New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-08-25

OF the appropriated IN ontr9ct for water
.upply by reason Of the expressed provision con-
II You think could be of any service to YOU and
should be glad TO confer Win s 0a eSperience as
3 municipal lawyer at your service
UBIQUITOUS IN EVERY WAY"
.sr~bat nroposed Ramapo contract is iniquitous
IN everv way and there is absolutely not d
round reason for It," said Alfred T. White. CITY
WORKS Commissioner under Mayor Schlereh' III
nsrookIvn. 10 a Tribune reporter who saw him at
his Office. No. $50 Water-st. yesterday AFTERNOON
NO one is better qualified to pass judgment OH
the Ramapo Job than ex-Commissioner "hite
His administration Of the City works Depart
rnent OF Brooklyn was marked by rare intell-
gcnce and executive skill. Mr.. White is an en-
sineer and while he was In office he maze the
water supply question of Brooklyn and Manhat-
tan a constant study. He was resoiuteIy OPP
posed 10 private ownership OF the citys water
supply. and the friends of the Ramapo scheme
unsuccessfully tried to get favorable consioera-
zion ct his hands Mr.. White continued:
ct have Just been looking over the reports OF
The engineers employed by the city OF brooklyn
IN 1893 to estimate an Increased water sup
alv Of one hundred million gallons daily AFTER
"A careful examination Mr.. Worthen. competent
.rgineer found that to deliver that quantity OF
az
narook,vn from the Ten Mile River watershed.
.hove the Croton system. along the Harlem
n2,var would cost S19O00OO0 This would be a
gravity supply. and it would be necessary to
sunneI the East River TO get It from New-York
TO Brooklyn. But Sl9,VVoVVo "ouiu nave WI
etructed such a system
.oro hiring the same quantity from the Ramapo
svatershed. Mr. worthen estimated. would cost
pnlv S15OO00O0 and this also included the cost
NJ delivering the hundred million gallons at the
.Ridgewood reservoir in Brooklyn. Here then'
kve have two supplies each of one hundred mill
son gallons, and which together would cost only
s34 100000. That S34,000000 would build two
systems, which would be good for all time Dut
at the end Of the contract term the city or New
York. If the Ramapo company gets what IL
wants will have nothing to show for its outlay
Of S200O00O0O
.orb,s Ramapo scheme is one Of the coolest
and most stupendous propositions that I've ever
heard Of and tie wondernent grows Wheh II
becomes more and more apparent that the Joo
WAS nearly put through. We should not no"
srust IN nuhlic sentiment to block this Ramapo
deal The whole question should be hurried INTO
the courts at the earliest possible minute. A
suit should be brought which will determine the
functions Of the Board of Public Improvements
and the rights Of the taxpayer If II is posslble
for a transaction Of this sort TO De ca,Ileu
Through this year or any subsequent year. tneh
new legislation IS needed to safeguard the IN
forests OF the public. The question should be
settled for all time 1t is like walking on
Volcano to feel that II is possible for the cry
through small number OF its ofhclals, 10 De
saddled with a long and ruinously expensive
contract like this Ramapo proposition IL is
Ubiquitous in every way
DISADVANTAGES OF PRIVATE SUPPLY.
.'what ere the chief disadvantages Of pri-
waite water supply for Manhattan or Brooklyn"
Mr.. White asked.
First" said Mr.. White, mo such guarantees
OF quality or quantity can be obtained from
private company as are possible where the
municipality owns its supply. With the city
owning its own supply, II additional legislation
Sc needed in order TO extend the mains or TO
mcguire new watershed territory, 1t can be more
easily secured for municipality than FOR
tprivate company.
Observation-Disclosures supplies for large cities are
largely failures wherever tried London prooa-
bly, has the worst water in the world, and 1t Is
FURNISHED by a private company. A contract
with private company ties the city up not
only for the life OF the contract. but for all
time, as the private company is sure 10 get
possession Of the supplies that the city should
own so that at the end Of the contract the
city is more completely at the mercy Of the
private concern than in the beginning.
'Third-A private contract Of the kind pro-
posed would mean a want Of economy the
part of the city. The city borrow money
at not much more than one-half what II would
cost a private company, and il follows that the
,annual cost Of the water supply to the private
company would be nearly double.
This proposed contract is peculiarly offensive
because the guarantees for faithful performance
are entirely insufficient, and the cost Of the
water to the city is really not twice but many
times what IL would be with the city owning
l1ts plant. Probably there never will come a
hime when the city Of New-York cannot afford
TO build its own waterworks. 1t is not neces-
sary to appropriate S400o0OO0 or S50OOOOOO
at once. 1t could not be used at once. The
money could be appropriated as II would be
NEEDED. II is ridiculous to say that the city
cannot raise the funds 10 build its own water
System-
''ro show more clearly just how much the city
would be loser by this proposed Ramapo
contract, IL is only necessary to revert to the
engineers figures. Those estimates contem-
plated the delivering Of water to the Ridge
wood reservoir, While the Ramapo company
proposes to deliver It TO the northern boundary
tof the city OF New-York thus reducing the
cost in New-York, in my judgment, to about
ES2o.OOO,OOO. or about one-half the sum the
Ramapo company says it proposes to spend.
CONTROLLER COLER PRAISED.
Controller Coler and the men who stood With
him in the Board Of Public improvements are
deserving of great credit. From what have
heard the friends Of the Ramapo company al
most succeeded in getting the resolution
sthrough, after which no doubt the contract
would have been signed in short order"
e. commissioner Holahan and his friends saw
nhat Brooklyn is so much in need Of water that
radical action must soon be taken" the report
er suggested TO Mr.. White
Brooklyn" said the former City Works Com
missioner. never received the benefit Of the
additional supply which is waiting to be
pumped to Ridgewood soon as the pipe con-
duit, planned back in 1895 is built. The build
ing Of that conduit beyond Millburn will in
crease Brooklyn's supply 20oOO0O0 or $4,000
700 gallons a day. The existing conduits can
mot, by any possibility, be made to carry this
Thoty
have been for the last tlve years The source
for the additional supply is secured, and the
plant at Ridgewood is reinforced SO that IL
ran be handled as soon as II reaches that point
and the distributing system is all ready In
other words. three -fourths Of the work neces-
sary TO increase Brooklyn's supply nearly %
r.or L. I'M ~.