Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1912-11-09

Board of Health to try and have II
stopped. II your only justification
is that it will save dollars TO sell
tnen every dollar you save that way
! is dirty dollar, and L think it Will
stink in your pocket.
Il think there has been a change
in politics in ten years, and the ques-
| ton of social justice came up in the
last election from Theodore Roose-
velt While | did not vote for him
1 respect every one who did. If
there was ever a social injustice put
before you it is this. 1t will with
draw from Belleville for residential
use large area in the vicinity OF
the plant, and the entire town is
crippled by q loss in valuations
Mr. Goodrich asserted that the use
OF such a plant on a large scale mas
not been attempted, except in At
lanta, Ga, but that was not even IN
long enough operation to show the re-
Suits which the three municipalities
seek. He also questioned munlcipal
operation. With bad operation, he
said. the plant would prove nuis-
ance. The Imhoff plan up to today is
an experiment, he maintained, and II
East Orange wanted to experiment, ne
wondered why the residents did not
use their back yards. He said the
Passaic Valley Commission will have
control of the Passaic and will watch
carefully for any possible pollution
from the plant and If the scheme is
not carried out the three places Will
have to repent for their sins with a
great deal of money.
Predicts Legal Difficulties.
In entering the trunk sewer scheme
the municipalities know to a penny
what they will have to pay, Mr.. Good
rich said, while with the joint scheme
possible damages to Belleville had not
been considered by the engineers. Lee
gal difficulties, he continued. was a
possible contest on the tank patent
and on the use of streets for the plae-
ing of pipe lines where the plant is
erected outside of the municipality
taken care of.
spThere is a question of doubt about
Belleville giving the three municipah-
ties the use of her streets" said Mr
Goodrich. "The day you get the con-
sent of Belleville is the day hell
freezes over. There is no possibility
of lessening the cost you must pay TO
enter the commission plan. You can
not change that basis, as contracts
have been made and no legislature
can change the apportionment of
cost
BE just to Belleville. If Montclair
wants to experiment, let them do It on
their own territory, and not foist II
on Belleville. If there has been any
unpleasantness on the part of you
officials with the commission, forget
it and make up"
Councilman Pierson said it was
natural that there should be ooJec-
tions to the scheme of the three
municipalities, but he claimed IL was
through sentiment. 1t was the most
important question East Orange ever
faced and the commission had shown
extreme injustice to the city. East
orange did try a disposal plant, he
added, but it was of the old septic
type. He told of the contract with
Newark, thought to be perpetual
one, but thought the courts would
not sustain that Newark must care
for East Orange sewage when the
pollution of the Passaic must cease
two years hence.
The greatest objection on the part
of the city, Mr.. Pierson said, is the
apportionment of cost East Orange
is to pay at the start 100000. There
was nothing in the contract, he said
that limits the expense. The con-
tract with the government depends
on the secretary of war, he declared,
and was not limited. He showed as
a comparison regarding cost that
Passaic, with all the benefit it will
receive, and with a population of
pays but s59S,OOO, while East
Orange with but $4,000 population,
pays 100000, and the valuations in
the city with the so-called improve
ment, would not increase a dollar.
East Orange is called upon to pay,
he asserted, thirty-five times as much
a million gallons as some of the
smaller municipalities in the scheme
and he did not believe that fair. He
insisted the Passaic should be puri-
fed, however.
Assessments Unjust.
Mr.. Pierson stated that the injus-
tice runs into such large figures the
city is held back from joining in the
scheme of the commission and de-
clared the assessors in past years
were over conscientious in the max
ing of valuations, and as a result the
city is paying too much county tax
today. He said the estimates for the
Joint plan were placed high enough
for a margin and would not reach
the figure stated, and he had good
information that New York will push
its suit against the commission to
the limit.
He wondered why the commission
was going to spend so much money