The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-04-09

by but one family have two or more clos
cts all charged for at that rate, while our
new rules contemplated the use OF a clos
ct by an additional family without extra
charge, but made an extra charge OF "
for the use of one closet by more than
two families. For years the assessment
for rear houses has been levied at d two
third rate and seeing no legal justifica-
we chose to have them assessed as are
other houses which use no moro water
The Mayor processes to see in this action
an attempt to add to the burden of the
poor and we, while disclain1ing any such
intention, object decidedly to being the
only dispensers Of Illegal public charity.
and trust that His Honor, if he persists
in his views will see to it that before the
next assessment is made for general
taxes and the various values fixed, that
the rear house shah be assessed in pre-
portion to its value to a front house and
then further reduction made Of one
third in the amount of assessment. This
is undoubtedly at variance with the law,
but so is the water assessment discrimi-
nation and of what force is the law II
political advantage is to be considered
The increase in charge for the use Of
hand hose or lawn sprinlxling causes tho
Mayor to become objective. Our present
rate for the use of hand hose is s., and
that rate covered the use of hose on
plot of indefinite size. We proposed to
extract a charge of S. on plot 5o1loo
an extra $3.50 for an additional plot 25x1oo,
and required that plots Of greater dimen-
sions should be metered. The metering
was petmissive on the smaller plot, and
eompulsive for the larger one, and while
His Honor in support of his theory again
does some barrel Juggling, the fact re-
mains that the entire income, now re-
ceived by this department for the, use of
hand hose in this city, does not represent
the cost of water consumed thereby.
The Mayor processes to see in our re-
vised rates for metered water an increase
of s2050 per million gallons to the saloons
ana small consumers. He dilates largely
on this. in fact quite one-half of his veto
is devoted to an Iteration Of his objection
to such an increase, while his express
...,.,,+, sf,, ~, a a ff1icted saIoou-s
keeper and of the effect such an increase
would have in disturbing that class of
labor employed in the small factories,
ETC., etc, etc. is truly an outburst of
righteous indignation He refers to a doc
ument which was never placed officially
before him and asserts that he can find
therein no mention of this Increase In
rates to the small manufacturer and sa-s
ioon-keeper, the inference being that We
were attempting to deceive him.
The sympathy of the Mayor is entirely
wasted, for unless he is gifted with the
power to see things which do not exist,
a further examination of that resolution
to which he has made official objection
will indicate that we have not attempted
to raise either the saloon-keeper or the
small manufacturer one penny.
The only metered water rates attempted
to be raised by us were those of the four
largest consumers of water in this city,
viz: The railroads and the sugar-house,
and the first suggestion for this raise
came from an individual recently appoint
ed to the Board of Finance by the pres
ent Mayor 1t was at least a fair deduc-
tion that said individual reflected the
views and desires of his Honor.
To again refer to the small manufac-
turer we may be pardoned for noting,
that the last disturbance caused him in
his use of water was when Republican
regime increased his rates by twenty
cents per thousand cubic feet.
Tn that statement of the Supervising
Clerk. heretofore referred to, the re-
sources and liabilities OF the water de-
partment from May l, 1902, to May !, 1903,
were carefully considered and itemized.
1t was shown that our resources would
be 1895, 400 and that our liabilities would
be s943, 942 and that unless some action
was taken to increase our resources there
would be at the end of the year a deficit
of almost $4,000 OF our liabilities there
were certain items so fixed in amount
that there could be no considerable de-
Walton. for instance. our annual fixed
liability for interest on bonds heretofore
issued by administrations other than our
own. and the payments to be made into
Sinking Fund on account thereof amount-
ed to $685., $40, and that our obligations for
water purchased during the same period
aggregated si25. .152, total of s79s.ss2, and
that thus before the department was
ready to do business we were called upon
TO assume an annual obligation of almost
$500. .0oe. which deducted from our re-
sources would allow for the cost of sup
plies and labor and maintenance and bet
terment and extension. something over
slo5. coo. The BeIleville and High Service
payrolis amounted annually to $4,000.