The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-21
MAYOR 10 ALBANY TO PROTEST
AGAINST SLAUGHTER or CHEAP
CITY ELECTRIC LIGHTING.

NOT NoFpoFAA0n Noun1el uelauy lhlnhA
IT'S a RamapO Job-Quite Otherwise.
Mayor Mcclellan will leave nothing he
can do undone 10 prevent the emasculation
Of his water supply bill by the Legislature.
He intends 10 60 to Albany on Monday
with Corporation Counsel Delany TO protest
70 the Governor and TO the Senate Cities
Committee against the proposal to deprive
the city Of the right to use the fall OF water,
the rights to which the city IL to acquire.
for generating electric power for public
lighting purposes. The main reservoir that
Is being planned by the city Is In tbs Esopus
wat srshed and will be sixteen miles long
and about four miles wide, and over the
dam that Is 70 be constructed there will
be a water fall Of several hundred feet.
Mr.. Delany said yesterday that this fall,
and flows from other heights which the
CITY will take possession Of II the bill drawn
at the suggestion OF the Mayor passes
the Legislature, would supply enough
power to provide all the electric lighting
the city needs for It's streets aud public
buildings.
Neither the Mayor nor Mr.. Delany takes
any stock 10 the report that the suggested
amendments 10 the bill have been inspired
bv men interested in the Ramapo company.
ON the contrary, they think that the at
tempt 10 prevent the city from making
its own light cheap is OF more interest TO
the public lighting companies Of this city
which the same Legislature Is Just now In
vestigating.
slf this latest amendment should be
adopted said the Mayor, 'the city viii 70
deprived Of yet another advantage which
the bill as first drawn would have given to
us. We have been precluded from going
into Suffolk and Duchess counties Tor
water, and there has been left TO us only
Fsopus and the Hudson River. Conhning
ourselves, therefore. 20 Esopus, the city
administration proposed to build reser-
voirs at Rondout, on the Schoharie Creek
and in the Catsldlls. These reservoirs
would,give the city a great additional sup
ply, enough at least 10 settle the water
problem for several years TO come. FROM
| them q lot OF water would naturally
90 70 waste over the dams, ana II was
! the idea Of the municipal government 70
turn this waste to account by using u LOT
the generation Of electric, power. and 1t
win be a great misfortune II the city cannot
use the power Of those falls Of water 70
SUNNY itself with lighting for its streets
and buildings. ! am told that the energy
of the water going over the proposed dams
will easily amount to 10 900 900 horse-power,
or almost that Of Niagara Falls. All this
great power we WI be precluded from
taking advantage Of II the amendment
which Is being urged ct Albany succeeds
Uphill WORK AT Allan FOR THE MAYOR.
ALBANY, April 2o.-Gov. Higgins and the
Republican legislative leaders showed no
disposition to-day to permit the reincor-
poration in Mayor MoClellan's water bnl
Of the provision that the city might utilize
The power, Senator White chairman OF
! the Senate Cities Committee, said to-day
| that while his committee bad not finally
| passed upon the question, It was unlikely
| that the provision would be put back IN
| view Of the stand Gov. Higgins has taken
upon the question in his letter to Mayor
| Mcclellan.
Assistant Corporation Counsel Charles
| L. Guy, in a statement issued to-day points
| out that this provision was fully ana com
| prehensively explained in the public press
| when the bill was introduced and that Gov.
| Higgins and the Republican Legislative
| leaders were familiar with its purpot ana
! had made no objection TO Il until after the
! bill had passed the Assembly.
| The present attempt to further amend
! the bill said Mr.. Guy, lis either an after
| thought due 20 influences or can be easily
| surmised as a deliberate attempt by further
| amendment 70 defeat the Mayors bill
! deprive the city Of New York OF all power
| TO take steps for an additional water supply
! and place Il entirely at the mercy OF the
| State board appointed by the Governor
which might be utterly hostile or ind herent
| 10 the needs Of the city Of New York.
AT no stage during the two months OF
hearings and conferences resulting in bring
! ing the bills TO their present perfected
form has there been the slightest sugges-
tion Of striking out the clause permitting
the CITY Of NewYork to use it's own property,
when acquired and paid for, for the pur-
pose Of furnishing electric light for munich
pal use or selling It 70 the citizens OF New
York.
sThe pretenss that such provision is an
invasion Of the rights Of other counties
Is an abGurdity, for the only water power
used by the city would be that generated
at the sources acquired and owned by the
city, and any additional value pertaining
TO the water source property by reason OF
its electrical possibilities would be taken
into consideration and paid for In condem-
nation proceedings. A.,
not believe that there was any cause for
apurehension because the provision au-
t6orizinR the city Of New York to develop
and sell electricity has been stricken out,
He said that II the water bill became law
IL would be some years before electricity
could be developed through its operation,
and Il assume, he added, that the present
Legislature will pass some legislation on
ths LIGHTING question this session, after
the Stevens committee has made It's report.