The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-12-30

! company's plan and see no reason why
| there should be. / hope you will concur
| In the award tonight
| The next gentleman heard was District
| Court Judge James Erwin. He said
| "As an owner Of property and at the re-
| quest of q number of taxpayers, neigh
bors Of mine and property owners OF
| upon you the necessity of taking speedy
| action on the water question. ! expected
/ to hear that remonstrances had been
| but I am pleased to And that you are in
| the happy condition Of having no one to
| protest, no one to say that the contract
Is not an adyantageous one. In the
| enced in deciding who was right-those
| who objected to the making of a contract
| or those who favored 1t. 1t is indeed
| happy condition to find that no remon-
| strances have been filed against the pres
ent plan and think beyond all question
| that every man who takes part IN giving
| us good water will be thanked by the
| owners of property in future. You are
! ALL fully believe conversant with this
| water subject and qualified to deal with
| it. We have had experts go over the
| various plans which have been submitted
1 to the city and this one appears to be the
| best
II know that you have all gone over
| the watershed and know that this is the
| best water ever offered do think you
| concurring in this award to the East
| Jersey Water Company, because do not
| know what will become of us If we do
not get pure water: Tenants complain
when they are forced to drink bad water,
| and unless good water is given them they
will leave the city. The only objections
which were made to previous contracts
have been overcome in this one; the
| company and even the city officials hav-
| ing followed suggestions which we're
made during the many hearings which
| have been held on this subject. I com
slider that the city in making this award
| has availed itself of expert advice given
! in court proceedings and so on. gu
| have had an expert, Mr.. Vermeule, to as
| sist you, and he has thrown enough
| light on this subject to warrant you in
1 concurring in this award. Under the
| agreement as presented, understand
| that the city may purchase the plant in
| five, ten or fifteen years, or whenever 1t
so desires. The quantity, fifty million gal
Ions daily, is assured us, and that is
sufficient for the wants of Jersey City
| for a long time.
'The plant Is q single pipe. if un-
derstand correctly. and is 10 cost $500, 900.
\ We may buy the plant or we may take
| water at so much a million gallons. The
price given is about $S5, or considerably
| less than SAB per million gallons, when
| the company now expects US TO pay tor
our temporary supply. Under the pres
| eut conditions pure water is cheap ait
ssThe subject has been discussed for ten
years or more, and in all that time Jer-
| sey City has been going back at such a
rate that I believe It is the concensus of
| opinion that pure water IS the only thing
| to redeem the city. 1t seems to me when
we compare this contract with PROPOSE
| tions which were made by Mr.. Bartlett
| in 1885, and by the RockaWay and Hudson
Company later that it is an ideal one
| This company offers immense storage res
ervoirs. and it's price is rea sonable one
| when everything is considered. There
has been and will be some talk of sad
| that is nonsense. We do not have to
buy if we do not want to.
Some people will want you to wait
until the Board of Trade expert is heard
| had too many delays already. Others will
want you to wait untn the Passaic Pol
luton Commission IS heard from You you
have an opportunity now to give the city
pure water at a reasonable figure, and
you should not hesitate to do your duty
A bountiful supply Is offered US, and W We
cable pure water flowing into our homes
We will grow then like Newark has
Only. few days ago / met Newark $
ing IL from Greenwood Lake: He sad the
l,eople would not return TO The Old wafer
supply if it cost ss,oooooo to retain 4 their be
| 600. and that was thought for q time %
be an extravagant price. There has been
a great change of heart since the people
have been able to drink pure water.
Jersey City perhaps made a mistake in
not acqassss.a a supply jointly with New
! ark 1t was not done. and we have
ssGive US an opportunity to forge ahead
now and you will be doing your duty.
The fact that we are to gather our sup
ply in the same locality that Newark
| our new water sooner than we expect If
the company uses for our pipe line some
btn the gnt q way aan whsa Was bee
structed. In an emergency, in the event
| of anything happening our pipe, the close
proximity to Newark's plant would enable
US to draw on Newark's pipe until repairs
could be made
Some people have said that a single
pipe line is dangerous, as by break a
water famine might be precipitated. That
| is hardly possible when we remember the
great storage reservoirs that are to be
! provided for us. There may be some talk
have to spend that If we don't want to.
| No set of officials can buy the plant.
That question has to be decided by bal
| lots. If a majority says buy, we do SO,
| if not, the company still retains its
plant and we continue to buy. Jersey
| City's credit was never better than it
to buy the plant at once, 1 do not be-
| lieve we. would have any difficulty in
| raising the purchase money on bonds.
The purchase of the plant would be
| only a slightly increased burden at best.
| and I imagine by a careful and econom-
| ical conduct of the Water Department
| it could be made Self-suStaining and a
| goodly sum placed in a Sinking Fund
| every year for the wipfng out Of the
| debt contracted by the purchase Of the
| plant.
I'VE have an income from the Water
), Department Of $780, 900, and by careful
| government 1t would be no hardship for
US to pay all the interest on any debt
that is created K the sa acqnisition Of
| you to act is that for several years the
| terrible condition of our water has had
| deadly effect upon real estate. Rem
| tails have had to be reduced, and there
| was little to induce anyone to own prop
/ erty here. Now we have an opportunity
| to make an advantageous contract, and
/ think it is your duty as our repre-
sentatives to do your part in making it.
'"The question Of filtering our present
supply has been advanced, but believe
that scheme to be feasible only where
| there is a small consumption and where
| the supply is limited. It is a matter
| the supply is limited, and If the sup
| ply at hand were not used the town
| would have to go to an enormous ex-
pense in laying pipes miles to get water
1 The cost would be SO great that in
| nearly every instance I know filtration
/ has been adopted because it Is econom-
ical and for no other reason. We have
4 advertised for filtration plants, but dc
4 not believe that any reputable concern
1 would attempt to filter water and guar
| antee US bountiful and satisfactory
1 supply. The supply offered US is natur-
ally pure and bountiful. and we should
| have it. Property owners and those In
terested in the city,s welfare, expect YOU