The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-12-08
Communication to Be Sent
to the Board of Finance
About the Water
Specifications.
ABALYzES THE COMMlTTEE'S REPORT
Plans Passed by the Board of
Street and Water Commits
sioners Will Be Con-
Cured In.

The Board of Finance will meet this
evening, and the most important business
before it will be the resolution passed by
the Street and Water Commissioners last
week ordering the water plans and speci-
fieations of Messrs. Vermeule and Ferris
to be advertised for bids. That resolu-
ton tonight will be concurred in, and
then the concurrent resolution will go to
Mayor Hoos. His Honor it is generally
understood, will veto it,, and the Boards
OF Finance and Street and Water Com
missioners will then pass the resolution
over his veto for the purpose of pushing
the water question under way as rapidly
as possible.
The Finance Commissioners will tonight
receive a letter from Mayor Hoos in an
swer to the report of the Committee of
the Whole of the Board of Finance, and
sharp things about the Mayors action in
vetoing the water specifications. The
Mayors answer tonight will go carefully
over the points made by the Finance
Commissioners, analyzing each one and
showing that they are bad and against
the interests of the city. His Honor will
insist that the only one of the three plans
submitted which should be advertised is
that of Plan A, which provides for a
supply of 50,000.000 of gallons per day at
an elevation of 21e feet. The other
worthless, and he could not approve of
q contract providing that the city should
have, at the completion of the first con-
duit supply of only thirty-hye million
gallons.
stPlan c provides for the delivery of
water at an elevation that would require
the maintenance of a pumping station,
and this should, under every circum-
stances, be avoided. Under Plan A the
city will be wholly supplied with water
without the expense of pumping, and
therefore recOmend that bids be received
for only this plan
AS to the purchase of the works the
Mayor will emphasize his former opinion
that .its should not be within the power
Of the city to give notice of an Intention
TO purchase works that have not been
tested
Again, His Honor will object to the
section concerning amendment of con-
tract" for the following reasons First,
that the city is wholly without power to
do anything of the sort; second, the sec
ton is so drawn that if the contractor
should abandon the work because he had
underes timated the cost or found insur-
mountable difficulties, the city would be
bound to take up his unwise speculation
and attempt TO carry 1t out.
Again, the Mayor Will draw the atten-
ton of the Finance Board to the penalty
imposed on the contractor in default OF
work. The original specifications placed
the sum at 500 day and afterwards
raised it to $500. The Mayor will point
out that the sum should be 81, 900.
The principal feature of His Honor's
message tonight will be the protection of
the city's interests in any contract made
under the specifications before him. All
along His Honor has had that in view
and he will reiterate what he previously
said
1--WE are not, as I understand the pro-
ject, about to advertise for the construc-
ton of works for the city, but fer a sup
ply of water. with an option to purchase
a completed plant. Where would the city
obtain the funds necessary to complete an
abandoned or unnecessarily delayed con-
tract? The only way to protect the city is
to provide such a penalty for non-per-
formance by the contractor as will put
performance beyond doubt This should
be done by providing, in words susceptible
of but one construction that if the con
tractor shall fail to complete his contract
within three months after the time given
him by the contract the city shall have
the right to absolutely abandon the con-
tract, retaining, however, its rights under
the bond given for performance"
Finally, Mayor Hoos will say that the
specifications are faulty in his opinion,
because they do net, in his opinion, pro-
vide that the source of supply shall be
wholly within the State of New Jersey,
and which condition would seem abso-
lutely necessary to give the city power
to prevent pollution of the water.