The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-02-26
WHAT HO YECRANKS
Just See How Garret A. Ho-
bart Owns This G. 0.
?. Legislature.
EAST JERSEY HAS THE GRIP
Not Even Our passaic Anti pollu-
ton Bill Can Get Through
This Year.
EAST JERSEY HAS THE GRIP
Snecialto The Jersey City vescs.

! - -s'S4N 4 C-N, It en-. 70, lS9b.-NSaTref A.
mozart proved most conclusively yester-
uas ehat ne comes pretty near owning
tne New Jersey Legislature and that he
uoes not propose to let any measure be-
come a law which will in any wise dam
age the East Jersey Water Company S
chances of unloading its water upon Jer-
sey City. As the readers of 1.-THE Jersey
City News well know the subject of the
pollution of the Passaic River is one
/ which has long agitated those who live
along the banks of that stream. as well
as the people of Jersey City. whose
wafer supply is taken from the river
Ihe Boards of Health of the municipali-
tles recently held conference and de-
elded that it was necessary that some
thing should be done in the premises. AS
result of that on the first day of the
| session Mr.. Ketelsam introduced this
/ DILL Which is known as No. 10:-
/ be 1t enacted by the Senate and Cen
eral Assembly of the State of New Jer-
| sey, That the State Board of Health be
1 and the same is hereby authorized and
directed to consider and to report a gem
eral system of drainage for the relief Of
the valley of the Passaic River and for
| the protection of the public water sup
| plies of the cities and towns dependent
upon said river.
That said State Board of Health shall
have power to employ such engineering
and other assistance as may be necessary
for carrying out the objects of this act; :;
the said board shall consider the various
! methods of disposal of sewage and the
! application of such methods to the whole
or any portion OF the territory herein
mentioned, and shall report its conclu-
| sions in print to the Legislature without
unnecessary delay, for the whole or a
portion of said territory; said board shall
include in its report suitable maps and
| plans of the territory to be drained
methods of executing the work, an esti-
mate of the cost of the work and
recommendation as to the methods of
| apportioning such cost; provided that
the whole amount expended under the
/ provisions of this act shall not exceed
ten thousand dollars.
Nothing was heard from this bill after
it was introduced, and on February 10,
almost month later, Mr.. Williams of
Passaic, Garret Hobart and John Griggs'
county, introduced this bill, No. 9S:-
l. The Governor shall appoint three
/ persons. citizens of this State Who shall
consider the subject Of the pollution of
the Passaic River and Of general sys-
/
the valley of the Passaic River
2 Said persons SO appointed shall have
power to- employ such engineering and
other assistance as may be necessary for
carrying out the objects of this act they
shall consider the various methods of
disposal of sewage and the application
portion of the territory herein mention
ed. and shall report their conclusions in
print to the legislature, without. un-
necessary delay, for the whole or a por-
/ ton of said territory; they may include,
in their report suitable maps and plans
of the territory to be drained, methods
of executing the work, estimate of
| the cost of the work and a reconnlenda-
ton as to the methods of apportioning
such cost; the sum of ten thousand dol
lars is hereby appropriated to defray the
| expenses of said investigation and re-
port. but all expenditures shall be SUBJ
! ject to the approval of the Governor.
The order went out that No aS should
be rushed through, and it went through
| the Senate with that degree of celerity
designated by the vulgar as with bells
on" AS stated in yesterdays News
! the bill came up in the House on Mon
day night and Mr.. Queen, who soon dis
covered the object of the bill, attempted
/ to have it laid over, but it passed to
third reading. The determined oppo-
sition of Mr.. Queen caused the order to
/ go forth from Mr.. Hobart that the bill
was brought up bright and early in the
morning. Mr.. Queen moved that the
vote by which it passed to third reading
be reconsidered so that it could be
amended. He said he wanted to offer
| these amendments
/ Sec. 2. Strike out lines Q. and 4, and
substitute therefor the following -'sShall
| ascertain the best method for prevent
ing the pollution of the waters of the
Passaic River and for disposing of the
j sewage of municipalities within the water
shed of said river, to the end that the
waters of said river may be preserved
4 for a public water supply
any portion off,
] Sec. 2 Line 6. Strike out words with
| out unnecessary delay for the whole or
| a portion of said territory, and substi-
tute therefor re the following, ION the first
Sec. 2, Line 9. Strike out the word
sssi Line - Al After s sh the yora cost eos,
Sec; 2, Line 1o Strike out the word
eve Ave az s'''s'''''e '''e'e'o' Inc Wofu
The manner in which the amendments
4 were disposed Of were told in these des-
1 patches yesterday.
The object of Mr.. Queens amendments
was to make the bill effective and ac-
ccmpMsh the result for which it was
introduced. As it stands now it will
by no means prevent the pollution of the
Passaic. The first amendment would
make the bill provide for the preservation
of the river as a water supply, which
! the bill does not, as it simply provides
for a general system of sewage disposal
The second amendment was to prevent
/ the commission from combining their in
/ vestigation to a certain portion of the
valley. Under the bill as passed they
can go up above the cities Of Passaic
and Paterson, and for all their labors the
portion from which Jersey City takes
its supply will remain as foul as ever.
The third amendment was for the pur-
pose of compelling the commission to
report at the next session, for under
the bill they need not report only without
unnecessary delay and they could
easily find necessary delay enough until
the East Jersey Company had made a
contract with Jersey City. The clause
of the bill which provides that all ex-
penditures shall be subject to the ap-
/ proval of the Governor is another fea-
ture of the bill which the Hudson people
| view with everything but satisfaction.
i The commissioners cannot spend cent
unless the Governor says SO, and with
out money they &annot make progress.
It is plain tina the Water Company