The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-12-04

ingiy. and that the Corporation Attorney
with the approval of the Corporation
| Counsel, is hereby directed to prepare a
contract to carry into effect this award
and the specifications on which said prop
osition is founded"
| The report was signed by Commission
ers Brown. Harding and Kaiser.
| 'All those in favor of this resolution
will so vote said President Brown as
soon as Clerk Bouton had finished read
| ing it.
Commissioner Boltwood votes first, and
in explaining his reason for voting against
| the resolution he said with considerable
| emphasis:-.1n the name of the taxpay-
ers of this city I earnestly protest against
this award being made. 1 do not want it
| understood that I am an obstructionist.
but l honestly believe that the making
of this 100000 contract will be adding
burden to one already heavy enough.
and which fear viii prove too great to
be borne. I do not consider it necessary
| at this time to make such a contract, par
ticularly as by waiting short time we
will doubtless hear something that will
be of great interest to everyone from the
Paasaic Pollution Commission appointed
by Governor Griggs. That Commission
will doubtless make recommendations
looking to the prevention of the pollution
of our present source of supply. It is
possible some means will be found to help
u.s. We have a well-paid law department,
and if by any means we could arouse that
department and compel our law officers
to take advantage of the laws which af-
ford rs t6sa Of <ircr f1,c Doc
sale, all would be well. 1t is a surpris-
ing thing TO me to see the majority of this
Board voting away s7.OOO,OOO when all we
have to do is to compel our overpaid law
officers to do their duty This action is
an admission, to my mind, that because
no one is able to compel the law officers
to do their duty. that the city must spend
$7,00O.000. BY making an award to this
company we are compelled under its pro-
position to abandon our present plant,
and more outrageous than all else aban-
don and surrender all our rights in the
Passaic River, rights which have a value
of millions to us; and now we are asked
to surrender that wealth without receiv-
ing one dollar in consideration. 1 vote
No on this award and 1 want it under
SlOOQ ny every Taxpayer III lltt Slly Ilidl
am opposed to the making of a contract
which will saddle a new burden of $780,
900 upon them when there is absolutely
no occasion for it."
Commissioner Heinitze was next called
upon to vote. Befors.doing so he said =
T will, as / have said from time to
time, vote for the award of a temporary
supply contract to run until such time as
the Pollution Commission reports to the
Legislature. I am convinced that under
ordinary circumstances, particularly if
this Board made no award than upon the
recommendation of that Commission, a
law could be passed which would forever
prevent the pollution of the Passaic, our
present splendid source of supply. By
preventing the pollution of the river we
could in very short time procure from
the Pazsafc a bountiful supply of water
just as pure as 1t was forty years ago
when our intake was located We are
compelled under this contract to surren-
der our rights in the Passaic and I WANT
TO predict now that in shorter time than
anyone suspects, the East Jersey Water
Company will gobble up the valuable fran
cllise we are surrenderng. The East Jer-
sey Water Company is not making any
money now on the contracts it has, but
it will make money from now on. The
very Passafc water that we are now
abandoning will, assert, in few years
be protected from pollution by the East
Jersey Company and will be sold in New
York at high prices. The men who are
at the head of this scheme are at the
head of the Republican party in this
State, ard their influence is far reaching
Any scheme they inaugurate will be
legaliZed by the Legislature and Jersey
City, their victim, will be made to suf-
fer. We VIII lose a valuable right when
we surrender the Passaic River to the
East Jersey monopoly, and this proceeding
is an outrage On the property owners of
our city. I vote No on this award
The Democrats were answered by Com
missioner Kaiser, who said
Concerning the contemplated action of
the Pollution Commission I wish to say
that I do not believe that if a sewer is
ever built to protect the Passaic River
from pollution, that it will in any way
improve our water supply. Ever since I
was boy I have heard the pure water.
subject agttated in this city, but nothing
has ever been accomplished. The future
of our city demands pure water and the
time will come when we will be thanked
fer procuring the unquestionably pure
water that is offered by this company.
Before acting ON this question I have ex-
amined our present plant and I find that
| it would cost s2000,000 or more to put it
in a condition which will insure to our
consumers an adequate supply of water.
| We have to rebuild our pumping stations,
build new tower houses, increase the
pumping power by the purchase of new
engines, build new pipe lines and so on,
and still be compelled to continue using
| the foul Passaic water Under this con-
tract we will shortly be able to abandon
our water plant and that means an ex-
| tensive saving annually. The company
will furnish the new supply by gravity,
| and TO US that means that water will be
delivered in bountiful quantities in all
| parts of the city. By an economical ad-
ministration of affairs in this city we will
| be able to reduce the expenses of the wa
ter department, and by selling water to
our neighbors may be able to make that
department a paying one, and one which
| in time will do much toward paying the
| expenses of the city,
| The Republican members In one, two
| three order voted for the award. Ad-
| journment was taken at once
The only other company which had a