Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-01-02
Fayors Legislation Permitting
Newark to Build Tubes and
Lease to Trolley Co.

The principal recommendation made
by the mayor in his annual message
to the Common Council delivered to
that body at It's meeting yesterday
noon was the building of subways by
the municipality and the recruiting of
the present stroet-car service SO that
the congestion may be don away with.
Mayor Haussling made a similar rec
o~mmendation asst year. He urges that
legislation be enacted to permit the
city to build a subway or subways to
be owned by the city and leased to the
trolley company.
The message begins with giving in
detail the financial standing of the
city. 1t show that the bonded indebt-
edness of Newark at this time is $685.
$40. 200, and the ratables for the current
year were 1868, 1858, 614. This makes the
Indebtedness TIT per cent. of the tax
ratables.
The amount in the sinking fund is
$7,496, 1891, reducing the percentage to
5.72 by making the net Indebtedness
S20,S14, 062.99. The message goes or to
say that almost half the funded in
debtedness was incurred by the con-
struction of the water supply plant and
that more than a million dollars Is
represented by the Pascal river trunk
sewer bonds.
The mayor, after reviewing the finan-
cial standing of the city, cautions the
officers to be careful in spending the
public money and that although mig
gardliness Is to be avoided great care
must be taken to prevent extrava-
gance.
In discussing the abandonment of the
Morris canal and the subway question
the mayor said:
Morris Canal Needed.
1T seems very likely that the ADAM
donment of the Morris Canal will be
provided for In a bill which, it is
thought. will be adopted by the Legis-
lature that assemblies this month. I'm
less current reports are misleading and
inaccurate, the act will permit the
canal company to nominate another cor
poration, presumably one engaged or to
be engaged, in transportation to ac-
quire the ownership of the canal bed
throughout its entire length. This par
ticular proposition should never be
permitted, as 1t involves an outrage
oPSh IN thlCiCStS hHu IlB1lS Oh the
city of Newark. not to speak of other
municipalities.
"As the situation now stands this
city owns a portion Of the ana bed
itself. A portion is owned outright by
h canal company, and of a third por-
ton the canal company enjoys the
right of use, subject to reversion to
h lawful successors of the original
HTAnt0rg To narpaft n nrixofa ,arpa
ration to acquire this great highway,
running through the heart of the city
and having important relation to the
neighboring communities, would be to
place Newark at the mercy, to that ex-
tent, of a transportation enterprise,
which may be expected to have a more
acute sense of its own interests than
those of the municipality. The city of
Newark should be authorized to ac-
qtire every inch of the canal bed and
right of way, in order that, IL IL desires,
it may roof 1t over, widen it for boule-
ward purposes, as has been suggested,
and Tease 1t on such terms as it may
deem reasona BILE to such transportation
company as 1t pleases. The time has
gone by for delivering up potential as
sets of the community at the call of
a private business organization.
City Dependent on Legislature.
THE congestion of traffic in the cen
tire of the city and the inadequate
street car facilities. which are in some
degree consequent, continue as a vexa-
tious problem to officials and a source
of annoyance. discomfort and even
positive danger to the public. The