The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-17


to keep it pure The large interests he
had at stake were a sufficient guarantee
that he would keep the water free from
contamination.
Congressman McEwan was the next
speaker. He said
MY justification in appearing here this
evening is that I am a tax payer and a
citizen / will try to respect the limita
tions placed on the debate. The question
under discussion is, Are we or are we not
in favor of a certain water contract2
This precludes us from saying what better
contract might be adopted. | say that
there are no less than four methods by
which Jersey City could secure water.
supply at one-half of what this supply
will cost. 1 am glad that Mr.. McCann
brought up the question of pollution.
There are not proper safeguards proyid-'
ed against pollution. If there IS law
enough to warrant it why were not SAFE
guards put around the Passaic River 10
prevent pollution. Why does not the Cor.
poration Counsel invoke the aid Of the
courts and have the Pollution stopped SO
that we may return to the Passalc River.
We may have contracts and guarantees,
but when the water comes down to US We
taminated or not at all. Let the question
of a water supply be decided by some ny
draulic engineer. For years and years
we have been discussing this question.
We want to know what we are doing be-
fore we spend $7,500,o00 of our money.
Against this bid there was no competi-
tion. and with nothing with which to com
pare it no Street and Water Board, how
n esI7f ar
should not be paid for water. The gem
I tlemen here could not stand forth and say
| that the price asked was a high price or
a low price.
my objection to the contract is that 1t
has not been done in the right way. We
should have secured some man of ma
tional fame to go out among the hills and
valleys and report on the best sources OF
supply. Jersey City could then have
| gone to the courts and had commission
of condemnation appointed, which could
| have gone to the owners of the property
needed and said:-fYou must sell US your
| land at a fair price. or we will take it by
| condemnation and set our own price on
| it, l would have had every manufacturer
| of pipe in the United States invited to
bid on the miles of pipe necessary to car
| ry the water, I would have had the ma
/ sons in competition so that the masonry
work would have been done at the lowest
possible cost, and so on with everything
! that might be needed. J. ]. r. Croes an
expert in such matters, said on the Wit
ness stand that a water supply should not
| cost Jersey City more than 81, 100000. This
supply is to cost s3.0oO,o0o more or SIS for
every man. woman and child in the COM
munity."
Mr. McEwan said much more to The
same effect. He wound up by saying,
| hope you will declare tonight in thunder
! tones your opposition to this contract
Clerk Martin Finck of the Board of FL
nance, read a letter from the Board OF
Trade. asking that the Board of Finance
postpone acting upon the water contract
until after Tuesday next when the Board
of Trade will meet to discuss the anes-
ton.
Joseph A. Dear then spoke. He polzed
fun at the report of Engineer Croes that
| Mr.. McEwan quoted. He said that he was
one of the committee that paid Mr.. croes
$3.50 for that opinion and that Mr. Cross
| did not give single figure to substantiate
/ his statement.
s'It was the report of a lazy man." said
| Mr.. Dear. "His report was not salts
! factory to the Board of Trade
Mr. Dear then referred to the report of
| Engineer Rafter at the time the East
Jersey water contract was under con-
sideration. He said that Mr.. Rafter adj
vised the Board of Trade, after hard and
conscientious work. that a fair price for
modern water plant, such as was re-
| euired by Jersey City, would be s7,2oO, ,Oo9
/ Mr. McEwan again referred to Croes as
an authority, but was sileneed by Mr..
! Edwards who showed that, while Croes
| had declared under oath, that in his epin-
| ion Jersey City should secure q water
plant for 81, 100000 on cross examination
he admitted that he had not calculated in
| his estimate the cost of valuable access
sions of property which must be made.
| Mr. Edwards asked why, if Mr.. Croes
| could furnish the water so cheap, he
| had not bid for the contract. He had
| five years in which to do so, but had
| NOT had the courage necessary.
Money is what talks said Mr. Ed
wards
| William Fl. Speer said he did not speak
| for the humble and lewly, as Mr.. Nc
| EVAN did, but for the whole people He
| did not think that politics or the split
| ting of hairs should be brought into so
| grave a question. He declared that Jer-
| sey City is ait the gateway of the nation
! and should have the best in all things.
| Mr.. McEwan interrupted him, saying,
Eve should certainly reject this con-
/ tract
Mr.. Speer-'4Suppose we do? Al the ex-
piration of the present contract with the
East Jersey Water Company, on Septem-