New-York tribune., 1905-02-06
WATER BILLS AT ALBANY.
M@ItipEcity Of Measures Dscarfs
Other Issues.
[Br TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l

[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.]
Albany, Feb. ~5.--The problem OF securing proper
legislation increasing the and supply OF water
for NewYork City. on the one hand. and the scram-
BILE of rural legislators to build Chinese wall around
their particular county on the other hand nave
resulted In the most remarkable aggregation or
water measures that have ever come before the
legislature and have dwarfed other issue now
before the two bodies. The next few weeks are
likely TO witness more big hearings before
various committees dealing with these measures
and the following brief summary OF pending and
projected bills Will furnish means of considering
the many bills But before enlarging these IL
is worth while to recall line from the Governors
message on this question In this document Gov
ernor Higgins wrote: "A State commission having
also for its object the supply of water to the cities
might be OF great service
The first bill in the field. from many aspects
the most important, is the Tompkins measure. the
bill embodying the views of the Mcclellan admin
istration. and actively championed by the Mayor
personally. In general terms this measure pro-
Vides for the appointment by tho Mayor OF COM
mission of three. one member to be nominated by
the Chamber of Commerce, one by the American
Society of Civil Engineers. the third by the Mayor
himself this commission to make plans and proceed
to their execution. and these plans to comprehend
complete extension OF the water supply and 10
carry the power to provide for the generation OF
power and the sale of electricity public and
private consumers The bill. in effect repeals the
Smith law, excluding New-York from Dutchess
County. and probably the law making similar
prohibition in Suffolk County
Contrasted directly with this is the Agnew bill.
drawn concededly the lines suggested by the
Governors message and intended to carry out his
ideas This Lill provides for the appointment by the
Governor of a commission of five, three be resi-
dents of New-York City this commission to pro
for all cities actually in need OF water using any
plans existing and TO report to the next legislature
plan for a permanent commission. like itself a
State commission and also general plans for the
extension of the water systems OF cities desiring it,
In reality the Agnew measure creates a sort or
board of arbitration to settle the differences be-
tween the rural district and the city over water
supply. existing in the rural district but needed
Each of the foregoing measures typifes prncI-
pie State control, the other city control There
and existing. of much more special nature. First
of these tho two bills. introduced by Assembly,
the Assembly Committee Of Water Supply Gas and and
venture to forecast the fate OF water bills, which
psTf9ree go to his e9mmittee These % APgaT n 5lS o
January H. would repeal tie Webster law; Which
counties for water and expressly prohibit any ex-
tension. It is against these bills that Mayor Nc
| to get certain vital extensions completed an -,
rSduced BY i' that dsting rural legislator
semblyman McKeown. of Brooklyn, who looks
p' IN the RSF Assem6y THIS bin sVes S %
is is made fT f6e 6 m of
water rights and land power to deny the appiica-
be taken m 's is neoesary To- he PROSPERITY
Of any community situated on such stream @ ana
ing these manufacturing companies from selling
out their rights to city.
The foregoing exhaust the more important but
by all the water bills before the present
body. II remains to discuss some of the more i'm
head of this list is the Coutant bill exclusively
forecast in Tie Tribune Friday. This bill sim
ply writes the Smith law over, supplying for
Dutchess County where that bill put up the bars,
| Ulster County, which Assembyman Coutant rep
resents The Burr Commission report to Mayor
Low indicated that while Duchess County streams
might supply immediate needs, it would be ulti-
naatety necessary cross the Hudson and tap the
Ulster County streams Escpus and Catskrl creeks
interests. being the firing line rushed their
bill through last year The Ulster County inter
eStS take their turn this session. -
There remain the various Westchester County
measures still to be introduced Senator Carpen-
ter ana AsseTnniynaIl a 1SI nave Iugis ti,'T % y
wish 10 dratt into q OIL thax WouIu lSt Nest-
chester County tap the New-York supply AS
semblyman Wainwright has an idea of broadening
this into the form of metropolitan district such
a exists in and around Boston, and whittier Mayor
Mcclellan went this week on a tour of nvesttga-
siton seems to be that If ,New-York City will let
the cities and towns Of that county tap It's hne
further extensions in Westchester and Putnam
may cease. 1t is fairly safe prophecy that If the
agree on some plan that will take care of West
chester there will be no enactment OF the ApSar
bills Unfortunately the situation is not so hope
full in Dutchess and Ulster.
Among the other bills still coming is outlined
by Assembyman Prentice who liked the ideas of
make the commission permanent at the outset
After several talks with Governor Higgins, Mr..
Prentice announced that for the present at least
he had laid aside his plan and II is possible that
any ideas that he may have will be embodied in
the Agnew bill. which is sure to be appended
The whole subject of water supply as it affects
New-York City Will be thrashed out in hearings
before the several committees joint hearings.
The chairmen of the committees have been flooded
with requests and day in the week of Feb
/ ruary 21 has been already agreed on for such a
hearing. ii is believed