The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-01-24
X 7 R A !! !
CITY WILL APPEAL
Decision in the Water Case
To be Carried to the
Court Of Last
Resort.
GREAT OPPORTUNITY LOST
City Officials Say That no Con-
tract Could be More Advan-
tageous to the
City.
EAST JERSEYS LITTLE SCHEME
Mayor Wanser Confident That Soon
the City Will Have TO Make
Other Plans for a
Supply.
EAST JERSEYS LITTLE SCHEME

supply.
The decision of the Supreme Court set
ting aside the contract for a permanent
supply of water awarded to the Jersey
City Water Company is to be appealed.
The case will be conducted principally
by the water company; but the city will
join in the issue as many of the officials
feel and believe that if this opportunity
to procure an Unlimited supply pure and
lost the city will never again receive
such an offer.
The Jersey City Water Company will,
it is feared. never bid for the furnishing
of water again. This, it is argued, will
practically place the city at the mercy
of the East Jersey Water Company. The
Hudson and Rockaway Company is now,
as heretofore, regarded by some of the
officials as an auxiliary of the East Jer-
sey Water Company, created for the pur-
pose of o%bstructing any attempt to give
a contract to any p save the East
Jersey.
In the decision of the Court, as re-
ceiyed yesterday, it would appear that
the Jersey City Water Company was
the highest of adj three bidders. and
that the Court has been so impressed.
The fact is, it is claimed by the officials,
I thn East Tarsav Wafer Comnanv,s nron-
osition stated $11, 10000 0 for a supply, not
as great as that of the Jersey City Com
pany, fewer reservoirs (not located, less
storage capacity and inferior water, as
it proposed establishing it's intake with
in a short distance of where the Rock
away and Hudson people had mapped
out, nd which source of supply is so
subjected to sewage that it is not now,
nor never was, seriously considered.
The officials are not inclined to dis
cuss the subject at any length yet. They
want to see an official copy of he de-
cision.. AS far as they can learn the
same Judge prepared this decision as
passed upon the East Jersey contract
with Newark.
On that occasion a contract privately
made was sustained. This time, it is re-
ported, the Court holds that this city
must advertise for bids in the regular
way. The law under which the Jersey
City Company was awarded the contract
o,d rvbio1, olIorrc IN uno nd ~ q hidden
making the most advantageous offer is
upheld; but following this the point is
raised that the contract was not awarded
to the lowest bidders.
I'VE don't know where we are att said
an official this morning. when we find
out what the points of the decision are
we will be in a position to act"
Mayor Wanser still declines to discuss
the subject. He is disappointed. If the
| Court of Errors and Appeals upholds the
| ruling of the lower court it is reported up
on excellent authority that another effort
will be made to secure a supply.
All the points of the old contract upset
by the contract will be avoided. if posi-
BILE. and a. contract satisfactory to prop
erty owners made The officials are dis
couraged. because they feel that their
efforts will be INSTRUCTED by the same
cranks who oppose every public improve
ment.
1t is commended by all the officials con-
cerned in the making of a contract that
the sources of supply selected by the Jer-
sey City Company are the best in the
State and it is possible bidders will be
restricted to tina watershed in the next
effort to procure water.
The inability of the under the
law, as held by the Court, to condemn
,certain lands of the Morris Canal Com
pany is a hard nut to crack, the officials
say, and some believe legislation will
lave to be procured to remove that OBJ
stacle.
One of the reasons why the Jersey City
Water Company offered this city reser-
voirs which would hold a supply equal
to $50 days, at the rate of consumption
of 50, OO0,0 600 gallons daily, was to avoid
trouble with the Canal Company. Ar
rangements were to have been made tby
the company whereby all the water the
canal needed at any time could be turned
into it from the big natural reservoirs
Of the water company. A feature Of the
Jersey City Water company's contract
with this city was that it did not de-
mand the right to sell any Of the surplus
water.
The East Jersey Company did. The
same company trapped Newark under a
like agreement No matter how rnuch
surplus water Newark has after ! 1890 IT
cannot under its contract with the East
Jersey Water COMPANY sell j gallora ont