New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-17
RUSHED SEWAGE
PLANT CONTRACT
Managers of Yorktown
Heights School Quickly
Let Work.

Il developed yesterday that the board
of managers Of the New York Training
School for Bows. at Yorktown Heights.
in the Croton watershed. had let the
contract for the construction of the
sewage disposal plant at that instltu-
ton within three or four hours after
the bids were opened, last Tuesday.
W. B. Osgood Field is chairman OF the
board Of managers.
The action OF the board in letting
the contract so promptly was consid-
cred most unusual and premature by
the city authorities, especially IN view
of the fact that the latter had no
knowledge that the contract had been
let when Corporation Counsel Hardy
obtained an order TO show cause why ah
injunction should not be granted re
straining the boards action on the fol-
lowing day. Wednesday. The order
was returnable before Justice keogh,
who granted il, az White Plains. last
Friday, and argument was postponed
for ten days at that time. without the
city authorities being Informed of the
true status of affairs by the Deputy
Attorney General or representatives OF
the board of managers of the institu-
ton.
Justice Keogh granted the postpone
ment at the request OF Deputy Attor-
ney General Conklin, with the decara-
ton that he assumed that matters
would remain in statu quo until the
case was disposed Of A remark by
the Deputy Attorney General that the
contract might have been let for all he
knew led the city authorities TO look
into the matter closely, with the result
that the Corporation Counsel's office
learned yesterday of the letting of the
contract. The contract was let TO Fred
erick n. Lewis for s3l,970.
While the quick action Of the Trair =
ing School board will preclude further
proceedings toward obtaining an in
junction, it was the opinion of Acting
Mayor McAneny and Corporation Coun-
sci Hardy yesterday that the city
would still have ample remedy at law.
Il is not likely, however. that the city
will have 20 resort further TO the
courts in view of the letter received
last night BY the Merchants Associa-
ton from Governor Whitman, promis-
ing to hold up his approval of the con-
tract until the Legislature meets on
January /, when legislation will be
sought to prevent the carrying out Of
the contracts for sewage disposal
plants at the Training School, as we'll
as at the Mohansic State Hospital. Tie
Governors consent TO the letting Of
the contracts is required before they
can be executed
The Governors letter was in reply to
one from william Feliowos Morgan,
president of the Merchants Associa-
ton, asking that he postpone action
until the Legislature had convened.
The association then intends TO ask for
legislation prohibiting the location OF
the two institutions on the watershed.
In his letter the Governor took eXcep-
ton to the contention Of the Merchants
Association that the institutions should
not be located on the watershed, and
that that area should gradually be de-
populated. in order TO protect the water
supply from possible pollution. The
Governor wrote:
"The Croton water for some time has
been subjected to disinfection by hypo-
chlorite of lime-a comparatively new
process-which destroys substantially
all the cro-organisms which may be
contained in the water supply. II has
long since been decided By biologists
and sanitary engineers that the at
tempt to protect large watershed prl-
marily b. the removal from II Of all
sources of pollution is impracticable.
Therefore, it would seem that the
position Of your association is unten-