The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-02-19
GREEDY NEW YORK
Says New Jerseys Opposi-
tion to Pier Line Ex-
tension lis Local
Pride
HARBoR LINE BOARD HEARING
Mr.. George L. Record Presents the
Case for the Riparian Com
missioners and the Hobo
ken Improvement
Company.
HARBoR LINE BOARD HEARING


York City. this morning, the Harbor Line
Board sat to hear objections why the
pier line of New York should not be
extended 200 feet, The New York Dock
Department some time ago applied to the
Secretary of War for this permission,
and that official referred the matter to
the Harbor Line Board, who publicly an
nounced a hearing for this morning.
Now the change means serious thing
for the State of New Jersey and the
City of Hoboken. The State would lose
rental values and .Hoboken would lose
all the docking of steamships on the va
rious lines, which would in future, should
New York's piers be extended, transfer
their business to New York. Hence the
Riparian Commissioners of New Jersey
and the Hoboken Land and Improvement
Company joined in opposing the plan, and
Mr. George L. Record, counsel for the
Riparian Board. was present to present
his objections on behalf of both the State
and the Hoboken Company, whose inter-
ests are identical. Associated with Mr..
Record was Corporation Counsel of Ho-
boken James Minturn and Secretary Jas.
C. Payne of the Riparian Board.
Colonel H. M. Robert presided, and
with him were Major H. NJ. Adams and
Major C. w. Raymond. The bearing be-
gan with the reading of the letter to the
Secretary of War, asking for the desired
change, and then General Brien of the
Dock Department advanced the claims
for the change.
The city of New York, he said, wished
to accommodate its ships and the exten-
sion was absolutely necessary. There are
ceeding 600 feet, and as the pier linesis
only at present 500 feet, the change is at
once, he said, made apparent.
Then the Dock Department started in
to produce delegations from mercantile
boards in New York asking for the
change, and one of these was the Mari
time Association, sheaded by Chairman
]. H Mccormack. He added nothing to
what General Brien said. Longer pier
line on the New York side. he said, was
necessary for the development of the
water front, and that was the question
in nutshell.
Mr.. Aaron Vanderbilt, of the New York
Board of Trade added its voice to the
cries from New York for longer pier
lines to accommodate incoming ships.
Mr.. Erastus Wiman, of Staten Island,
was the next speaker, and he pointed out
the chief demerit of New York today,
which. in his estimation, was complete
separation of the points of receipt and
storage The present decrepit state of
the water front meant a menace to the
supremacy of New York's trade. The
difficulty of New York harbor is, he
said, that it is on wheels. The system
of lighterage In New York costs 1,000,-
900 a day. Because of that disability
New York trade is going away from her.
I'VE will now make way for the op-
position, if there be any," said General
Brien, "and it is only local pride of pri-
vate owners
Mr.. George L. Record then started to
convince the Board that it wasn't local
pride" which was at stake, and at the
outset Mr.. Record said that he represent
ed the State of New Jersey and the Ho-
boken Land and Improvement Company,
whose interests are identical.
Now said Mr.. Record, "I have no
fault to find with the arguments on the
other side as arguments. Our opposition
is a qualified one. If there be any space
to shove in this great watershed the
State of New Jersey ought to have a fair
share of the apportionment."
How much have you beyond the pier
line?'' interrupted Colonel Robert
I'VE have 800 feet and New York has
5O0" replied Mr. Record, unfolding map
of the foundations on each side of the
river.
Continuing, Mr.. Record said that the
Harbor Line Board should not discrimin-
ate against New Jersey in the allotment
of water space. Each State owns land
to the centre of the river subject only to
the jurisdiction of the War Department.
Now I submit as a fair proposition .
said Mr.. Record, .'that your Board are
trustees of this matter and should fairly
treat each State. I take your powers
are to superintend the general interests
of navigation and not discriminate against
either State in the matters of allotment
of space.
''Then again we applied in 1890 for an
Your board not only refused our applca-
tion, but 1t set back our line from the
West Shore docks to New York State line
had actually been buiit BY Ross and San
ford under State grant"
Mr. Record then adopted the argumen-
opinion of the Harbor Line Board itself
on the application referred to. It was as
Castle Point" said the Board, "pro-
that the Board is Of the opinion that the
harbor lines should have been drawn
tangent thereto; but as such modification
acquired under the laws Of the State, and
of no great value, and would involve the
removal Of the only public pier in Hobo