New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-17
Says Merchants Are Msinformed.

In reply to Mr. Towne's letter the Coh'
troller wrote in part.
You are misinformed if you believe that
anv action which / may desire TO suggest
would have for its effect the permanent
abandonment OF the scheme. ! nave hdu
no such thought, and those with Whpm J
have discussed II know this TO be so.
am strongly Of the opinion that the pas
for the work should not be opened and no
award of contract should be made unul
there has been a more thorough inNeSu'
cation of this question than has thus
far been given 10 IL by the duly accredited
authorities. and | am prepared, with
other members Of the Board OF Estimate
and ApportiOnment 70 assume full respon-
Sibillty for such delay as may be due 10
these reasons.
The fact that your association believes
that the Jerome Park site Is the best site
for this filtration plant is merely the eX-
preston Of your associations judgment.
II e not necessarily binding upon any one
else and does not alter the fact that
have information from filtration experts,
who, i think. are quite equal in expert
enCe to any YOU have consulted. who in
form me that there is very serious ques-
tion whether the Jerome Park site is the
best that could be selected think it Is
the general opinion that filtration is desir-
able. but 10 what extent il is necessary Is
point which has not yet been definitely
settled.
must beg leave 10 correct you regard
ing the thOroughneSs with which yoI
seem to believe the Ork has been under
taken. The report o. the FIVE engineers
appointed by Commissioner Thompson
last spring TO advise him is certainly not
as definite In its conclusions as il should
be and does not show anything like the
thoroughness of investigation which you
have been led TO assume II possesses. In
fact, there is hardly a statement In the
engineers report, made I'm answer 10 the
questions pTopounded 10 them by the
Water Department, which does not con
tain some qualification, and several Of
them are decidedly inconcluSiVe. You
must have the report before you, and con-
sequently this will be just as evident 10
YOU as IL Is 10 me
Furthermore, think YOU should know
that Chief Engineer Lewis, Of the Board
Of Estimate. and Principal Assistant En-
gincer Wilmington. Of this department.
did not pass upon the type of filter TO be
employed. They were distinctly told by
tho chairman OF the committee of the
Board Of Estimate that II was their func-
ton TO pass upon the form Of contract
and the plans and specifications but not
10 investigate the type of filtration sys-
tenn TO be used Their report, dated July
20. leaves no doubt upon this point ana
N there be any / wish TO say that IL is
only ten days ago that both engineers
confirmed my views upon this point. You
have probably confused the approval OF
the plans and specifications given by
these engineers with a supposed approval
by them of the proposed method Of fill
tration.
Calls Opinion Unjustified
In view of these facts. l think your
statement that seldom has d proposed
public work been 20 thoroughly and COM
petently reviewed and so unqualifedly in
dorsed by expert opinion is unjustified.
When the committee of the Board of Es-
innate was considering the form of con-
tract. plans and specifications last sum-
ner II 0ed pot have before IL the report Of
the board OF five consulting experts. The
communication from Deputy Water Com
missioner Bennett certainly led that com
mittee to believe that the report Of the
experts was Of conclusive character.
Nearly every one who has since read the
report believes. as | do, that the state
ments OF these experts were very incon-
elusive Furthermore. the board OF eX-
perts, in answer TO question Are the
estimates for constructing mechanical III
ters reasonable replied I'VE have not
been able 20 check over these estimates
In detail. but from our general expe-
rience II appears that they are reason
able
1t seems 10 me that enough has been
said about the report of the experts and
other matters relating to this transaction
10 show that the question has not re-
ceived the thorough attention and study
which II deserves.
Controller Prender2ast and Commits
sioner Thompson OF the Department OF
Water Supply. Gas and Electricity had
a brief conference Yesterday afternoon
as a result OF which the Commissioner
appeared to feel confident that such OBJ
lcctions as might have arisen TO the con-
struction OF the filter had been salts
factorily explained. Commissioner Thomp.
son and l. NJ. de Varona, chief engineer
81 the Water Supply Department, both
declared recently that the effort OF the
Controller to block the opening OF bids
for the filtration plant was due 10 a re-
port that he received from "so-called ex-
perts" OF the Bureau OF Municipal Re-
search. who did not know the very first
thing about altration."
The report OF the Research Bureau Eek
rertsf which Chief Engineer de Varona
branded as "absurdly inaccurate and ri.
diculous IN all it's conclusions" drew a
sharp letter from Commissioner Thomp-
son To Henry Bruere. director of the
Bureau of Municipal Research. charging
bad, faith on the part OF the bureau in
making TIE report without further con
ference with the Water supply authori-
tics The Commissioner said that rep
resentative OF the Research Bureau had
q comparatively brief discussion OF III,
plans and specifications with himself and
his engineers and promised not TO make
any report until he had an opportunity
TO confer further and become better in
formed on the subject.