Official Journal
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE CITY RECORD. OFFICIAL JOURNAL. Vol.. YYVII. NEW YORK, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1899. NUMBER 8,009. CITY OF NEW YORK—FINANCE DEPARTMENT, COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE, SL August 19, 1899. Hon. WILLIAM DALTON, Commissioner of Water Supply DEAR SIR—In order that I may have before me all the information possible in regard to the proposed contract with the Ramapo Water Company, I respectfully request you to transmit all the data upon which "as based your report presented to the Board of Public Improvements at its last meeting on Wednesday the 16th instant. I also request to be advised of the plans made by your department for utilizing the water delivered by the Ramapo Water Company to. The City of New York—i.e., the size and location of the storage reservoirs, aqueducts, pipe lines, principal distributing mains, and other accessories necessary for the distribution of such water, together with your estimates of cost thereof. III view of the short time allotted to me by the Board of Public Improvements for an examina- tion of this immensely important subject, I respectfully request that you furnish this information at your earliest possible convenience. Very truly yours, BIRD S. COLER, Comptroller. DEPARTMENT OF WATER SUPPLY, NEW YORK, August 2I, 1899. BOARD OF PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS. Hon. BIRD S. COLER, Comptroller. DEAR SIR—Your favor of the 19th instant, addressed to the Commissioner, requesting all the '.xta upon which the Commissioner's report regarding the Ramapo Water Company was based, is The Board of Public Improvements of The City of New York met at the office of the Board, received. No. 21 Park row, on Wednesday, August 30, 1899, at 2 o'clock P. M., pursuant to notice. I beg to say that the Commissioner is at present out of town, and your letter will be laid The roll was called, and the following members were present and answered to their names: before him immediately upon his return. The Comptroller, the Commissioner of Water Supply, the Commissioner of Highways, the Very respectfully, Commissioner of Street Cleaning (Deputy Commissioner Gibson), the Commissioner of Sewers, R. S. DORELL, Secretary. the Commissioner of Public Buildings, Lighting and Supplies, the Commissioner of Bridges, the President of the Borough of The Bronx, the President of the Borough of Queens, the Presi- CITY OF NEW YORK—DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE, dent of the Borough of Richmond and the President of the Board. COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE, August 2I, 1899. The minutes of the meeting of August 23, 1899, were amended by striking out the resolution Hon. JAMES H. HASLIN, Deputy Commissioner of Water Supply: relative to Cauldwell avenue on page 1926. DEAR SIR—On August 19 I addressed a communication to Ilon. William Dalton, Commissioner As amended the minutes were adopted. of Water Supply, requesting certain information in regard to the proposed contract with the The following communications were read and placed on file Ramapo Water Company. now pending before the Board of Public Improvements. LONDON, August 27, 1899. I have just received an acknowledgment of this letter from the Commissioner's Secretary, To Board of Public Improvements, Park Row, New York: dated August 21, 1899, in which I am informed that the Commissioner is at present out of town, Being especially interested, request Ramapo matter postponed week. and that my letter will be laid before him immediately upon his return, the date of which is not GROUT stated. I am loath to make suggestions in regard to the conduct of business by city departments in THE NEW YORK BOARD OF FIRE UNDERWRITERS, no way subject to my control, but think it only proper to call your attention to the following NEW YORK, August 25, 1899. facts : 7o the Board of Public Improvements of The City of New York. The proposed contract with the Ramapo Water Company is by far the largest and most important question now, or perhaps ever brought before officials of The City of New York for GENTLEMEN—AS the views of the New York Board of Fire Underwriters on the question of action. At the last meeting of the Board of Public Improvements I was denied an opportunity for the water supply have been misunderstood, I desire to make the following statement : one month's investigation of this matter, and granted only two weeks for that purpose. This It is their opinion, as expressed hitherto by their officials, that sufficient provision has not been period of two weeks will expire on Wednesday, the 30th instant. Without the information made to supply adequately the water needs of the different boroughs of New York City. This requested from your Department it is impossib:e for any one to form an intelligent judgment on Board believes that steps should at once be taken to correct this. this matter. All water supply for municipal use should by preference be owned by the municipality, the Under these circumstances it would seem desirable, in case it is not desired to disturb the exception being those caused by financial or legal reasons. Commissioner in the enjoyment of his vacation, that my request be not pigeonholed until his It has been stated by the proper officials of the City that in its present financial condition it is return, but that the same be either communicated to him at once or that the acting head of your not within its power to contract and own additional works. Department should in his absence at once take such steps as may be necessary to furnish the As the main supply to the City is now owned by it, but is inadequate, and it is barred from information requested. adding to this supply through ownership, it is in our opinion the duty of the authorities to investi- Very truly yours, gate any offers made to furnish an auxiliary supply of water at the border of the city under BIRD S. COLER, Comptroller. adequate pressure to be paid for only as delivered, and if after proper expertexamination the offer is found to be one favorable to the City to accept such offer, and not to be deterred from doing so P. S. In addition to the information asked for in my letter of the i9th instant, I request to be because the offer may come from a private corporation. furnished with maps or descriptions of the property owned or controlled by the Ramapo Water Some years since, at the solicitation of a large number of merchants of this city and of the Company in the water-shed from which that company proposes to obtain its supply of water. New York Board of Fire Underwriters, the Legislature authorized the Commissioners of the Sink- B.S.C. ing Fund to contract for such a supply, and at the enactment of the new charter of the present City the power then given the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund was transferred to the Board of DEPARTMENT OF WATER SUPPLY, NEW YORK, August 22, 1899. Public Improvements. Hon. BIRD S. COLER, Comptroller: Yours respectfully, DEAR SIR—In reply to your very kind communication of the 22d instant, I beg to say that J. MONTGOMERY HARE, President. Mr. Birdsall, Chief Engineer of the Water Supply Department, has furnished Messrs. McLean and SOCIAL REFORM CLUB. Cross, Engineers of your Department, with such information as you requested in your letter of the 22d, addressed to me. In conjunction with that, I have authorized Mr. Birdsall to be as expedi- To the President of the Board of Public Improvements, MAURICE F. HOLAHAN: tious as possible, giving you all the additional information obtainable. DEAR SIR—The following resolutions were passed at a meeting of the Social Reform Club, Hoping this will meet with your approval, I remain, August 22, 1899 : Respectfully, Whereas, A plentiful and cheap supply of water is of prime importance to the health and JAS. H. HASLIN, Deputy and Acting Commissioner. cleanliness of the people ; and None of the foregoing information has been furnished. Whereas, Long experience has shown that in our city the system of municipal water supply The fact that actions brought by taxpayers at present enjoin this Board from approving of this is preferable to control by private corporations ; and contract may seem to render a request for additional time unnecessary, but I have, nevertheless, Whereas, An attempt is now made to undermine our municipal water supply system by thought it proper to advise the Board of the progress thus far made, and of the conclusions to granting a wasteful contract to a private concern, which so far exists mainly on paper alone ; and which the partial reports of my Engineers inevitably point. In stating these conclusions, I do not Whereas, Comptroller Coler has taken a public-spirited stand against this attempt. expect the Board to accept them without due consideration of the data upon which they are based; Therefore, be it rather, it is my intention to state that as an attorney would open a case, confident that the Resolved, That the Social Reform Club emphatically protests against the proposed contract evidence to be offered will abundantly sustain the claims hereby made. with the Ramapo Water Company, and insists on the maintenance and extension of our municipal Briefly, then, I expect to prove to the satisfaction of this Board : system of water supply as most likely to furnish satisfactory and economical service. First—That the supplying of water to large cities by private companies has everywhere Respectfully, throughout the civilized world proved a failure as compared with municipal ownership of the water LAURA A. STEEL, Assistant Secretary. supply. Secondly—That the proposed contract with the Ramapo Water Company would result in the The hearing in the matter of the proposed contract with the Ramapo Water Company was City paying an excessive price for water, and that at the end of forty years the City would have then openei and the Comptroller presented the following reports absolutely nothing to show for an expenditure of about $200,oDO,000, and would gradually become DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE, more and more dependent on the mercy of private interests grown enormously powerful by the aid August 29, 1899.