The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-09-04

the future Of the coast tina any other
single thing. Save at the Highlands.
there are no ihills TO encounter and no
rocks to blast in road construction on
orr entire coat It. Besides that, in the
small hills Just back Of the coast, ma
ture has placed as fine gravel for road
building as can be found anywhere.
"AN the New Jersey coast towns
should be linked together by a single
road system. and Ill The inland towns
IF the state, from, county seat to coun-
~ seal. from Newton, in Sussex, to
cane NAV Court Bbuse. in Cape May,
should be equally united by 81 continu-
Gus highway. Those two highways,
the one OH the cas- / coast and the in
land one. should, in my view. be under
state supervision. stlld built, where not
now built. at State expense. and there
after maintained bNf the State without
cost to the local municipality. To in
sure this being done, the municipal
governments will no doubt voluntarily
transfer the control of such a road
over to the State. They probably
would gladly do this II they were re-
lieved from local taxation as a result.
SEINE AUTO suggestions.
''Our automobile legislation Is not a
subject for discussion tonight. 1t Is
not an easy problem. and we are get
ting some criticism OF 0 : present law.
Not much. I am I&eased to say. Ii
would be a good thing il it were pos
sible Il get united action on
automobile Legislation between the
States of Connecticut. New York, New
Jersey. Pennsylvania, Delaware and
Maryland. have in mind a suggestion
in his direction. ] viii, not develop 1t
tonight further than TO express the
hope that it nay result m a conference
of these States through the action OF
their Governors by sssiohers from
zach meeting with a view to bringing
about the enactment Of q statute when
shall be uniform in the Sax States IN
the matter of licensing and regulating
the automobile upon the public nigh
way.
lone other subject of great Interest
TO the coast is the inland waterway
project. The fresh water X anu
salt water bays lying along the New
JERSEY coast are not equaIled IN any
other coast with which am familiar.
Last year the Legislature OF the
state appropriated $500. 900 and made
SIG, 900 of it available for the opening
and deepening of an inland waterway
from Bay Head To Cape May. the Cd
1ect and purpose of which was TO MAKE
available the spleEdid water
cation between Bay Head, Atlantic
City and Cape May and all the smaller
places on the route. Contracts nave
already been made for two sections OF
this work and when the canal shah
he constructed. if authorized, between
Bay Head and Manasduan Inlet ana
M%anasquan Inlet opened, as we nope
nv government action, you will be able
to sail from New York to Cape May In
any craft. ever at low tide, that does
not draw in excess of six feet OF
water. The beneficial effect of this
waterway on the coast is beyond estl-
nation.
Coast Road Is Feasible.
'Rut you are chiefly interested to-
night. as / gather 1t. and have ten
dered me this dinner, as | understand
il. with the view Of considering
whether 1t is feasible tn attempt to
construct what may be spoken of mod
estly as a highway along the ocean
front from Atlantic Highlands to Cape
May. The usefulness of such a road
will be admitted without discussion.
First and foremost it must be con-
coded that this must be a State road.
1t is more than a local enterprise. IL
must be maintained as Il unit and IT
must be maintained evenly in all its
length. This the State only can do.
The shore road cannot Immediately be
completed along the entire coast. So
much of it as is on the coast now can
he improved and certain parts widened
and the immediate coast line extended
from time to time as rapidly as con-
venient until practically the entire way
is a coast road.
what should he lone in the immc-
date present is 10 get the control by
the State of such roads as now exist
and can be utilized, repair them and
place them in superb condition. Then
macadam and gravel them to the full
width of the road from curb to curb.
If the road begins at the Highlands.
which the people of that borough very
much desire. it can be reached from
Matawan and Keyport. and 1t will
need but little construction over the
Highlands to Seabright.
Objections of Ocean Grove.
This is a beautiful part OF the way.
probably tie most beautiful of the
whole route. Beginning at Seabright
and running to Ocean Grove there is at
the present time practically a complete
roadway, much of il on the ocean front,
the only break being at Deal Lake,
where a bridge with about forty-five
feet span would need to be constructed
At Ocean Grove we encounter the diff
ficulty OF crossing Wesley Lake and
reaching Ocean avenne The Camp
meeting Association has objected TO a
public DAD passing over their territory,
but they are public spirited people and
some means can be devised. let us hope
that win not meet with objection on
their part. 1t will need to be continued
to Fletcher Lake. and the bathing pa
vilions there, which are not of great
value. will also .laed to be taken. The
cost of this condemnation. however,
will not be great.
"A short bridge. probably twenty feet
in span. will also need 10 be constructed
over Fletcher Lake. A possible soiu-
ton of the Ocean Grove problem may
be found in slightly lowering the road
way at certain streets and by fencing
i'm the roadway II the construction
over 1t of footpaths so that it will moi
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