The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-05-22
This paper is Democratic M principles
and is independent in its uiesos o" -" 'oeas
questions
The Mayor and h water question

The Mayor and the Water Question.
If we rightly apprehend the position OF
Messrs. Jones and Hardenbergh of the
Board of Finance. the Water Specihca-
tons suggested by Mayor Wanser will
no more suit them than those prepared
by the late Street and Water Board. 1t
is understood that they want a rmu
prepared by an engineer or a group OF
engineers and that they will be content
with nothing else. They consider that
nobody but a professional man, making
hydraulics his speciality, can do justice
to the subject. This is a view of the mat
ter which is oDen to considerable DOUBT.
There is no reason for thinking that a
professional engineer should understand
the needs of the city, the sources of sup
ply or the legal entanglements, which are
a prominent feature in the problem, any
better than a public official who has made
.gipeer is likely to confine his attention
too closely to the technical details and
neglect the broad essentials of the under
taking. 1t would doubtless be well to have
expert opinion upon the details of any
series of specifications, but the best re-
suits are probably to be obtained by
having a lawyer in the employ of the city
or other intelligent public officer draft
the broad requirements.
This, it is understood. is the view held
by the majority of the Finance Board,
and when the matter comes up again
upon the discussion of the Mayors COM
munications. it is likely the Board will
be divided in the ratio of three to two
upon this point. The Board will probably
by that vote endorse the Mayors draft
and Onward it to the Street and Water
Board to form the basis of a new de-
parture in the effort to get a good water
supply. Probably it will be modified in
important particulars before it is finally
adopted, but equally probably 1t will
furnish the main features of the new
specifications. 1t any rate. it will prob
ably govern in the one vital respect
that only a gravity supply will be con-
sidered.
There is one feature of the Mayors
specifications which. while it aims to
overcome one difficulty, creates a still
greater one. This is the concluding note,
which provides for supplementary prop
ositioIls by any competing company.
This Is put in, of course, to get over
the ruling made by Corporation Counsel
Blair to the effect that supplementary
covenants could not be entered into in
q contract growing out Of advertisement
and competition. But 1t is evidently not
a practical remedy. 1t turns the compe-
tftion into a kind of auction. in which
the n is never reached. A cunning
bidder begins by making a proposal un-
favorable to the city, so as to get into
the race. When he realizes what his
opponents offer, he supplements his bid
so as to make 1t a little better than
theirs. Then they "go him one better"
He sees them and raises them a
point They do the same, and so ON
ad infinitum.
This is not competition within the
meaning of the law. which contemplates
each bidder making up his price On his
own calculations without knowledge or
what his contestants are doing. A COM
petition conducted as the Mayor sug-
kests, we fear, would be even more illegal
than the acceptance by the city of a
supplemental bonus, in the manner which
so seriously alarmed Mr.. Blair and the
Financfers.
Anyway, we hope the new start given
~ the Mayor to the agitation will de-
-vssop INTO results. His Honor leaves his
attitude clear enough. 1t is the wise
and public spirited one 1t properly in
terprets the popular sentiment, too. The
people Individually and collectively de-
mand q good water supply; the future
Of the city depends on it. No petty
technicaiity or c-heeseparing economy
should be allowed to stand in the way
Of IT.