Kemble v. Mayor of Millville
Kemble v. Mayor of Millville
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This is a certiorari proceeding, brought to test the validity of a certain ordinance passed by the common council of the city of Millville, authorizing that municipality to make a contract with the “People’s Water Company of Millville, N. J.,” for a water-supply. The Supreme Court considered that the ordinance was valid and affirmed it by. their judgment. The correctness of that judgment is now attacked by the plaintiff in error upon five different grounds.
The first assignment of error is that the ordinance is invalid because inconsistent in its several parts, in this respect, viz., that in one paragraph it provides that three million gallons shall be supplied annually to the public buildings of the municipality free of charge, while by another paragraph it provides that the municipality shall pay one cent for every one hundred gallons of water, measured at the pumping station. We are, however, unable to see anything inconsistent in these provisions. Construed together, they impose upon the company tire obligation of furnishing to the city, free of charge, so much water as shall be required in its public buildings, not exceeding three million gallons per year, and require the city to pay for all water supplied in excess of the quantity designated.
The second assignment of error is that the ordinance should have been declared invalid because no plan of the streets in which it was proposed to lay the company’s pipes was annexed to the ordinance, although there was a recital therein that such was the fact; and further, because no such plan, was before council, either at the time of its introduction, its consideration or its passage. It is true that no plan of those
The third assignment of error is that the ordinance is invalid because, as there was no plan annexed to the ordinance, there was not the consent by the corporate authorities to the use of such public streets as the water company might deem necessary as is required by the statute. But even if it be conceded that the failure to annex to the ordinance the plan of the streets to be used has the effect claimed for it, the .absence of such consent does not vitiate the ordinance. It merely postpones the right of the company to proceed under it until further municipal action is taken; in other words, until the consent of the city is obtained to the use by the company of such streets as the latter desires to occupy with its pipes.
The fourth assignment of error is that the ordinance is invalid because there is no such company as the “People’s Water Company of Millville, N. J.,” the consent of the municipality required by the statute as a condition precedent to the incorporation of such a company not having been obtained. The Water Company act of April 21st, 1876 (Gen. Stat., p. 2199), under which the Millville company was incorporated, gives power to any persons, not less than seven, ■of whom a majority must reside in this state, to form ,a company in any of certain municipalities for the purpose of constructing, maintaining and operating water-works to sup.ply such municipality and its 'inhabitants with water.., I-t.
The fifth assignment of error was not argued by counsel for plaintiff in error, and has therefore not been considered by us.
The judgment under review should be affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- HENRY B. KEMBLE, IN ERROR v. THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MILLVILLE, IN ERROR
- Status
- Published