New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-17
ATTACKS WATER BILL.
Calls Mayors Measure Cumbrous
and UnbuanesShke.
To the Editor OF The Tribune.

To the Editor OF The Tribune.
/ Sir: The situation of New-York City with refer
ence to additional water supply should not be
unnecessarily obscured
/ For various reasons all sufficiently ample
sources Of supply available TO the city lie TO the
north of the Croton watershed. Access to any
: sources, far north of the Croton water
i shed can only be had by tunneing through the
| mountainous region bounding the Croton water
shed on the north. To construct this tunnel will
| require minimum of five six years To receive
and distribute the water the city a huge reser-
! Volr must be constructed on high ground south OF
the southerly end of the tunnel. These facts have
! been known for years, and for nearly two years
| the city has been in possession OF precise and
! authoritative information TO the best location
| of both reservoir and tunnel If the city had cho-
sen at any time acquire by condemnation pro-
ceedings the necessary property and to commence
the construction of this reservoir and tunnel there
! was no legal obstacle in the way. And the city
must spend five six years at the very least in
building this reservoir and tunnel in order to re-
ceive drop of water from any new source OF
supply.
No can give proper or adequate consideration
| to NETWORKS water problem who omits to bear
! the foregoing facts constantly in mind
! From what sources shall New-York obtain the
water to be conducted through the tunnel to this
distributing reservoir? Existing legislation pro-
vides one method; the recent so-called and mis-
called Mayors Water bill before the Gov
! ernor provides another. Which is the better?
! The Governors signature the pending water
bill Will have momentous consequences for the bust
ness and political interests of the city for the
next twenty five years. Once launched upon the
| course which the bill marks out, there will be
retreat. What. then, is the course? Is 1t neces-
sary? Is it businessike? Is it fairly adequate to
deal in even moderately efficient manner with a
huge financial and engineering enterprise involving
at the least the expenditure of the
| city's money and requiring the lowest estimate
| under the most competent management. from
I twelve 10 fifteen years for its completion?
An rremovable commission OF three members APP
pointed by the Mayor is to select the sources and
supervise the work In partial subsection to and
/ operation with the Board of Estimate and Appor
tonment and all sources selected and plans made
must be approved by a State commission of five
members. appointed by the Governor by and with
| the advice and consent Of the Senate. No water
may be taken from Duchess County and in Ulster
County (the Catskns) only particular portion OF
| the Esopus watershed may be selected. such
| lection. if made being subject TO the burden of
both direct and consequential damages to a certain
| steam railroad.
1t needs argument to show that this is a cum
brous, intricate slow. unduy expensive and utterly
unbusinesslike method of conducting the enterprise,
and that it enhances the difficulty inherent in the
character Of the enterprise. But these not the
| only objections to the plan. Once this trremova-
bic commission is appointed who will be responsible
| for the conduct Of the work? Absolutely nobody.
Who hasten the work? Who can enforce econ
omyT Absolutely no one. Let any business man
| of experience devote few moments of quiet think
| ing to his crude and clumsy scheme and ask him
self whether a worse more extravagant could
| have been devised
| The Mayor says that he will do his best with
bad business and will select the three members of
| the irremovable commission from lists furnished by
| the Chamber of Commerce, the New-York Board of
Fire Underwriters and the Manufacturers Associa-
tlon-no doubt also these organizations will try
give him good lists. But this is a mere palliative;
1t 10 neither preventive cure It will neither
prevent an unfortunate selection get rid of a
test OF actual experience. The people of New-York
naxs 6een struggling for many years to introduce
| charged with the conduct of the city's business
board Of irremovabs water S te so 4e
sponsible to nobody. and the lrtrusting of the
quot OF the largest enterprise undertaken by
me city to such board under scheme which will
S an f9Gstant excuse Il not necessary OCCASION
a1 a. money will be a long step backward.
getting it. Is that tTue? The cy ares G5eb ba ~e e
power necessary to get the Additional wateS The
methods open to 1t are clumsy and awkward. but
posed bill Under existing Statutes the water De-
partment Of the city, that is. the Mayor-for the
the Mayorin conneoton With the Board Of EST,
the PROPOSED irremovabe can Boa GI of Wg ~ Cn
| missoners can do. and by exactly the same proc
method but why turn from a bad method to a
worse one? At least we can get at the Mayor aeI
and have no one whom we can make accountable?
and we have even on occasion defeated Mayors for
| reelection whose course in important matters has
| the system tried for generations and found abso-
! lutely vicious, and which changed at the cost
of years of effort? Why should the Mayor not be
! responsible for whom he appoints
| to spend a hundred millions of the city's money?
| Under the scheme Of the proposed water bill
could be amount of politics and 'pollt-
What disaster would follow the Governors veto
! of this bill? None at all. What delay IN the cltyS
getting additional water? None at all The city
! authorities begin at the work in Connec-
ton with the building of the tunnel and reservoir
! which will be absolutely necessary in any event;
I Not until the people have ratified constitutional
amendment charging the city's debt unit Tor
| water expenditure the city incur any larger
! obligation than would be involved in contracting
for the tunnel and reservoir The legislature Will
| be again in session next January, and We can try
system for procuring the citys additional water
supply. If We again fail. try again ana
! yet again and again during the years that we are
building the tunnel and the great distributing res
render all right and power to control the conduct
OF this enterprise and the expenditure OF the
hundred and more millions that II will cost!
The notion has been most SedulOuSly spread tldt
the city must ACCEPT this hill or be deOrlVed or
any chance get the additional water Of which
IT will be in dire need. On the contrary, the city
that possibly be done for several years and
could through methods that the charter makes
possible provide all the administrative equipment
necessary TO procure all the additional water
needed.
The real question involved in signing vatoing
the pending bill is not whether the city snail be
deprived Of water, but whether the city admins
tratiOn shall be rid of all responsibility TOT the
solution OF the water problem and whether the eX
penditure OF vast sum to obtain the additional
water that the CITY needs shall be made without
''''''''' HORACE E DEMING.
New-York. May Is. 1906