.
which, from time to time, have made re
ports, made charges and counter-charges on
questions of feasibility, sites, costs, feasance
and malfeasance, all of which has been
| doubtless lone simply to waste time, evade
| the question and tire the people out.
The Board of Council last spring appro-
| priated $50, 600 for a new schoolhouse and
offered the bonds for sale, but nothing fur
| Their has been done about it.
Latterly the City Attorney, to further
waste time, says the schoolhouse can't be
| OullO i'll lllC DUO " oShoON 80
| the street (Forty-seventh street, has never
| been legally opened.
His decision may be good law, but the OBJ
structive point he raises looks very thin and
fat in view of the fact that the city two
| years ago spent 1000 in repairing the old
| scheolhouse now standing on the proposed
| site, after moving it thereto, notwithstand-
ing the fact that the building had been con-
| demned as unsafe twenty years ago.; and
! actually opened school there, which was
Quickly closed by the citizens cutlery against
the manifest unsafety n instability OF the
rotten schoolhouse.
At that time there was no cry that the
| street had not been legally opened, and
| whether it was or not did not make a part
icle of difference, for the street was prac-
tically opened and had been for twenty
years, both for foot passengers and vehicles,
| and a person must have extraordinary eyes
to see any difference between this and any
| other of the unpaved streets OF Bayonne,
which are truly rural in dust, mud and
grass.
The CITY Attorney says the school can't be
| built on this site till the street is opened
| legally, and the city has been trying Tor
twenty years past to have it opened; by
this he probably means that it may be
| twenty wears hence before the street is open
ed, and the people can make up their minas
to do without school for that time. Now
| this is all subterfuge. In the first place, the
city is not bound to utilize any particular
site for a new school, but can buy a site
where it may determine, in case it sees NJ
not to use the present site, which is as avail
| able as any site can be, whether the street be
opened OF not.
The fact of the matter is the affair has
| been treated in the most scandalous manner,
and the evasions already made can only be
classified as thoroughly disreputable,
In my opinion, as well as others, the hid
den mystery about the matter Is the price OF
| the CITY bonds and the attempt to maintain
| their market price. 1t makes little differ
ence to the city whether it sells $4,000 bonds
a few per cent. under the present quotahle
price, since it wants and needs the money,
but it does make a difference to holders Of
its bonds already issued, and it is ~undoubted-
ly for the protection Of these bonddholders
| that the city don't sell its $4,000 50 as
| to be able to build the very necessary school
house. Respectfully,
REAL ESTATE OWNER.
Third Ward.
p.yorxr Cant 3 1901