The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-11-16
HOOS' ICE CAKE.
City Officials Surprised
and Chilled by the
Mayors Veto.
FINANCIERs MAY OVERRIDE IT
Difference of Opinion as to the
Finance Boards Jurisdiction
inths Water Specifications.

The Mayors veto to the water speci-
fications caused a great deal of surprise
yesterday afternoon, and to the members
of the Boards of Finance and Water
Commissioners generally. The Water
Commissioners didn't expect the commu-
nication because the veto was really the
disapproval of the concurrent resolution
for the advertising of the proposals by
the Board of Finance and the Board OF
Works had no power to act on it. It
was. so far as they were concerned, an
unofficial communication, which required
simply to be filed.
But as regards the Board of Finance,
that's a different matter. 1t is the FL
nanciers who must act on the veto, and
they will meet tomorrow at noon, when
Mayor Hoos' veto will be read. The
Board will then adjourn until eight
o'clock in the evening, when they will
pass upon the veto. 1t is well under
stood that the Board of Finance will
pass the resolution over the Mayors veto
and for this reason, which a member OF
the Board gave this morning to a News"
representative
"Of course we must, to be consistent,
override the Mayors veto to our concur
renee of a resolution passed by the Board
of Street and Water Commissioners.
What else can we do? We agreed with
the Board of Works that the plans and
specifications had been properly drawn,
and that they should be adverused LOT
the purpose of receiving bids. If We
were to sustain the Mayors veto we
would be simply stultifying our own judg-
ment as expressed in our vote NO, so
far as 1 am concerned 1 can see no other
thing to do but override the veto"
Another city official said that the May
or had in some way misunderstood what
he was pleased to call the official eti-
quette in the matter of the veto. 1t was
all right for the Mayor to send the veto
to the Board of Finance, but since that
Board was not in session yesterday the
copy of the veto should not have been
sent to the Board of Street and Water
Commissioners until the Board OF FL
nance had received it at their meeting,
for the veto was an answer to. Board
of Finance action.
right" replied Mayor Hoos. to whom the
many who think that the Board of FL
nance has nothing to do with this water
business 1t originated in the Board or
Street and Water Commissioners, and |
am of opinion that that Board is the
proper body in this matter.
The question caused SO much talk in
official circles that News" representa-
| tive asked the opinion Of Corporation
| Counsel Blair as to the rights of the
Finance Board in the matter of the water
specifications and he Said:-
There is no special act of the Legis-
lature respecting the jurisdiction OF the
| Finance Board, but the general law IS
undoubtedly that where any expenditure
of city money is contemplated, exclusive
of these specifically mentioned by the
city boards, the Board of Finance must
curcur in the resolutions authorlzlng
such expenditures. The resolution from
| the Board of Works authorized the ad-
| vertising of the proposals and OF course
| that involved expenditure OF the CITY 5
| money and consequently came Witnn the
purview of the Board of Finance, 10
whom the veto must be sent and not 10
| the Board of Works.
Commissioner James S. Nolan was very
reticent about the veto and merely addeq
| that it really did not affect the Board
| of Works. 1t should have been sent TO
the Board of Finance. he said. He
thought that the Mayors objections
could easily be fixed UP in a conference
| For his part, he was only anxious TO
protect the citys interests in every way.
and he knew that his colleagues were or
| the same mind. They acted in accord
ance with that spirit when they accept
| ed the specifications.
President Boltwood said some time ago,
after the Board. of Works passed the
specifications that his colleagues had in
yited the Finance Board and the Mayor
| to confer with them, but that His Honor
and the Financiers, for reasons of their
own, did not accept that invitation. Con-
| seouently the Board had done its best
with the knotty problem.