The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-10-21
HOBOKEN'S AFFAIRS
Leon Albeit Expatlates
Upon Them Before a
Meeting of interest
ed Citizens.
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS. WATER DEAL
An Explanation Of the Asphalt
Bond Muddle-Other Improves
ments Touched Up.
TWENTY-FIY YEARS WATER DEAL

ments Touched Up.
The member of the Taxpayers ana
Business Mems Protective Association OF
Hoboken met at Holsters Hall, First and
Bloomfield streets, last night, in conjunc-
ton with the Italo-American Taxpayers
Association and listened for two hours
while Lawyer Leon Albeit explained the
situation relative to various important
city matters.
1--WE are odd that our city officials
ought not be questioned began Mr..
Albeit, ''but whether they should or not
is something for the taxpayers to decide
and not me. I am here to explain certain
matters and not to attack the officials"
Mr.. Albeit first spoke on the contem-
plated 5000, 600 bond issue for asphalt paw
ing which the Council is unable to place
on the market owing to complications
with an act of the State Legislature under
which the bonds are drawn. The act IS
said to be unconstitutional and the bank
ers have refused to purchase the bonds
until their validity is proven by the
courts.
1.-THE act" continued Mr.. Albeit.
CLEARLY states that the bond issue shall
not exceed the cost of the proposed i'm
provement. The estimate for the present
contract is $195, 900. The Council imme-
diately proceeded to issue the full amount
limited in the act, or 5000, 900. The bank
ers nave therefore been advised by their
attorneys not to purchase the bonds and
1 don't think anybody can blame them.
Unless the bonds are good you may be
sure investors are not going to buy them.
There is now no money at hand to pay
for the asphalt contracts, one of which
has already been completed. A certain
city official, however, has been severely
censured for not paying out money which
the city did not have. The bond act is
said to be unconstitutional in that it does
not affect cities with charters governing
street improvements. Hoboken's charter
provides for the repaving of streets, etc.,
and states that the people shall say how
the paving shall be done.
Under this new method you nave
ordered paved three streets with asphalt
for which every a payer in the city
has to pay. But when the residents who
don't live on those streets decide to re-
pave in front of their property, they will
be assessed separately. Three streets out
of thirty-seven will be repaved in this
way. Whether that is just is a matter
for you to decide. Two hundred thousand
dollars worth OF city bonds are now offer
ed for sale, and $657, 600 in outstanding
bonds will be due for payment within the
next few years. 1 suppose they will be
renewed or met in some a but that
will not get them out of the way.
Mr.. Albeit also discussed the tax assess
ment, which he explained was not justly
levied. He alluded to the reduction of
over $1,000, 600 which was made on the
assessed aluatio of the river front
property, while other tax payers paid
their taxes on the full amount. He stated
that the people were deprived of certain
rights. He said he knew of one case
where a man offered to pay another's
taxes if he would not fight a certain re-
duction.
In regard to the freight railroad along
the river front known as tn" Seaside
Railroad Mr.. Albeit said that the
courts had distinctly stated that the fran
chise given to the company was null ana
void and vet the city officials allowed
tracks to be laid in front of Hudson
| Square Park and on the city's streets.
| III speaker quoted the law on which ne
based his statements. -
"Can the city officials have the tracks
removed % asked a man in the audience.
mo question about it," quickly re-
! piled Mr.. Albeit. They are there With
out any authority of law"
Mr.. Albeit also alluded to the manner
of teaching a certain language IN the
! public schools. He said that the language
was compulsory and was jncluaeo am rais
contrary to law. He drew attention 10
the two bills amounting to s., ss5, which
were presented to the Council by the Two
local newspapers for advertising speclIl-
cations for the asphalt contracts. Inc
proceedings of the Council in approving
| the claims ad been been ce~rterioraried,
a decision. Mr.. Albeit said that the
| papers had not charged the legal rate,
! which was ten cents per line for the nrSt
insertion and five cents per hne Ior eaen
! eight words each. He said that ne TOOK
/ the trouble to count the words ana Iound,
according to his estinae, that the piiis
Another matter brought up was the
twenty-year contract for a water supply
granted some time ago by the Board OF
water Company. h contract has been
remoyed to the Supreme Court for review
hut the Court had not as yet granted tne
! netition. MIR. Albeit rehearsed the pro-
seedlings of the Water Board and Coun-
| ell in relation to the award. He showed
how the contract was given out without
| ccmpetlt1Cn, ana SdIu lHdt olhCi Soi
nanies had offered the city better terms.
at may have been that that contract
was the best for the city," he continued,
s.but that was not the right way to go
about it. If it is the right way then we
ought to change our city charter.
sAccording to the contract he SAID,
.the Hackensack Water Company receives
95 per cent. of our water rents and pays
the city $40. 600 a year"
He compared the contract with that Of
Tered by Rogers & Farrell, and said that
the latter bid was $4,000 a year, cheaper
Chairman Schilling suggested that a
resolution be passed requesting the Soun-
ell to compel the New Jersey,-Me3ican
ASPHALT Company to change it's bond CIV
en- in security for the Hudson street con.
tract SO as to insure the repair OF the
street without extra cost to the city. A
resolution to that effect was adopted. II
was also decided to ask Street Commits
sioner Bernard Bayer to compel the Ruth
erford Railroad Company to repave the
street between the tracks.
THE FIRE BOARD MEETS.
The meeting of the Fire Board was q
short one last evening, as the commission