The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-10-19

MAYOR HOOS UPHELD.
Board f Trade Approves His
Action in the Matter OF
Grade Crossing.
GROVE STREET TROLLEY NATTER
Andrew j. Corcoran Scores
the Street and Water Board
for It's Action.
GROVE STREET TROLLEY NATTER

They were grade crossings anu ehS -
street trolley ordinance. In the discus
sion of the first matter the Street p
Water Board was very roughly nanoleo'
and in the second topic the members came
out fat-footed for the principle; no pay
no franchise.
Tt was Mr.. James E. Banks, of the
Merchants Protective Association, VINO
started the grade crossing discussion.
For once he dropped the advocacy OF
some special brand of condensed milk ana
addressed himself to a serious subject
He reported that as a result of the COM
mittee of the Boards visit to the Mayor
in the matter of The -Communipaw avenue
grade crossing, His Honor had vetoed the
ordinance passed by the Street and water
Board.
Then outspoke. like Heratius Of old. ex-
President Andre J. Corcoran, the terror
of the Erie r.. r., and uncompromlslng
foe of grade crossings. He had person
ally seen the Mayor about The ordinance
and requested that it should be vetoed,
and this is what he said about the inter-
view
81 told the Mayor that the people up
our way imeaning the Horseshoe section)
were in arms about the ordinance. me
absurdity and Inconsistency of compelling
the Erie Railroad to do away with grade
crossings at one end of the city and per
uniting the Lehigh Valley Company at
the other end Of the city to maintain a
grade crossing, was SO apparent that a
veto was the only course. Gentlemen,
Mayor Hoos kept his pledge to the people,
he vetoed that ordinance and one member
of the Street and Water Board, Ferdin-
and Heintze, had the moral courage 10
keep his. He opposed it. Those hungry
four should be indicted for their infamous
conduct, What is it coming to that we
citizens and ~taxpayer have to neglect
our own business to look after city Of
hcials whom we pay to guard the city
interests? Do they guard these interestsE
Is it not an ~indisputable fact that the tax
payers in this city have forever to be on
rhe qui vive or else some valuable fran
chise or some act win be committed which
will affect the city's interest. Better by
far that the Mayor should appoint five
men to the Street and Water Board than
have thrown upon us such poor material
as we have now. Why, gentlemen, one
of those members of the Board went on
his knees before a well known priest of
this city some time ago and with tears
in his eyes begged that good father to in
tercede with the people of his parish who
were opposed to him. Since that time he
has never shown his face in that section
of the city and dare not. Such is a sample
of a Board which sets at naught the
wishes of the people and the interests of
Jersey City. I move sir, that we ten
der Mayor Hoos our heartfelt thank for
his action in vetoing that Ubiquitous or
dinance.
Second that motion, with every pleas
ure,'' said Counsellor s. c. Mount, and so
it was ordered.
Mr.. Joseph A Dear stirred up rumpus
No. 2, by presenting a resolution from a
number of citizens who protested against
any trolley line on Grove street. In NOV
ing the adoption of the resolution Mr..
Dear said that he approved of the prin-
ciple of exacting a tax ron gross receipts
in a case like giving franchises to a rail-
road company. and he would advocate the
principle of limiting the term to a short
er period.
The resolution was as follows
Whereas, The North Hudson County
Railway Company has filed a petition
with the Board of Street and Water
Commissioners of Jersey City, for the
grant of a franchise to the North Hud-
son County Railway Company, for the
right to construct a trolley Zine for
the Grove street branch of its system
in Jersey City, and this association. has
heretofore taken action in said matter
and presented resolutions to said
Board; therefore be it
. Resolved, By the Board of Trade of
Jersey City that this board oppose the
grant of said franchise to the said
North HUDSON County Railway Com
pany without compensation and for an
unlimited period of time; and be it
Resolved, That this Board urges the
Board of STREET and Waited Commits
sioners of Jersey City to grant said
franchise only upon payment of a per-
centage of the gross income from the
lines of railway included in the grants
of the franchise and for a limited
period of time and for a. term not
longer than thirty years; and be 1t
Resolved, HI a copy of the resolu-
lions relative to said franchise adopted
by this Board in the month of January
of the present year be again presented,
together with a copy of this resolution
to the Board of Street and Water
Commissioners of Jersey City.
"How can you charge the percentage or
gross receipts?' interposed Mr.. Daniel E.
Cleary. What ratio are you going to es-
tablish? How can you fix the proportion
of the North Hudson Company's share
since they go over the lines used by an
other company?"
This poser was too much for Mr.. j. E.
Banks, the opponent of trolleys or any
other device to build up a section Of the
city. He couldn't answer Mr.. Cleary's
question. but he was sure it could be
done.
Then President Myron ]. Furst jumped
into the breach, and being a mathema-
tician solved the problem by stating that
If the total number of miles of the North
Hudson's system be taken and the dis
fance from the Hoboken line to the P. r.
r. ferry be considered and duly figured
out, the percentage on the receipts could
easily be ascertained. For instance, said
President Furst. should the system be
forty miles, and the. distance of the line in
Jersey City be two miles, that would
mean five per cent. on the total mileage
and the basis for the tax.
This is the only way to estimate it,,
Mr.. Dear approvingly remarked. Mr.. H..
w. Carr and Mr.. Banks deprecated the
idea of permitting any trolley and put
all sorts Of verbal spokes in the wheel
much to the disgust of Mr.. Clearly, who
pertinently asked how many property
owners on Grove street were present? AS
on that -thoroughfore and those who OPP
pose q trolley line were simply behind
the age Who wanted to go back to
the horse car? Why such an improve
ment on Grove street would work the same
beneficial results as the line on Summit
avenue.
President Furst agreed with Mr..
Cleary that a trolley road would be a