The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-04-20
ESSEx'S EFFORT
Ereeholders Decide on Plans
by Which Plank Road
Traffic May Be
Resumed.
TROLLEY COMPANY TO BUILD B RIDGE
Cost to Be Considered in Final
Adjudication and Counties
to Halve Maintenance.
COMPANY TO BUILD B RIDGE

It looks now that very soon the Plank
Road difficulty will be speedily solved and
traffic along that highway resumed The
news will be hailed with JOY by certain
business men along the line of the road
whose trade has seriously suffered BY
the closing of the road.
The Hudson County F'reeholders as
The News told its readers the day be-
fore yesterday, held a meeting and dis
cussed a plan for sort Of modus vivendi.
Essex County Freeholders have met and
have decided that if the Plank Road
Company will put the bridge in shape for
safe use, the amount expended shall be
considered in the final adjudication of the
matter, and that the Essex Freeholders,
II the bridge is approved by the county
engineer shall undertake to operate it
for year, claiming the right to charge
Hudson county with half the cost of do
ing.
The claim to charge Hudson, means
trouble since the Freeholders of this
county maintain that Essex reaps greater
benefits from the road than Hudson coun-
ty.
Director Holmes said to News re-
porter this morning.
THE action of the Essex Freeholders
seems to have been taken under the as
sumption that all Hudson desired was to
be relieved temporarily of the care of the
Passaic River bridge. This idea probably
has its origin in our contention that we
had no funds available now to pay for
the maintenance of the road and bridges.
But it is far from defining our position
in the matter.
No agreement has been submitted to
US by the Essex Board and we did not
agree to have any agreements submitted
to them for their acceptance. All that
we have done thus far is to appoint a
committee to confer with the represen-
tatives of our neighboring county to see
what they would agree to under the un-
usual conditions that exist
"One of the conditions we insisted that
our committee should demand in CON
sidering any offer made by the Essex
people was that they would pledge them
selves to work for legislation to have the
care of the Passaic bridge placed perma-
nently in the hands of Essex.
1--WE did not authorize our committee or
counsel to submit any terms under which
we would accept the road and bridges,
but simply to confer and learn what
Essex was willing to do. 1 cannot define
Hudson's position in the matter any more
clearly than this
The agreement was reached last night
at conference when Freeholder Bailey
of Essex county's Committee on Bridges
presented this report:-
Resolved, That the Chosen Board of
Freeholders of the county of Essex is
prepared to recognize any interest that
the Plank Road Company may have in
the bridge over the Passaic River adverse
to this county, and is further prepared
to repair, rebuild or renew such bridge
and make the same safe and suitable for
public traffic, to the fullest extent re-
quired or permitted by law.
Resolved, That whereas the represent
tatives of this board have requested the
officers of the Plank Road Company to
put valuation upon the interest claimed
by the said company in the said bridge,
but have as yet received no statement of
such valuation and claim, the said COM
pany be further requested to submit its
claim in writing to this board on April 25.
Resolved, That whereas attempts at
negotiations have heretofore failed be-
tween the representatives of Essex and
Hudson counties and the Plank Road
Company, and permanent agreement
seems to be for the present impossible,
the plan for temporary agreement to
last for one year, an outline of which is
herewith presented, be now approved by
this board in order that the road may be
opened to public use.''
Copies of this resolution, or temporary
agreement, concurred in, We're ordered
sent to the Hudson County Board of Free
holders and the Plank Road Company
So far as the Plank Road Company is
concerned it has met the difficulty in all
spirit Of fairness, offering at its own ex-
pense to make alterations and repairs to
the Passaic River bridge in order that
ordinary traffic as well as the trolley car
traffic of the North Jersey Street Rail-
way Company may be safely conducted
Another conference will be held on Mon
day, when it is expected such action will
be taken to ensure the re-opening of the
road within this month