The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-10-14
SUGGESTS A JOINT
SEWER YSTEMFOR
WHOLE DISTRICT
Soper Urges Passaic Valley
Cities to Join New York
to Solve Problem.

Both sides of the controversy between
New York and New Jersey over the
disposal of the sewage of the Passal1
Valley were presented to the Board
of Trade at its meeting last night by
DR.. George A. Soper. president of the
Commission on the Disposal of Sewage
of New York and Neishboring Towns,
and Edlow Harrison, engineer for the
Passaic Valley. Sewerage Commission
Mr.. Harrison declared thai something
must be done and done at once and
that New Jersey was prepared to do 1T,
while New York had not completed its
investigation of the subject and might
not finish 1t for several years.
DR.. Soper admitted that the sewer
of New York were already polluting
New York bay. His suggestion of O
solution of the difficulty was a metro
politan sewer system, including the
towns of the Passaic Valley.
There are two requirements for q
sewer system, he said In part. "One
Is that the refuse be disposed of quick
ly and the other that it be takn care
of without offense to anyone. Most
systems accomplish the first and
lamentably few the second.
ut Is the cheap and easy thing to dis
charge sewage into lakes and rivers,
but these lakes and rivers have a prior
function. Other cities have taken elab-
crate and expensive+preventative meas
ures to provide for the disposal of re-
fuse into tidal waters. Boston has con-
structed works under the bay to divert
the sewage and send 1t out to sea and
other cities are doing the same. New
York is the last to take action In this
regard.
evidence of the presence of sewage
exists in New York bay. The night
boats and the ocean steamers remain
In 1t and 1t is q common saying thai
1t takes a day at e to lush away the
smell of the New York harbor,, and the
most valuable land is near these waters.
These dangers Increase with growth.
1.-THE State of New York has APP
pointed two commissions to look into
this matter, n in 1908 and the present
one in 1906. Their reports have showed
that the harbor is already polluted, and
other streams. among them the Passaic,
are full of pollution. The studies OF
the commission have been in New Jer-
sey. ass in New York. for the district
embraced in the metropolitan sewage
area takes in Jersey up to Paterson.
THE question you naturally ask is,
What is going to be done? 1t Is q most
difficult question to answer. 1t is pos
sible to purify all the sewage, but the
grave part of that Is what 1t will
cost.
"A metropolitan sewer system for
New York and New Jersey ought to be
constructed and it would result in ar
economy to both States. Though States
as such, cannot make treaties with each
other under our national constitution
yet they can come to agreements and
have those agreements ratified by Con.
gress. The result of such q thing II
the matter Of a metropolitan sewer
would be of advantage to all and O.
detriment to nome"
Mr.. Harrison declared that DIR. So,
per's views are entirely opposed to tn,
plans of the Sewerage Commission
This State, he said, had begun work
ing or the problem ten years ago, be.
fore 1t was thought of In New York
The best experts in the country hat
looked into the matter and declared
that the addition of the Passaic sewage
properly screened. in the waters of New
York bay, would never be noticed in TIL
pollution already present.
what has New York done and wha
Is New York going to do?" asked Mr.
Harrison. 'They have appropriated
money to investigate and will go on in
~vestigating for years to. come. Blu
they will do nothing more.
1--WE have our plans ready and ar
prepared to go to work in the spring
/ believe the plans OF the Passaic Val
ley Sewerage Commission are far In ad
vance Of any plans Of this kind In TIN
country"
Former City Counsel Joseph Coul
also had a word to say on the New Jer
sey side of the argument. He declared
hat whenever New York had a bette
plan to propose than that offered b.
the New Jersey Commission this Stat
was ready to meet 1t half way.
1t was suggested by President Georg
F. Reeve, president of the Board 0
Trade, that If possible a meeting be ar
ranged between the local organization
and the New York Merchants Assocta
| ton and the Chamber of Commerce 0
| New York. in order to go e tn
| ground and see the immediate need o
q remedy for the Passaic pollution. N
| action was taken.
Among the representatives at las
nights meeting were: William McKen
zie, Of East Rutherford; Charles II
| johnson, of Passaic: John J.. Fitzgerald
and r. G.. Hughes, of Paterson; Alto
II. Sherman, of Orange. and w. H. Me
Council, M. C. Leonard, A. r. Towers
j. s. McAdam. John Kilsaw. William
Thicker. F. B. Leighton, III. thinner
man, E.. A. Strong and w. C. ingalls,
representing the Board Of Trade 0
Kearny.