The Jersey City news., 1899-12-12


they are would have caused great dam
age to the property between Corcoran
street and Bergen avenue. Much OF this
property had been built upon regardless
of street grade. and to have proceeded
with the Improvement on the basis OF the
established grade would have necessitated
so great a quantity OF filling that IN many
cases first floors would have been made
cellars.
ASPHALT PAVING
In cur report OF last year we made ref
erence to the fact that the various asphalt
companies seemed to have combined in an
effort to increase prices beyond our hum
dred per cent. standard, and that as re-
sistant measure we had made public
awarded when prices We're quoted in ex-
cess OF such standard Clio per Yard. This
check appears to have met with the APP
proval OF property owners desiring street
Improvement, as during the year we have,
as the result of petition, laid about three
go miles of asphalt which is an appre-
ciable percentage of increase over the
showing of any previous year.
INSPECTION SY STEM.
The system heretofore in vogue for the
inspection of public work was relic of
step days Of Jersey City When John
Jones' was out of work and the building
of public sewer was contemplated, who
more entitled to be appointed as in
spector of the work and draw the pay
therefor than John. Now John
might have been an able fellow in his
particular line of business and yet lack all
the essential qualities necessary to make
good Inspector of public work; but he
was '.out of q job" and must be taken
care of, so the neighbors interested them-
selves. waited on the official and plead
.'John's'' cause SO successfully that he
was appointed. The work proceeded to
completion, but although John did the
best he could. the contractor bullied and
the work when completed was far from
satisfactory and the very people who had
advocated Johns appointment objected
strongly to paying their share Of assess
ment.
Times without number has this been the
experience of our predecessors. and We
plead guilty TO several times having had
our sympathetic chords touched, but the
system appealed to us so strongly for ad-
justment that we concluded to Apply a
remedy and appointed permanent corps
of practical men, who would from time 10
time be delegated to inspect this or that
work The men so appointed are with US
indefinitely. If a piece Of work which one
Of them has inspected proves, after COM
pietion and acceptance, to baye been per-
formed contrary to contract that indi-
vidual can be and Is held to account. His
position depends on capable and honest
supervision and he knows it. The new
system cannot but result IN the better
satisfaction of the taxpayer, whilessto US
it is SO immeasurably superior to the old
that we wonder why the change was SO
liss REsPAyING OF STREETs-LICENS
MONIES
In our reference to other subjects we
have shown the general desire which ex-
lists for the division Of license monies
and for the application of those monies
for purposes which, though worthy. are
vet of a character which requires an
elastic stretch of imagination to permit
of their being paid for out OF this fund
The desire referred to is not confined to
those citizens whose aim is to secure for
their immediate localities a proportionate
share of the license fund with the bene-
fits resultant therefrom, but seems to
have it's Well-spring with those offlcerS
of government on whom devolves respon-
sfbiiity for the fixing of the tax rate.
The number of purposes to which our
to be without limit, while on the con-
trary the annual amount of such fund is
practically fixed and it therefore follows
that If the existing conditions are TO
realization of those conditions and gov
ern their expectancies accordingly. We
have heretofore expressed our lack OIL
accord in the policy which has been fore
ed upon us, and would here retterate 1t,
but in the absence of other available
funds we are forced to make inroads on
health and to prevent the decay of public
properties, expending annually for these
purposes an aggregate sum sufficient to
substantially deplete our resources. We
have no desire to cavil over this fact.
The appropriating Board, with full
knowledge of its various responsibilities,
NAV have good ana Suulc1enL reason TOT
not acceding to our requests, but the fact
remains that such requests have not been
acceded to-, and we are perforce COM
PEELED to adopt the only course left open
The work hereinafter designated will
show that Notwithstanding our hand1capS
we have accomplished not little during
the year our standard OF work has been
gradually raised until we believe that
now it will compare quite favorably with
public work anywhere. In looking over
the list Of our completed undertakings
we will perhaps extract more satisfaction
than does the average reader, as each
specific record indicates the elimination
Of persistent and insistent request, of
more or less friction with the contractor
and of the watehfulness required to Sc
cure a benefit commensurate without ex-
f1nr record and recapitulation of license
money expenditures cannot show in detail
the great quantity of patching, small
pieces Of repaving, repairing of basins.
nanholes curbs, ETC., which as in prev
IONS years has required a great outlay for
material and labor. We have a large force
engaged every working day OF the year on
this class Of work, and while the aggre-
gate of the work accomplished Is a very
Considerable factor, 1t is not included in
our reorganization of mileage.
RECAPITUIATION.
LICENSE MONIES.
fCf improvements that have been COM
menced and completed during the year
1S9S-99 and paid for out OF license monles)
Belgian block pavement
1850 lineal feet, ,745 square yards, "a
miles; cost, SO 6Zf.
Asphalt pavement
S23S Aneai feet, 80, $50 square yards, Id
'''''ee SS' LICENSE MONIES.
SEWERS COMPLETED.
Ash street from Pacific avenue to Pine
street. rect zSs lineal feet Of 24-inch brick;
cost, 2,S26
Thirteenth street. from Provost street TO
Hudson River, ,5s4 lineal feet to eo-inch
- x.fr4 80