The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-08-05
AN ASPHALT SPLIT.
Mayor and Commissioners
Disagree as to the
Streets to Be Paved.
BICYCLE TRACK SET BACK
Pacific Avenue, Bergen Square
and Second Street Des-
ignated Yesterday.

There is not that harmony prevailing
between Mayor Wanser and the Repupil-
can members of the Street and water
Board that was so apparent a few short
months ago. The trouble is said to be due
ITO the stand. taken by COMMISSIONS
KAISER in the matter of laying asphalt
pavement. Commissioner Kaiser is a can
didate for denomination next spring. so Is
Commissioner Harding and so is the
Mayor.
Since the Mayor has been in office his
one ambition, he says, has been TO give
the city fairly good streets.
When he had an appointive Streets and
Water Board to deal with, he had only
to map out a system of smooth surfaced
~roadways and his plans We're promptly
carried out. When the elective Board
came in, his suggestions were for a time
carried out and then the friendly relations
were strained. The Mayor wanted drives
made which would benefit the city at
large. The Street and Water Commits
sioners, however. began to take care OF
their own. particular1sparts of the city
The trouble reached a climax when His
Honor mapped an asphalt roadway
through Mercer street, from the ferry
ITO the hill. TheeStreet and Water Com
lIiSSiOflSIS 4ldAs y - Sdi0f NSCt ONo
this same scheme in reserve for a little
campaign Mhlnder for themselves.
Commissioner Kaiser has from time to
time been urged by the Mayor TO asphalt
Mercer street. Mr.. Kaiser has made no
move. A few weeks ago. as chairman
of the committee on streets, he authorized
the asphalting of Bright street. Mayor
Wanser was mad. but not caring to get
into another argument with Mr.. Kaiser,
he allowed the resolution designating
Bright street to become operative with
out his signature. The reason Bright
street was selected for asphalt is because
there is a school there.
After the Bright street designation,
COMMISSIONS Kaiser was summoned be-
fore the Board of Finance and it was sug-
gested to him that he use some part OF
the liquor license money, which would
ordinarily go to repairing streets; N re-
street sewers, all of which, it is said. are
responsible for much sickness and. death.
sort Of a verbal agreenient l9f ,,l Inc
As an experiment, the Finance Board
placed at the Street and Water Boards
duced by the licenses. The object of the
partial apportionment was TO see what
use would be made of the money. 1t was
understood that what remained OF the 3d.
600 after the sewers mentioned were re-
paired, would be devoted to making the
asphalt cycle path and driveway from the
ferry to the hill.
The Street. and Water Commissioner
did not take kindly to the plans thus map
ped out for them, and they have rebelled.
This was clearly demonstrated when Mr..
Kaiser at yesterdays session designated
Pacific avenue, a car track t~horoughfafe
to be ~asphaIted from the Morris Canal
to Communipaw emu He then gave
President Brown his share by having
Bergen Square designated and finally, to
keep Mr.. Harding from kicking over the
traces, he designated Second street, from
Grove street TO Newark avenue, and Third
street, from Henderson to Erie street.
Not.Aone of the streets designated was
spoken of in Mayor Wanser's recent let
ter relative to a smooth surfaced roadway
system.
just what the Mayor will do when the
resolutions are presented to him is not
known, but it was whispered about this
morning that he would block the scheme
because it would destroy all chance of
Mercer street being paved this year. The
Mayor is interested in Mercer street and
believes the asphalting of it will be one
OF the greatest benefits imaginable to
down town people who now can only
reach the hill at great risk and incon-
venience by streets on which the trolley
cars run.
It is said that if Pacific avenue and the
other streets designated are asphalted
there will not be sufficient money left to
either repair the sewers previously re-
1errec 10 or pave the streets, particularly
Mercer, in the lower section of the city.
Ii is said that the Mayor will be able
TO bring the Commissioners to time by
having the Board of Finance tie up the
til such time as they are ready to carry
out the principal projects he has in KEW.