Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-03-19
HOUSE CONSIDERING
-FOUR CANAL BILLS
Provide for a Boulevard to Re-
place Old State Wa
terWay,
l. v. r. r. TO PAY STATE
MILLION FOR THE CHANGE
Cities Authorized to Buy Canal
Properties Within Their
Limits.
Especial to the Evening star.1

calling for the abandonment of the
Norris Canal were introduced in the
House last night They were the first
piits introduced under the rule adopted
at the opening OF the session that all
bills introduced after the time limit
should have the unanimous consent of
the House.
Three Of the bills are Incorporated
IN the report and the fourth is one
Which did not get into it and which
provides for the taking over by con-
demnation of the shares in the canal
company. All four bills were referred
10 the judiciary committee and their
rate is now problematical. There is
a lot of opposition In the House to
the passage of the bills and the aban-
comment of the canal. This is SO
strong that 1t Is believed the bills will
be beaten,
The titles of the bills are as follows:
Assembly Bill No. 766-Authorizes
the abandonment OF navigation on
the Morris Canal. and the settlement
p OF all matters In the controversy be-
tween the Lehigh Valley Railroad
Company and the State concerning
the canal and the property OF the
Morris Canal Banking Company, in
Guiding it's water rights.
Assembly Bill No. 767-Provides for
the creation of q commission having
power to make proper disposition of
the property received by the State In
any settlement under Bill No. -,
and to authorize the construction and
maintenance of parkway.
Assembly Bill No. 76S-Authorizes
the taking of shares of stock by the
State under condemnation proceed
ings.
Assembly Bill No. 769-Authorizes
cities to purchase canal properties
lying within its limits.
Boulevard Project.
An important section of the
Canal Commissions report which
was submitted today and which
Is contained in book of 173
d pages, deliberately illustrated with
pictures, is presented the canal park
way and boulevard plan as Endorsed
by Colonel Edwin A. Stevens. State
road commissioner. Assisting in the
formulation of these plans was the
firm Of Carrere & Hastings, landscape
artists, of New York. To perfect
these plans the only expense involved
was the cost of inspecting the canal
and the drafting of the drawings.
The idea advanced Is to make Lake
Hopatcong a more attractive nature
spot than ever. This, 1T Is claimed,
would not only be a direct benefit to
the northern part of the State, but
to all sections. Incidentally 1t is said
that the plans are not approved by
the Lake Hopatcong Protective Asso-
citation.
Benefits to other parts of the State
would mean the construction of a
boulevard connecting PHILADELPHIA
and Camden with the Atlantic coast,
and the proposed development of the
ocean boulevard and the Delaware
River highway. The funds with
which to execute these proposed i'm
provements would be provided for
T. by the application of one-half the
money received by the State from the
Lehigh Valley Railroad Company.
s' Would Retain Charter.
Another recommendation of the
commission Is the claim that II the
charter was repealed and the exist
ence of the company terminated "the
right to maintain the dam which
forms Greenwood Lake would cease
and the State of New Jersey would
thereby lose the benefit to be derived
from the water supply obtained from
this lake, which, In the opinion of
persons well informed, Is worth at
least a million dollars" With these
views the commission recommends the
retention of the company's charter.
1t Is recommended that the Big
Basin and Little Basin, at COMMUNE
paw. Jersey City, which have been
legally disputed between the State
and the Lehigh company in the courts
for several years. shall be conveyed
TO the Lehigh company; also the part
Of the canal bed between the basins
and Fiddler's Elbow
a. proviso that accompanies this
recommendation is that the Lehigh
company shall maintain a 200-foot
channel for the purpose OF permitting
vessels to reach the interior basins.
Another important point considered
by the commission was an investiga-
ton of the possibilities Of enlarging
the canal so the waterway could be
utilized to commerce. advantage, hut
all suggestions presented were con-
sidered impracticable.
Expensive Proposition.
On this proposition Louis Focht,
chief engineer of the State Board OF
Assessors, declared the cost of widen
ing the canal and giving 1t depth
of eight feet would be about 81, oo0, 600.
with $500. 900 interest, figured at per
cent?. annually to pay, coupled with
the cost of operation and maintenance
and other expenses, the plan was
voted unfeasible from financial
standpoint.
The report In this connection shows
that the canal entails an annual loss
of $50 900 on the Lehigh Valley Rail
road for operation and that the de-
fcit has extended from 1871.
Should the recommendation OF the
commission be adopted, 1t is pointed
out In the report, that the State
would receive all water rights, prop
erty and privileges of the company
west of Fiddler's Elbow lin Jersey
City1 to Phillipsburg. This also IN
cludes all of the water rights.
In addition to transferring all prop
, ertv and rights to the State 1t would
be incumbent upon the Lehigh Com
pany to discontinue the suit pending
in the United States Supreme Court
contesting the right of the State to
more than 100000 on taxes of the
canal which were paid under protest.
the. company would also be required
to drop its appeal from the chancery
by which the State would obtain re-
versonary title to the big basin In
Jersey City upon payment Of the price
of $4,000 with interest. now totalling
about $115.000.
One of the bills presented with the
report would practically give the con-
troll of all four boulevards to the pro-
posed Parkway. Boulevard and Canal
Commission. That body, IT is sug-
gested, shall be composed of seventeen
inembers-the twelve members of the
investigating commission and the
state Highway Commission. The
state Highway Commission ts com.
posed of the Governor, president OF
the Senate, speaker Of the General
Assembly, State comptroller and State
treasurer.
The composition Of the first pro-
posed commissioner named this year
would therefore be as follows:
Governor Fielder Senator Slocum,
Speaker Beekman, State Treasurer
(t-nrrn,,rn Gtn To Commit rnllar EdXardR.