Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1919-06-28

After a long wait on a report of the
general condition of the Leonia
Heights sewer, a special meeting of
the Fort Lee Borough Council was held
at Sclosser's Hotel Friday night, June
10, which was presided over by Harry
ID. Schall, councilman of Palisade.
Just why Mayor White did not take
command at this important meeting
does not appear Rumors are afiOat
to the effect that he possibly feared Il
grilling Be this as it may, he was not
in the chair, much to everybody's
establishment and disappointment. 1t
is said he claimed the meeting was I'M
necessary.
AS the Sentinel report appears to be
pretty thorough in what it does not
contain, rather than what it really
said, it is hereby appended in part.
1t rails at the taxpayers who have had
the temerity to express anxiety about
the long delay in getting at the facts
about the big sewers cost that many
think could have been finished in 1916
The principal things explained away
at the meeting was that the cost of the
sewer had exceeded expectations on
account of this, that and the other,
mainly the increased demand of the
moving picture enterprises. But as to
the blame for the lawsuit, the size Of
the bill, all this was put on somebody
else. The cause of the big Garrison
lawsuit was clearly up to a former adj
ministratiOn and partly also up to-
the Board of Health, the latter, of
course, not being a part of the adj
ministratiOn in any sense. The law
suit. it was admitted, was a clear loss
to the borough because of somebody's
neglect, and the bill will have to be
paid Nor was anything said about
another suit by this Mr.. Garrison,
whose ice pond in Englewood is still
being polluted, which, it is said, he will
want damages for
A Palisadian reporter went through
Fort Lee after the meeting and asked
a number of citizens about it. One
prominent man said: pure white
wash-every ounce of it. The big
crowd got no satisfaction whatever"
"You don't mean it,"
''Every word of it. 1t was as | say.
How do they explain that the original
cost was to be $4,000 and the final
bill was S195,OO0? And, with interest
charges, makes the total at least $685.
600. Judge Seufert laid stress on the
fact that the sewer cost less per front
foot than any other sewer in the Dor
Ough What has that to do with the
case? If it had been finished inside
of the original estimate it could have
been 81 per front foot Judge Seufert
said the suit was on account of the
film company using the storm sewer
instead of the sanitary sewer. The
borough knew of this long time be-
fore the suit, but never remedied the
defect It is my opinion that the suit
might have been avoided if prompt
action had been taken. 1t is this thing
of everlasting neglect, like the failure
to 90 before the county board when
other borOughS got reductions in as
sessments two years ago, or more
Tell them to come again with some
thing easy on this sewer whitewash
Tell them to use ink the next time in
stead of whitewash.'
Here is what the Sentinel said of
the meeting:
'The rumOrS regarding the cost OF
the Leonia Heights sewer circulated
by alarmists for obvious reasons were
knocked into cooked hat Friday night
at the special meeting of the council
called at the suggestion of certain
persons who were quite positive that
they would be able to put something
over on someone. These same persons
who delighted in publishing reports
about the eXorbitant sewer assess
ments which would be levied against
the property owners in the western