The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-15

that commission. whatever theyAnight be-
i contend that under the act than created
the commission which reported tklis Dill,
the commission has failed to present a
bill providing a positive plan for the
disposal of the sewage This bill - en-
tirely too general 1t is a matterS on
whichsw we should have specific legislation;
and + want to say that If this shneasurs
comes before the House ], as a member
from Passaic County, will have to OPP
pose it,"
William T.. Hunt, one of the commls-4
sioners, said that the situation seems 10
be that the, city of Patterson ant more
time. Last year. said Mr.. Hunt, ftney
asked more time n now again this year
they want more time. | don't know where
this thing is going to end. Something
has got to be done pretty soon. The COM
mission proposed under this bill would
take care of the question of devising a
plan. 1t was not a matter for us to sug-
gest. The supervision proposed under the
bill is as reasonable as it is possible to
make it. The appointment OF a perman-
ent State commission is necessary, other
wise it would be impossible to get adj
joining municipalities to unite on any plan
for sewering.
The Chancellor in his recent decision,
ind Vice Chancellor Reed in his decision
in a Newark case where it was proposed
to sewer into the Passaic, have made
very sweeping decisions, and these de-
cisions impose much more severe obiiga-
ions on the municipalities now sewering
into the river han was contemplated in
this bill. The first duty Of he city OF
Paterson is to collect it's sewerage into
one place. 1t might share in the cost OF
a trunk sewer with other municipalities.
I think that is the best way. ! think the
estimate of cost that some OF the people
of Paterson have put upon the improve
ment is altogether unreasonable. 1t would
not be way up in the millions.
Mr.. Hunt then spoke of several other
systems of sewering which Paterson
might adopt and he said the important
question was whether the work was to
be lone under some regular supervision.
Senator johnson asked, rs there any
scheme of the kind such as your bill sug-
gests in operation in any other Staten
1.-THE exact counterpart of bhis does not
exist" replied Mr.. Hunt. s.The condition
here is different, and, therefore, the APP
plication must be different"
Senator Johnson-.Does not this decis-
ion of the Chancellor practically remove
the necessity for any legislation of this
kind? If his decision is sustained by the
Court of Appeals, it will be Illegal for
Paterson to continue to deposit its sew
age in the Passaic River. Does not that
decision accomplish practically what is
wanted?n
Mr.. Hunt-sAs far as the riparian OWL
ers in the Passaic district are concerned,
the Chancellor's decision will answer
every purpose. But if you want to relieve
the municipalities along the river; if you
want to get a. system that will be practi-
cal and have it put through in a manner
that will be reasonable and fair to all
concerned, then you need the State super
vision. This bill is intended to regul.4te
the who'll scheme"
State Treasurer Swain. representing the
Newark Board of Trade, said that ne had
been instructed to say that that body IA
yored the bill. The committee on pollu-
ton of the board had discussed the ELL
thoroughly on the previous day and had
requested Mr.. Swain to appear and urge
its adoption. The committee, he said.
consisted of former Mayor Lebkelcaer,
| former President of the Board OF Trade
! Highly, the present President Jenkinsen,
| Engineer Sherrard of the Street and Wat
| ter Commissioners n Harrison Van
| Duyn, a civil engineer.
D. W. Mahoney, President of the Pas
sale Board of Trade, made a speech IA
vorable to the measure. "Passaic is stu
ated about four miles below Paterson"
he said, land we of Passaic are heartily
| in favor of any steps toward the cleaning
Of the river. I should judge from what
| our friends from Paterson say that they
| they are all experts. We are not. We
| simply ask you to take some practical
| steps towards cleansing the river. The
river in it's present condition is a source
| of damage and injury to the health of
| the people, and we stand ready not only
| to advocate the expense of some scheme
| to rid US of the pollution, but are will
| ing to stand our share of that expense.
We figure that our share OF the cost OF
a trunk sewer would be $400, 600. In our
| city some of the manufacturers are
| forced to erect filtration plants in order
that they may use the water from the
| river, n we figure hat the cost of
| erecting these filtration plants has al
| ready reached that sum-. 1t seems to US
| that about the only practical way to
solve this problem is to appoint this com
mission and let them get to work. We
can then make a beginning"
Percy Jackson, of Bslleville, followed
MIR. Mahoney. This commission he
said, was to devise a plan for taking
care of the streams of the State, and I
think the bill is just in line with what
was required of the commission. The
bill provides for the appointment of three
commissioners, who shall have ample
power to consider systems that may be
suggested for adoption in the different
cipality from adopting a system until it
has had supervision by the commission.
This is a plan. Look at the expense that
might be put on the Inhabitants of the
towns along the Passaic River if the
various municipalities were to start in
to experiment. This bill requires a uni
form system. The attitude of Paterson
has been the same ever since the move
ment to stop the pollution of the Pas
lay. BeIleville Township is heartily in
favor of this measure"
Colonel Charles w. Fuller of Bayonne
spoke next. He was a member OF the
commission that presented the bill. The
commission, he explained, had not con-
fined their Investigations to the Passaic
River. out had made Investigations OF
has gone by he said, when the sewage
Of any great city should be emptied into a
stream If you put that in your hat you
will see its accuracy five years from now
By that time there will be no sewerina
into streams, possibly with the exception