The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1911-12-05
EJECTOR CHAMBERS
ARE Unsatisfactory
Aldermen Asks Sewer Commits
sion to Make Changes.

at meeting Friday nlSnt. AlueFmdh
Joseph Hinchman brought the matter
of the ejector chambers to the at
tention of the board after demand
had been made by the Morris & SOM
erset Electric Co. for money it
claimed to be due under a contract
with the town to furnish current for
the electric motors in the chambers,
This bill now amounts to over $4,000
for current used since last April.
Mr.. Hinchman pointed out that
there were four of these e1ector
chambers One of them, located at
Speedwell, can. be done away with,
he thought, and the sewage conveyed
by gravity to the disposal plant IN
stead of by pumping. He asserted
that the sewer commission had the
power of condmening rights-of-way, a
power that the board Of aldermen doe
not possess. Two of the three other
chambers on the south-westerly side
of the town he asserted could be done
away with and only one used.
..In this one chamber could be
placed a gasolene engine. One man
can run it and then the town VIII
not be at the mercy of the electric
company" said Alderman Hinchman.
'The expense of repairing these
chambers and their machinery is
enormous. The interest on the
money for rights-of-way to do away
with the present ejector system vii
not pay for the current used at pres
ent nor will it pay for the repairs
constantly necessary"
Il fully agree with Alderman Hinch
man in this natter said Alderman
sturgis. why. tonight We are pay
ing out over $500 for repair bills of
two months and not one cent OF 1t
is for electric current"
These electricity bills figure up to
$4,000 a year." asserted Alderman
Cory, (which at four per cent would
be the interest on S150,000.''
The aldermen passed the resolution
suggested by Alderman Hinchman
without dissenting voice.
The discussion over the sewer ejec-
tor chambers grew out of a demand
by the Morris & Somerset Electric
Co. for payment of bills amounting
TO over $4,000 for electric current fur
nished the chambers since last April.
President Samuel II. Gillespie, Man
ager Charles S. Johann and Counsel
Willard w. Cutler, representing the
company, were present and addressed
The board.
Judge Cutler said that the company
at the request of the town, had on
June 18th, 1908, entered into con-
tract with 1.-The town to furnish cur
rent to the ejector chambers for ten
cents per kilo watt hour For two
years of the five years the contract
runs the company furnished no cur
rent the ejector chambers not being
put into use until last fall. Up to
last April the company put in bills
for current. figured at the rate OF
four cents per kilo watt hour and
they were paid. This inadvertence
was corrected beginning last April
and bills have since been rendered
figured on the ten cent rate. The
company did not ask for payment on
the old bills, said Judge Cutler, and
he characterized it as being unfair
for the town to hold up the bills with
out giving any definite reason.
Alderman Hinchman asserted that
he had been told that the company
had agreed with former board of
aldermen not to charge ten cents
for current.
Judge Cutler said the company had
offered to make new contract for
five years to furnish current at eight
cents and to take entire charge of
the maintenance of the electrical ma
chinery in the eiector chambers for
$40 per month. Manager Johann also
asserted that such proposition had
been made three months ago but no
attention had been paid to it,
Alderman Sturgis retorted that it
was still under consideration.
Mr.. Gillespie asserted that when thu
automatic machinery in the ejector
chambers started it made big load
on the private lighting circuit the
chambers were on so that the lights
in the homes of consumers dipped.
II was necessary. he said, to change
the circuits SO that the private con-
sumers would not be affected
Eve were advised by Counsel Reed
not to pay these bills" said Alder
man Sturgis, chairman of the sewer
committee. "I think we can get
better rate than eight cents when
private parties are only paying four
cents
Mr.. Reed was not present so his
reasons for advising the aldermen
rot to pay the bills were not gone
into. Alderman Conkling moved that
the sewer committee, the mayor and
town counsel consult with Judge Cut
ler and the electric company in an
n-a~..~.. - offao4 a cnftlan,af,f aud