The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-25

To the Court of Oyer and Terminer and
General Jail Delivery of the County of
HudSon:-
The Grand Jury, December Term of 1885,
having in the discharge of its duties ex-
amined into the matter of the Boulevard
operations, would respectfully present
that in the opinion of this body the time
would seem to have arrived when a halt
should be called on county road building.
Some years ago very general and laud-
able desire existed for the building of a
comprehensive boulevard which should
traverse the county. A commission was
appointed, route chosen, and the road
completed.
That it has proven of great benefit there
is no question. but the resultant good has
been since used as an argument for the
addition of sidewalks, for the building of
supplemental loops and for the construc-
dion of branch extensions, until the per-
centage of total cost has now approached
dangerously near the valuation n, limit, and
PEELED to bear the burden OF cost, are al
ready staggering under this addition to
their already many and necessary re-
quirements.
If the experience of the past decade is
a fair indication of the future, relief
would seem to be far distant.
The original boulevard was inaugurated
in the year 1880; it has COST with its side
walks, upwards of two millions of dol
lars. Prior to its completion, and in the
was made for the building of a Weehaw-
ken loop, and this, with its Sidewalks,
has cost, or will cost when fully COM
pleted, the sum of five hundred and fifty
completion of the loop and in the. year
1885, a sentiment seemed to prevail that
an extension of the road should be made
to Hoboken and this being officially sane
toned the extension was built, a close es-
innate of its cost being seventy-five thou
sand dollars.
county has expended or obligated itself
for the road building to the extent of al
most two and three-quarter millions of
dollars. and the end is not yet in sight,
for the engineer of the road system has,
by the authority of the Freeholders, al
ready made preliminary survey and pre-
pared map for the contemplated West
ern extension which is estimated TO
cost some three hundred eighty thousand
dollars additional, and if sidewalks are
to be added the cost will be further in
creased by the sum OF Sixty-fiye thousand
dollars.
In the light of past experience it is rea-
sonable to expect that prior to the COM
pletion of this last addition other and not
less clamorous demands will be made for
extensions elsewhere, and that the re-
sources of the several cities. towns and
townships will eventually have been
drained to ruinous extent. The rssc.
must not be lost sight of that the govern
ing body Of the county produces nothing
of itself. It has but to submit an esti-
mate of the amount it is able to expend,
and the various municipalities, with no
authority or power to cut out the extra
vagance, and with no power to question
an item, must provide the amount called
for, however great their individual neces-
sites.
It appears to this body that at the
present time greater need exists for the
remodeling and extension of the County
Jail, for> the construction of a modern
Court House and for the erection of a
building. the necessity of and character
of which is referred to in another pre-
sentiment, than that county road building
should be indefinitely continued, else
when the demands for these improve
ments become even more imperative than
they are at present, the financial ability
will be found lacking.
Foreman.