The Jersey City news., 1899-12-12
THE YEAR S WORK
fcontinued from First PAGES .

every section Of the city and so mic1
has been accomplished at minimum o.
expenditure that the city OF TO-DAY rs
pleasant revelation to that OLD fesloeH,
who. remembering the past, views the
present. This result has been reacne9
only because of the license monies ano
its iudicious expenditure, but the lame
has about arrived when will be forced. tc
expeud these monies in another direction
and we desire to emphasize the TACT, lna'
to do so is contrary to our best Juae iisn. :
A modest estimate Of the amount necss-
sary to reconstruct those sewers Wnlcnn I
demand attention is from i've hunureu ~
seven hundred thousand dollars, ana our
records will indicate that we nave az
nually made request OF the inahelai, ~ i,a
GERS for a separate fund which eoulu pc
applied to this purpose. II was n.y. :
reasonable to expect that IN any one yeai as
would such bulk sum be approprlaa teu, @
hui ii was a fair presumption mat On
amount sufficient to correct some tspeelie
sewer evil would be allowed US, and tnen
with the advancing years corree1iieS5 ,i :
would have been eventualiy app,,ea :, :
terialIy added to the burden OF taxation.
We have not been allowed a doiiar Ior l
the purpose but meanwhile from every
section come peutions and delegations, r.
oueStinp that this avenue be repayed OF
that such street be re-SurfaceQ Will ds-
phalt until the aggregate OF tHe 1lhpoL ~ :
tunities would represent an outlay eni
bracing the entire prospective icsHsS9 icsHssS9 II
CENTS for about five years in the Iutute.
IT would please us to expend our MONIES
on those lines which in the, past have
given such good satisfaction. put tns .,Tess- &c
mand for sewer reconstruction is SO press
ing from a sanitary standpolnl. Ina ~
the absence of any other aVallapie iunu
we must fall back on our incense accVu,t ie..l.s
while the title OF Ihe a}11 aRpi opa Far :. The
nonce become misnomer. Deplorlhs tLe
nSistinos facts we believe that the reasons
therefor should be made pupiic anu Liz
rasnonsibility placed.
STREET CLEANING.
The matter of street cleaning and garp,-
age removal, the great amount oI Worh ii
to be done and the very nmteu ihllg slne,, e., 4,
nreyiolls reports referred to SO suHlcielil- uH
" that we believe that our cltlzeHs, z; AZ =,
generally alive to the subject. S elal.ir e,.ir
that in the city of Jersey CITY more Woin ,5se
of This character is being done Tor iess
money than in any other city IN the
Union. that can be quoted TO US, anu ~ ~
this we mean not tnat we nana a.,eao 4;no,
get through the year without excesuiins ias
The limit of a ridiculously low appropria-
ton in a to be expected SIP snou ntti,, '+I,,
ner by cleaning indifferently the greally
travelled streets and making some pre-
tense at the others, but by going over
every street in every locality and placlng
and maintaining them in better sahltsary say
condition than they were ,stor ever ~ PIs his
city and (excepting the city OF New 7 @ orhl
n, better condition than those OF any
nearby city. We invite compdfison 49,. w.
other municipalities as to the conoltlvns Z
If our streets-to make comparison q
available funds would but exclte the flsi-
bilities of the inquirer.
In the good results attalneu uuaiLg vi
sdgment of the hearty co-operation anu
aid given us by the Womans Clup any y
its s4ToWn Improvement Commltlee.
The ladies of this club have rendered IN
feIligent service wholly free from 1ault-
finding or cavilling and with sole de-
sire to add something to the petterIneIl
of the city How much we owe oaissa tnela
for the good conditions which preValled
we cannot estimate, but that tney neipeu
us greatly and that without tnelr assls-
ance we could not have been SO success
ful is without question We bespeak tnelr
kind assistance during the coming year
The necessity for street sprinkllng ana
STREET LIGHTING.
The street lighting plant has been mann
tained during the year in such manner
that general satisfaction appears to nave
heen given AS indicated in the reports OF
late Years we are subordinating the gas
and oil lighting and substituting electric
arc lights therefor as rapidly as posslpIe
Arc lights are so well received tnat many
localities which have been heretofore de-
nendeut on gas lighting, church corpora
lions which have in the past been favor
ed with gas lamps, and individuals who
have been fortunate enough 10 nave 10
Gated on their properties a portlon OF our
Guided that gas as a street illuminant IS
thing of the past and desire that arc
lights shall be substituted therefor in the
ratio of one for one. Many OF our resi-
dents seem not to understand that the IL
Illuminating power of an arc light is nomi-
nally of 1900 candle power, and that II
should displace 30 Welsbach gas lamps Of
60 candle power, md that the relative cost
of each is in somewhat the same ratio;
that for some years past the cost of our
street lighting has increased very c0nsid-
erably, and that through the exercise of
a great liberality in the extension OF our
system we have reached the extreme limit
of our ability. We venture the assertion
that our streets are quite as well lighted
soon to speak confidently when we say
"better lighted"
Our system last year comprehended the
following
Oil lamps. welsbach. burning Decem-
taken pse l. off If during the year issssa.. III
Oil lamps. Welsbach, burning Decem- -
ess bsr lamps !, 1ssS ordinary lasn welsbacb $50
Q2f, burning December l. 1885,. 400
Taken off during the year 1SsS-a9, ordi-
Added ad during the year issS-ss, weis- :
In use December /, 1899, ordinary (222),
Welsbach (206) 42S
Arc lights in use December l, 1898 ....1, $50
=
Total number of arc lights in use
December 1. 1899 ...... -. ......1, 1928
SIDEWALK REPAIRS.
We are giving the matter of sidewalk
repairs such methodical and persistent at
tention as the limit of our resources per-
mits Of Results shown during the year
but emphasize our efforts in that direc-
ton. We endeavor to have remedied all
complaints of this nature that are brought
to our attention and to have rectified such
glaring defects as our agents become cog
infant Of We believe that a satisfactory
service is being given the public but the
limit of such service is naturally restrict
ed to our financial ability. We find at
times that some property owners labor
under the misrepresentation that the re-
pairing of sidewalks is a municipal gra-
tuitv, and, so believing, they forward
savage letters of complaint, which, when
investigated. are found TO have been writ
ten by the owner of the property com
planned of. On more than one occasion ar
owner thils located has endeavored to be
exemptory from compliance with tnt
law the fire of his desire having beer
quenched with the knowledge of his re
sponsibiiity, second complaint is never
METERS AT BBLIEVILLE
| AS is generally understood the Eas
| Jersey Water Company Is now furnishing
| our supply of water. Our average daily
! consumption is about thirty million gal
| Ions and we were heretofore entirely de
| pendent on the measurement as quoted Il
us by said company, based on the readint
| OF meters owned by them and patented
by their engineer. While we had n