The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-06-17
MAYOR
STANDS PAT
Water Contract Must Go
to Rockaway and Hud-
son or Nowhere.
OLD VETO TRoTTED OUT
Mr.. vermeule's Arguments
Unavailing to Change Mr..
Hoos' Mind.
KNOWS WHAT THE CITY WANTS
If the Company Cannot Per-
form Its Contract. the
Treasury Will Be
sin" 500, 900.
KNOWS WHAT THE CITY WANTS

arguing for the acquisition of a water
plant capable of delivering 7o,oeo,uu gar
Ions a day. which was presented 10 the
Street and Water Board yesterday, was
the principal topic of conversation at CITY
HAN today. The points raised by MI.
vermeule were so convincing that Com
missioners Heintze and Boltwood wavered'
1t was thought probable hat these gentle
men might change their mind cut away
from the Rbckaway and Hudson's oo,oW,
900 gallon proposition and support = q
Hymns 100000 gallon plant.
This was the plant which Messrs.
Hauck, Nolan and Smith originally agreed
upon. When Mayor Hoos announced thai
he would not approve any contract IN
yolving the expenditure of $1,000, 600, or
ever IS, 900, 600, the Commissioners dropped
the expensive Flynn plant and took up
the same gentseman's 5000, 1000 gallon pipe
line plan, with 10000 600 gallon water
rights. which he offers for sc. 45, 1000. This
plant would now be accepted If Mayor
Hoos should say he would approve it.
This. however. the Mayor is not likely
to do.
II will not recede from my position
said Mayor Hoos today. Il will not
SptuQ S5feu-VW Oi CSCA >osvoNfeV
supply of water.
IF Mr.. Vermeule has had the views ne
embodied in that letter of yesterday, all
the time, why has he not made them
known before? 1t is rather late in the
day for such a documen to be sprung
on US.
TT will not cause me to change my
mind, however. I know pretty nearly
49, A = - ----.~1 49, I'M 0ina I'VE
can get it at the price | think is fair.
The Mayor today reminded the Street
and Water Commissioners that the speci-
fcations, under which the pending bids
were received, were vetoed by him.. His
veto was not sustained.
The Commissioners may be able to
gather some information as to how l
stand and feel on this question II they
will peruse that veto message" said the
Mayor at noon.
The veto referred to by His Honor was
written on November Is. Among other
things he wrote
Gentlemen-Herewith I return. with
adopting specifications for a new wa
ter supply for Jersey City, having
-eached the conclusion that they
should be amended in several partlcu-
lars.
There are three separate schemes up
on which proposals are asked for, as
follows
/. The supply of fifty million gallons
per day at an elevation of two hum
dred and ten feet.
II The supply Of ,thirty-ive million
gallons per day at the same elevation.
III. The supply of seventy million
gallons per day at an elevation OF one
ca Iasss plans sshe s%ss ~ ar sn IssP' 6" !
think the city Should b;aa aav spas t5 fDr
and / recommend that the other plans
be stricken from the specifications.
Plan 81" seems absolutely worth
plant to deliver thirty-nve million gal
a6d g5ps q the tb city pla ahe IL incr re- ord is
capacity to seventy milliors: The city
win not need seventy million gallons
per diem during the term for which
the contract is made, but it is fairly
certain that it will need more than
thirty-f1ve million gallons per day in
a andu! B Yen whenever Seals; tnos need Of he
city exceeds thirty-five million gal
Ions per day, the contractor must pro
Jersey City should own its
WI water works, but It Will not BE
desirable to purchase a thirty-five mill
city Of seventy million gallons. I could
not approve of a contract providing
that the city should nave, at the COM
pletion of the first conduit, a suppl
of only thirty-ive million gallons. Plan
&C. provides for the delivery of wa
ter at an elevation that would require
and this should. under very circum-
stances, be avoided. Under Plan a
the city VIII pc wholly supp ~ Win
bids be received for only this
The Rockaway and Hudson Companyss
proposition IS the only one which meets
the Mayors views. as outlined in that
veto. 1t is the only plan today which
Mayor Hoos will approve.
Many of the City officials doubt the
Rockaway and Hudson C~ompany's ability
to perform what it agrees to, from finan-
ella and other standpoints. This argu-
ment is used against the concern, bu
Mayor Hoos says the Company has put
up 100000 as evidence that 1T can do what
it promises.
When the Mayor, vetoed the specidca-
lions he considered the financial aspect
of the case. In relation to this point ne
wrote of the contractors failure or in
ability to perform his contract. He said:
II the contractor shall abandon the
work the city shall CInplete IT. The
objections to this proposition are, nrst,
to do anything Of the sort; second
the section is so drawn that If the
contractor should abandon the work
because he had underestimated the
cost or found ins-urmountable difficul-
ties, the city would be bound to take
up this unwise speculation and at
tempt to carry it out. We are not, as
I understand the project, about to adj
vertise for the construction OF works
for the city, but for a supply OF water,
with an option to purchase a COM
pIeted plant. Where would the city
obtain the funds necessary to com
plete an abandoned or unnecessarily
delayed contract? The only way to
penalty for non-performance by the
contractor as will put performance
beyond doubt. This should bedone by
providing. in words susceptible OF but
one construction, that II the ~contrac-
tor 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 contract, retaining. how
ever, Its rights under the bond given
for performance.
No award, It is believed. VIII be made
10 fh6 RockaX y De0D{e. H11d. Is Mayor