The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-04-14
FACAN'S SCHEME
is COSTLY.
Proposes to Use Fresh
Water in His New
Free Baths.
WILL INCREASE WATER DEBT
When Asked About It Mayor
Says He Cannot Discuss
Details Now.

Mayor Fagan's scheme for free pub
lie bath is the same as followed IN Eu-
ropean cities generally and in several
American cities 1t is to build the bash
in the centre of the city, not on the wa
ter front The water to be used is that
supplied to the city at cost of ss5 q
million gallons.
The Mayor now has some people look
ing up a site for the bath. II is generaF-
ly understood that the promoters of the
idea are in favor of locating it in the vi
cinity of Jersey and Newark avenues.
The building is to be a large one and
though not to be built of costly material
as the baths Of the ancient Romans and
Greeks were, is to surpass those historical
institutions n number and usefulness OF
detail At all times there will be hot and
cold water, hot rooms, steam rooms
showers and plunges But all the water
is to be fresh.
The question of a supply Of water Will
perhaps be the most vexing- The amount
of $4,000 a year provided for in the bill
which the Mayor SO successfully urged in
the Legislature, is thought to be insuffl-l
cient should the water used be paid for.
But that It will be paid for or not sup
piled there is little doubt. The Water De-
partment now runs something like s50,0oo
year into debt This is the sum paid for
water that is supplied to bublic buildings
and institutions exempt from taxation Il
was to make up this annual deficiency
that the Street and Water Board increds-
cd the water rates on March is last an
were then subjected to scorn by Mayor
Fagan in lengthy veto. 1t is estimated
that a million gallons of water dairy
would be used in the bath. This would
cost the city sl0,77o year and If the city
did not pay the Water Department thas
amount would be added to the yearly reLt
of that department.
Mayor Pagan was spoken to about this
bath this morning He said:
MY idea is to have the bath located
in a central part of the city. There would
be every accommodation for any kind of
bathing"
would the water now supplied to the
city for other purposes be used in the
bath?'
YES
Would the city pay for that water or
would it allow the cost of supplying it
burden the Water Department and thus
increase the annual debt Of that depart
ment?''
s'On, don't know; I guess we could af-
ford to pay for it, and the Mayor smiled.
But he did not say the city would pay for
it, and continued
s.You see. there are details that I cam
not discuss just now. But l could show
you figures from other cities. European
and American, that would make the Wa
ter Department ashamed of itself"
''In what way?"
I'm the cost per capita of water sup
Piled"
But may there not be a reasonable way
to show that the difference is such that
cannot be blamed? May there not be con-
ditions over which hte Board has no con-
trol?"
81 don't know that there are
'.But suppose that the system of meter
ing the water is different or more thor
oughly established in those other cities?'
.Well that may have something to do
with it, but meters are worse than use
less if it costs more to read them than
it would cost the city If there were no
meters. / have some figures that | VIII
show at the proper time"
What viii those figures show?"
They viii show for one thlnS shat Il
costs about a hundred times more TO read
some meters than it should.
when do you thin the work on the
baths will be begun?"
Il cannot say. There are several things
to be done beforehand
ITO persuade tho Board of Finance to
issue bonds for the sum neeessary?H
yes" replied the Mayor with SMILE
The Board of Finance has been stead
tasty opposed to any more bond Issues
for some time ard the Mayor is likely to
learn that the mere passage Of a bill to
build bath is not all that is necessary
TO have a project finished The Financiers
opposed several bills that were introduced
last session for the benefit of Jersey City
and they did not advocate the bath bill
nor the park bills.