The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-13
RAMAP0 WATER SCHEME
Now the Mazet Committee Takes
Whack at It.
REMARKS BY Mr.. MOSS
Commissioner Dalton and Engineer Bird
sell Are Put on the Stand and Asked
Some Embarrassing Questions
by the Inquisitors

view IoFk, sept. l2.-The MaZet in
vestigation committee resumed its ses-
sions here to-day. Assemblyman Hoff-
mann said that as a representative of
the democratic party he would ask and
insist that the whole truth of the
Ramapo water deal be made plain,
without regard to the politics of wit
nesses, and to that end he thought 1t
necessary that Senator Thomas c. Platt
be cabled. The Ramapo Water COM
pany proposed 10 lease to the city GER
tain water rights for the sum of S.
100000 year for 40 years. The contract
came up unexpectedly in the board of
public improvement and was only de-
feated on a tie vote.
Frank Moss, counsel of the commit
tee, said he had received nforma ton
nearly three months ago that some
move was to be made in the Ramapo
case An investigation was made and
showed the city's water supply to be so
abundant that millions of gallons were
gong to waste every year, but the sys-
tenn OF distribution was faulty.
we got plenty of evidence to sustain
these two propositions" said Mr.. Moss
and then just as we were about to
adjourn at our last session, the news
.oiie That tfe expected was about to
happen. 1t did happen, but owing to
the good citizenship of many of our
people and the vigilance of the news
papers the Ramapo deal is now de-
clared to be dead
1t was a stock jobbing concern, with
no ability to do aught toward carrying
out its contract, but able perhaps, to
make money by disposing of it's stock
and securities. When the attention of
ofhclals was called to these facts they
still persisted in jamming this contract
through. If they could not see the
condition of the company for them
selves, they were guilty of gross in
competence and negligence
If the corporation counsel and the
commissioner of public improvements
| thus proved themselves incompetent
and ignorant it was incumbent upon
the mayor to remove them. Failing to
| do 1t, the responsibility is on him and
| after him on officers higher than him.
| Of these officers at least three owe a
| duty to certain organization which
| admits responsibility for them, and
whose leader has declared that they
will be punished if any wrongdoing be
| shown"
William Dalton, commissioner of wa
| ter supplies, was the first witness
| called. He produced copies of the pro-
| posed contract with the Ramapo Wa
ter company and told of the reasons he
offered the board of public improve
| ments in urging the contracts. These
| were put on record as evidence.
Mr.. Moss offered in evidence the
statement made by Comptroller Coler
| against the contract, the certificate of
| Incorporation of the Ramapo Water
company and several annual reports of
| the company.
Mr.. Moss further put in evidence a
statement from the secretary of state,
| dated Aug. &c. 1899, to the effect that
not any of the capital stock had been
| paid in.
David T. Davies took the stand for a
| moment and sWore that in 1894 he
bought on the real estate exchange at
auction 500 shares of the stock of the
Ramapo company. He paid SAG for these
and a lot of other stocks.
Commissioner Dalton, recalled said
he did not claim any special knowledge
as to the water supply for this city
when he entered upon the duties of his
office.
Engineer Birdsell was called. Mr.
Moss asked him whether he had ad-
vised Commissioner Dalton previous to
the meeting of the board of public i'm
provements to go into the Ramapo
water contract.
Nit as to the Ramapo contract" was
the answer. The witness hesitatingly
said he had not discovered that the
contract expired in 1912. while the cor
porate life of the company was limited
to 1887.
The corporation counsel was not in
formed on this point, so far as the wit
ness was aware.
From the report of Engineer McLane
| Mr.. Moss read that the two storage
reservoirs will be finished in 1908 and
that jointly they will hold 1926, 900, 00O
gallons, or a supply of 200,000,000 gal
Ions a day for 376 days.
rs this the first Ramapo job you
ever had a hand in?" asked Mr.. Moss
What do you mean by 'job?' de-
manded Mr.. Dalton. lone might speak
of the robbing of bank as job
well, that's what l mean. Did you
ever before have hand in job where
|, you violated the first principles of the
party that elected your appointing
power?"
mo, sir"