Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-17
.G|[LEN BALKS ON
BAY FRONT PLAN
Commissioner Claims Scheme,
as Proposed, Smacks of
Ship Canal Project.

Contending that the plan to reclaim
and develop the meadow lands under
the present system as suggested by
his colleagues on the Board of Works
is but a novel way of getting around
the old ship canal policy. Commits
sioner Charles p. Gillen today de-
clared he wanted to be put on record
as being against the establishing of
such q canal.
, bay front development so that
Newark will derive the benefit Of deep
sea commerce Is what / am after, but
will not stand for the old plan OF q
ship canal.
1.-THE plan as submitted at yester-
days conference by Chief Engineer
Morris r. Sherrerd provides for the
dredging of a channel from the gov
eminent bulkhead line into the shore
line to meet the Peddie ditch and then
continue inland along the line of the
Peddie ditch as a canal with width
of 200 feet.
"If this canal" continued Commits
sioner Gillen, from the shore line in
Is to be the beginning of the so-called
ship canal proposed In the report of
the Advisory Dock and Meadow Rec
lamation Commission, then I am un-
alterably opposed to 1t. The building
of piers on the bay front Is the first
work that we should proceed with"
Ship Canal Would BE Costly.
| The creation of the so-called ship
canal, running from the bay to the
main line of the Pennsylvania rail-
road, would involve a scheme of gen.
eral development that would neces-
| al "a a na Of n hn M "a n nTU
land by the city. Some people advo-
cate this. If Newark should buy the
four thousand acres, it would be
obliged to reclaim them. 1t would
have to pay all the cost of improve
ments. Do you think that Newark
could afford to pay $4,000, 900 or $780,
100000 on such a project? How could
Newark shoulder this burden?
Newark cannot afford to buy this
land unless 1t is ready to proceed
at once with the reclamation of all
the meadow land. What is the next
best plan? Make 1t easy for the
private owners to reclaim their own
land. How? The city should buy
and develop the whole water front
now unoccupied by digging slips,
building piers and docks, and make
every effort to have the government
deepen Newark bay to thirty feet at
these piers.
Urges building of Piers.
| 1t is generally conceded that the
government Is ready to cooperate
whenever Newark makes a move In
the matter. The land along the bay
front purchased by the city can be
reclaimed at once by pumping on il
the material now being dredged from
the bay under government contract
without any expense to the city
While the piers are being construct.
ed roads should be built at once across
the meadows connecting the bay from
with the built-up section of the city
We should commence this spring the
construction of several piers ant
slips and the building of number Of
roads across the meadows, so as t
make at least a small portion of the
work q reality, so that the greai
bulk of the work may rapidly fol.
low. The building of roads and the
development of the bay front would
undoubtedly result in the early re-
clamation Of all the meadow land By
the private owners.
At this time 1t would be wise fol
the city to cast aside forever the So
called ship canal or basin project, O,
outlined in the report submitted by
the Advisory Dock and Meadow Re.
clamation Commission June 20, 1908
If the city of Newark bought the
meadow lands and undertook theii
reclamation it would cost at the rate
of 1854 per acre to improve them.
j The total cost of the improvement
of the 1000 acres would therefore b,
100000, exclusive of the cana
proposition. This wholesale plar
would in all probability cost the city
of Newark from $50. 100000 to SEQ, 900,
900, or more. The city's money would
be invested there. and the city woulC
be obliged to wait until purchaser
took the land and built upon 1t be
fore any returns would come to thu
city on the enormous amount in
vested.