The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1924-01-03
EARLY ACTION TO
ABANDON CANAL
Found to Be Useless for Trans
portation and Obstruction to
Water Supply Dept.
sILzER RECEIVES REPORT
Maintenance Expense and Necessary
Repairs Urged In Favor Of Nine
RecommendatIons--To Hear
public on Advisory Plan.

Trenton.-Prompt abandonment OF
the Morris Canal for economic and
other reasons Is one of nine specific
recommendations contained in a re-
port of the canal abandonment COM
mittee which was considered by Gov
ernor Silzer at a joint conference with
the State Board of Conservation and
Development, the State Highway
Commission and the committee.
The committee found that the canal
has lost its usefulness for transporta-
ton purposes, that 1t is an obstruction
to the development of potable water
supplies and should no longer be con-
timed as canal. Immediate action
in this direction was urged on the
ground that the annual cost OF ade-
ouate maintenance amounts to about
s195,O0O year, in addition to which
approximately $1,584,000 would have
to be spent within the next five years
in the reconstruction of bridges, aque-
ducts and other appurtenances OF the
canal. Even il matters are allowed
to drift for one or two years under
present conditions, there will be a
useless expenditure, the committee
found, of from $4,000 to more than
81 900, 900.
The committee recommended that
the Little Basin in Jersey City shall
be offered first to Jersey City at a
fair price, and if the city does not de-
eide to take it over within a reason
able time, then it should be sold or
leased to the highest bidder.
Offer to Kearny Also
If Kearny township does not desire
to acquire the right Of way of the ca
nal within it's limits and adjacent to
the Lincoln highway, the report said,
it is desirable that this section should
be taken over and improved by ada
cent property owners or other private
persons, thereby abating a nuisance
and increasing the assessable property
of the township.
Finding an expressed desire on the
part Of several municipalities to take
over and use the right of way from
the Passaic river to the south line Of
Paterson for electric railway purposes,
the committee recommended that this
part of the property should first be Of
fered to such municipalities, several
ly or collectively, to be declared pub
lie highway.
If the municipalities do not elect to
take over the right of way for a fair
consideration, the committee regarded
it desirable that it be promptly taken
over by private owners and improved,
thereby increasing the ratables. The
portion of the canal lying within the
limits of Paterson, the report said,
should be treated similarly If these
sections are neglected, it was held,
they will greatly retard the develop
ment of adjacent private property.
Find No Need for Highway
The committee gave careful consid-
Grafton to a suggestion that the por-
ton of the canal west of Paterson be
retained for use as a state highway,
but found no necessity for such use,
since it is paralleled by an existing
improved highway and there are a
number of other highways across the
state, all Of which are from thirteen
to twenty-five miles shorter than the
canal route. Furthermore, the COM
mittee held that the cost of filling up.
regarding and Strengthening the canal
would be much greater than the cost
of acquiring more suitable right of
way if an additional highway should
be found necessary in the future.
The committee was of the opinion
that it is not desirable for the state
to withhold this right of way from i'm
provement by local municipalities or
property owners over long period of
time because of a remote possibility
that some future use may be found
for it.
Conflicts With Conservation r. r. plan
Proposed use of the canal for an
Aquatic parkway was considered by
the committee, but rejected as unde.
sirable. 1t was found that the part
Of the canal most suitable for such a
purpose is that extending from Branch
Brook Park to Pompton. Such a plan
would conflict with the use of the ca.
nal for an electric railway, In add.
ton to which 31,000,O0O gallons OF wa.
ter would be required daily to make
up for losses by evaporation and seep,
age, to maintain even the portion OF
the canal from the Pompton feeder to
Bloomfield. In view of the large and
increasing demand for potable water
supplies the commission felt such a
large consumption of water is not per
! missible.
If the canal is dismantled, the re
/ port shows, there are 40 bridges
which must be removed, the an
proaches graded down, the canal filled
4 up at the road intersections and in
some instances the road Strengthened
and resurfaced; guard rails must be
erected and highway crossings made
safe for traffic; many planes, locks
acqueducts, bridges, culyerts, spill
ways and dams which must be dis