Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1914-12-31
BYRNE SUBMITS
HIS CANAL PLAN
Would Have Lehigh Valley Sur
render Tract for a Mu-
nicipal Pier.

JERSEY CITY, Dec 51--When the
City Commissioners meet this after
noon, there will be presented by Di-
rector Of Streets and Public Improve
ments Henry Byrne, another plan for
the solution OF the Morris CanaLprob.
lem. Commissioner Byrne does moi
believe that the city has the interests
and rights In the two basins that
Commissioner Brensinger claims.
~ think the question should be ap-
preached in the spirit Of helping 70
solve the problem rather than in tho
spirit of hampering the solving of it,
said Commissioner Byrne.
His tentative plan calls for the ac-
quiring of that portion of the canal
lying between F'iddlers Elbow and tho
/ Hackensack river, the securing Of the
bed of the canal for the interceptins
sewer which will become necessary
, upon the construction of the sewage
disposal plant at Droyer's Point. Such
plan, he points out, would save the
cost OF purchasing a right of way,
would save money to. the taxpayers
! in the cost of construction, and tho
necessity Of building bridges would be
| eliminated.
The construction of u connecting
railroad along the Hackensack front
in connection with the plan OF deVel-
| oping that section as already pro-
posed by the commissioner, that rail-
road to link up the various railroads
and be controlled by the city under
municipal regulations, but operated
and maintained by the railroads, is
| also dealt with.
In exchange for the so-called street
! rights of the city in the Small Basin,
! Commissioner Byrne would request
the Lehigh Valley railroad to part
with tract of land at the corner Of
Essex and Dudley streets, whereon
would be built a city-owned pier. This
| pier, he points out, could be connected
up with the South Cove property, and
lead to the development of the prop
| erty in that section.
Commissioner Brensinger's plan for
the disposal of the Morris canal,
which was fully treated in the Eve
ming Star early this week, has aroused
quite little discussion and some
| criticism. Replying to his critics, Mr..
| Brensinger says
THE proposition of the Lehigh VAL
| ley for the canal abandonment Is one
of the most outrageous propositions
ever made by railroad company. To
carry it out would mean nothing less
| than the perpetuation of e gigantic
steal and the people of Jersey City
would be the victims. The only hope
| that the railroad company has of
carrying out the steal is the willing
ness of the people to get rid of the
| canal, which many consider a
nuisance. 1t has the nerve to ask the
State to present it with s4.000,000, the
value of the basins to which the Le-
high Valley now has no clear title
| and which 1t does not own outright
III any event.
Let me say two things: First, the
Lehigh Valley, while 1t may now de-
clare that 1t would never lease the
| basins under my plan, would be
driven by necessity to seek such a
lease IL my plan went through. Let
me say, in the second place. that II
| the Lehigh Valley were to decline to
lease the basins from Jersey City, we
| would be able to make even better
terms with the big freight steam
| ships that now have berths at the
Bush Terminal, In Brooklyn, and that
| would be glad to avail themselves OF
the opportunity OF. getting new land
! ing places in lower Jersey City Such
steamship piers in Jersey City would
| do much more to develop the city
than would the Lehigh Valley Rail-
road"