The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-01-29

were over ninety (90) miles, In 1892 there
| We're sixty-five (65) miles of sewerage sys-
has increased to almost ninety-three lss)
/ miles.
In this connection might say that i
am convinced that sufficient money is
not appropriated for the cleaning of
streets and sewers. but the needs of the
CITY nave been so many. that up to this
rlme no increase could be very well al
lowed. Comprehensive plans for new sew
erage systems, intended to relieve large
S areas. such as the Rayine road sewer
ana others, are prepared and the sewers
VIII soon be in course of construction.
,f me extension of several Important thor
| Side avenues, have been planned and will
soon be under way.
! notable improvement in our city dur
izing Of our ighting s's system paen ny ann sure
/ you all appreciate It, but we adapt our
selves so easily to new conditions that
veniences of the old methods.
The advance in the character and ap-
| pearance Of our public buildings has been
occupied u pr by the various departments, it
| speaks for itself. If you have visited
a, ana inspected it you will agree with me
credit to our city but the cheapest and
| best constructed municipal home in the
the official families Of cit cities SO Of lar larger g
size and greater Importance than ours
Il has been built within the appropriation
| We are soon to have Public Library Of
our own, and 1t gives me the greatest
pleasure PIE s to openly acknowledge the debt
tnat department for the manner in which
they nave conducted it's affairs. Without
asking as @ for the issuance of a bond, they
their accommodations in the least, and
yet nave purchased from the accumula-
ton h,,;3f of their annual savings the site for
| tions are in the best possible condition
and the work and personnel of the de-
Partment PAR otn a;aa can hardly be improved upon.
quarters. a new engine house and gem
| orally improved condition of the depart
year should not be allowed to pass BY BY
without providing for the establishment
| OF full paid fire department The needs
Oft. OF the city demand 1t, we have not ad-
mitted how, badly through desire to
Keep down the annual tax BURDEN, but if
| the Legislature deals at all Kindly with
| the increased revenue should be devoted
| 70 obtaining this necessity. During the
past past year we have completed the fifth
known, but at the 2 present t time o .JerseV wetl
Ctty owns upwards of one million dollars
stt1a worth ef school buildings. and has only
amount Of ssoooo sgI'lne WhiIe Wg Ine nay sma oaah
for these buildings. and while in propor-
age on of we chiSran ahfiGS1mmodate of greater percent
| OF our neighbering cities, it is a matter
OF great concern to the officials that any
fies fhsdrgn n si snouid bs denied school facii-
debt Is so small we are now seriously
considering the advisability of asking
amount sufficient to erect from three f., to
| nMye M new schools in addition to the two
| SNo. ! and Johnstown) for which sites
oraWn. With that addition to the schools
completed IN tive years we would be able
p 10 provide forrall. and by. building a new.
ScHool each year thereafter out of the
| license fund, keep pace with the natural
growth Of our school population. It is
n,r lny pega rnat we 90 not pay. salaries to
poIs ana especially their term of service.
l nave mad prepared a bill which I pro
pose to have introduced in the Legisla-
ture and to advocate the passage IF hv ia
Wnlch a fair system of compensation Of
Ine employees I!I1y of the educational depart
Lor their tenure of office during good
oehayior. We boast of two of the most
Complete and finest school buildings in
the State Nos. 9 and IS. and Of an IN i'm I'M
proved condition in the other tWenfv-ore
scnooiS never equalled before.
the location srfk haf of a practically decided
that they will when established. not not anIv anlv
| enhance the. beauty and desirabiiity Of
wboIe VIII Icsi31s cittI IN which they lie, but of the
The year just closed has witnessed the
was suaHins g. On no, OF ! the temporary supply. /
contract for this supply not srom m the the
stfaadpolIat f mp Int of the supply, but from thai
the T time ess, ana wnlfn has It appeared to at
| would be largely Increased = by 4ba rue, ,,n,
certainty of the delivery. The fail,1re lin ulf nf
the the earIv at the outset and up to
amount offered created some difficuIties les
6ieca 66eiescWeen them and the officials. These tu
the officials realize fnli weJ1 y1e4 th septied;
water viii have to be paid for hit eits its
dec;eneIe efrG Is IeSs IN their eyes when the daily
Inan when the full new snnn1v is ps r,s
! am free to confess that this eontrsnf
nity aaS "a m many ways been a boon to our
| posed to rest under the del,,sion as i, dist
ms one great setback to oliT n1osnsriaI sru,
nag nag oeen agitated to its death and o11r rly
~, unere are three more important rn1lnic.-
psi problems now engaging the attention
81 t; ene city officials; they are track eleva-
nertv H '.1 and ddlspostlon OF the South Cove pro
pelly anu equal taxation. The first two
are te some extent within our control and
can can De dealt with among ourselves. the
1as, ns.; named .s now rests with the Legislature
come S forn,s .,,e u past year this question has
Soxne SeIe forward more prominently than ever
.s neiore and will not down until a lust SET
tlement is had. The act of 1884 for tha
uas raSaeioh OF railroad and canal property,
passed as result of agitation In tl,is
county, was hailed at first as a great VIC
| iory for the people, and so it was. Hinder
| US provision the main stem. franchises
ano personal property of the comma MES
| We're taxed at the rate of one half nf one
per cent; for the benefit of the State at
large, while the second class or terminal
properties paid an additional one per cent.
Tor local purposes In 1896 this tax ON sec
ond class property yielded to Jersey Civ
apout $250.000 Until analyzed this anpea rs
70 De a large sum. Jersey City is. how
/ ever, the great railroad terminus of f1,a
western World. Nature SO designed #
Utner cities furnish terminal facilities for
lr lnelr own trade and consumption: Jersey
City furnishes them for continent The
CROWN OF railroad holdings in this county
mas peen phenomenal, especially along the
water front. In 1860 the railroads owned
less than one per cent. Of the shore front
petWeen Caven Point and WeehaWken
| n n 1881 this percentage had increas sed 10
| ~ per cent, while today they hold over "a
per cent; the balance is taken I'D by the
/ Steamship and ferry companies, who have
| ~ per cent; by the canal companies. who
nave IA per cent; leaving about per cent
aenapproprlated. epp In other cities the water
'front.' IS taken up by factories paving full
local taxes; in our county only two corno1
ratfons are rich enough to maintain OK
lenslve plants on the harbor Of New York
the Sugar Trust in this CITY and fhe
Standard Oil Trust in Bayonne In 1853 fine
railroads owned 486 acres, or about AZ per
cent of the present area of the city: in
1884 they had gathered In 1,403 acres; to-
| DAY they own or control 1880 acres. or
nearly ~ per cent. of the area Of the city.
| AT the present rate of increase the next
! generation will see one vast network az
railroad yards occupying lower Jersey
City; our population will be driven to the
/ Hill, and the only property not owned bv
the rallroadS Will be narrow lanes ln-