The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-06-01
TO OPEN MONDAY
Freeholders Ratify the
Agreement and Plank
Road Traffic Will
Be Resumed.
DIRECTOR HOLMES SIGNS
Reasons for the Delay as
Guarding Hudson's In
terest Told at Today's
Meeting.
DIRECTOR HOLMES SIGNS

All being well, the Newark Plank Road
will be open for the public ON Monday,
tie FraeholGers today having ratified the
agreement with the company
Just as soon as the agreement with the
Freeholders is ratified by the Board of
Chosen Freeholders,'' said Mr. Spencer
/ Weart, counsel for the Plank Road Com
pany, this morning, 1--WE will lose no time
in opening the road. That agreement is
I'll we want The companys desire
throughout has been to give every posi-
Die concession towards that end and we
will hail with pleasure the settlement of
the matter"
The Hudson County Board of Freehold
ers held special meeting at the Court
House at 1910 today to take final action
on the matter of opening the Newark
Plank Road. Counsellor John Griffin was
present. He submitted written opinion
reviewing the questions of law which have
been discussed for months and the obli-
cations of the county, under the agree
ment submitted to the Board for ap-
prevail by the trolley road and the Essex
County Board of Freeholders
All Of the members of tine Board were
present. Clerk Eagen read the draft of
agreement submitted. The opinion of
Counsellor Griffin was then read.
He advised the approval of the agree
ment and a vote was passed authorizing
Director M. B. Holmes to sign it on be-
half of the Board.
Director Holmes then read a prepared
statement of the attitude of the Board
during the controversy. He said that
the modified agreement authorized was
the best that could be had under all the
circumstances. His statement was
The Board Of Freeholders have given
this matter of opening the Plank Road
and the bridges over the Hackensack and
Passaic Rivers their earnest considera-
ton. They believe that the law of 1901
maintaining half of the Passaic and the
whole of the Eackensack bridges on Hud-
son County is an unjust law and ought
to be repealed.
1T is only because we are assured by
some of the Essex Freeholders and many
of the Newark merchants that they agree
ssitns1s as to the injustice OF the law
and that they will cooperate with US in
having it changed that we have agreed
to sign even the modified agreement that
is now before us.
''The people of Newark, we believe,
would be willing to bear their just pro-
portion of the cost of opening and operat-
ing the road and bridges if it were not
for the legal prohibition which prevents
them from spending any money for such
purposes outside of the boundaries of
their own county.
"The Plank Road is an important ave-
nue. of public travel for the people of the
and it's opening should be treated from a
broad, liberal standpoint and apart alto
gether from political considerations as af-
fecting individuals or parties.
''The burden of maintaining and operat-
ing should be so placed that each Of the
parties directly interested should bear
their just proportion. We have insisted
on several notifications of the agreement
first offered for our acceptance, and we
believe that the one now submitted to us
is the very best we could expect under
the circumstances.
s'Under this agreement the trolley COM
pany has agreed to repair and maintain
the Plank Road between the two bridges
for one year at their own expense abso-
lutely.
"Tney next propose to pay the cost of
maintaining, repairing and operating both
bridges for one year on the condition
that after the termination Of this agree.
nient should it be necessary to build a
new bridge, the amount they now pay
shall be credited to them against any
amount they shall have to pay toward the
rebuilding of such bridge or bridges.
IF after the next Legislature meets
and it fails to pass such law as will be
fair to Hudson county, it win be in our
power and | believe it will be our duty
to terminate this agreement by giving
thirty days notice, SO that the matter
can be brought before the Chancellor for
adjustment.
I'VE therefore have not surrendered any
of our rights in the premises, but believ-
ing that the opening of the plank road to
public travel for the accommodation OF
our own people, many thousands of whom
travel over that line to Newark. Eliza
beth and the Oranges, as well as to show
to the people of Newark and Essex coun-
ty that we are not as selfish as some OF
them charged us with being, that we are
not as black as some of them attempted
to paint US, we feel confident that the de-
wise and necessary thing to do.