Evening journal., 1912-04-27

Secrecy has been thrown about the
terms of the agreement proposed be-
tween the members of City Council,
the Street and Sewer Directors and
a Board of Trade committee on one
side. and the owners of the Delaware
river front between the mouth of the
Christiana river and Edge Moor on
the other hand providing for the inn
provement of the river front
Efforts today to get a copy of the
agreement whereby the city is to join
with the owners of the land in try
ing to have the bulknead along the
river front finished and a vast ex-
panse of land made for private own
ers, failed to bring to light the terms
OF the agreement.
Every indication is that the public
is TO be kept in the dark as to the
actual provisions of the deal between
the city and the land owners where
by the city is 20 get about 1400 feet
of river 'front.' but the private land
owners are to be enriched by the
acquisition of great area of lana
to be made back of the bulkhead by
filling in with dredgings from the
Delaware river
What Does City Getl
While a member of the Council COM
mittee that has negotiated the river
front proposition is authority for the
statement that the city is to get 400
feet of river frontage along the bulk
head and that a street two hundred
feet wide is to be given TO the city
along the entire length OF bulkhead
line. it is felt that there are many
other provisions in the tentative
agreement that ought to be made pub
tic so it can be determined whether
the city is making a good bargain cl
whether il is throwing away valuable
concessions and advantages that will
be incalculable benefit in later years
Just ls,.e there was a realization in
after years as to the valuable con
cessions that had been granted to the
Wilmington Terminal Company i'm the
law passed by the Legislature which
purports to give that company all the
land to be filled in between the bulk
head and present low water mark.
All the meetings between the mem
hers OF Council. the Board of Trad
committee and Street and Sewer Di
rectors and the owners of river front
age of Cherry Island marsh have beel
secret The public has not been Eivel
the details. and now it is announces
that an agreement has about beei
reached between the citys represen
tatiyes and the property owners AM
that Council will meet on Monda
night to consider the agreement an
possibly to sign it then.
This would tie up the city for al
time to come regarding the rive
front, although the public has not ha
an opportunity to read the agreement
nor have the terms Of the propose
deal been made public
Agreement Withheld.
In an effort to tear away the cloa
Of secrecy and let in the light of pub
licity, regarding the proposed iron
development plan THE EVENING
JOURNAL TODAY requested Council
man y Frank White to give him
copy of the proposed agreement. MI
White is chairman Of the navigatio
committee Of Council the other mem
hers heing Councilman Stover an
Councilman Hanev. This committe
has had charge Of the negotiations o
the part of the city with the rive
front owners.
Mr. White said he was sorry ths
he could not give out copy of til
agreement at this time as there wa
an understanding between the cor
ferees that the agreement was not
he made public until after it wa
signed
1T is not policy for IL to go out I
The public at this time" said NJ
White There is an understandir
that the agreement shall not be give
out until II is signed"
Councilman White said he had sci
q copy of the agreement to Congress
man Heald. who is to endeavor