Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1914-12-10
TELLS
Of NEW JERSEY
HARBOR NEEDS
Engineer Urges Federal Appro-
priations for Dredging of
Waterfront.

! WASHINGTON, Dec. 10. i B. F..
Cresson, jr., chief engineer of the New
Jersey Harhor Commission. dealt at
length on New Jersey needs for har-
Dor development at today's session of
the National Rivers and Harbors Con-
gress Mr.. Cresson sketched the rare
opportunity that New Jersey realized
was before 1t with the Improvement
of its water front, and made a great
impression in his appeal for Federal
funds to carry out the various pro-
| jects. Mr.. Cresson gave facts and
! figures to bear out his statement that
the Hudson river was visited by more
ocean giants than any other river in
| the world.
Speaker Champ Clark and Ave other
members of Congress were on the pro-
gram of the congress today. They in
cluded Senators Weeks, Of Massa
chusetts; Sheppard, of Texas; Smith,
of Michigan; Salisbury. of Delaware,
and Representative Raker, of Cali
fornia.
Speeches were called for by w. A.
Magee, former mayor of Pittsburgh,
Pa; A. S. Caldwell, of Memphis,
Tenn, president Mississippi River
Levee Associations; s. A Thompson,
secretary Rivers and Harbors Con-
gress; Perry A Randall, of Fort
Wayne, Ind, president Erie and Mich
igan Deep Waterway Association. and
A. B. Sutherland, of Lawrence, Mass,
member State Merrimac Valley
Waterway Commission.
"The development of the port of
New York should be of as much inter
est to the people of this country as
any other waterways or port ques-
tion," Mr.. Cresson declared in his
paper. 'It is well known that at the
present time New York is handling
more foreign commerce than all other
ports of the United States combined.
Statistics show that before the out
break of the European war New York
was handling about AZ per cent. of the
total foreign commerce OF the coun-
try, and this percentage at the pres
ent time Is largely increased. 1t
therefore is to the interest of the in
dustries of the country that the port
of New York shall develop along
economic nnes and hat the facilities
there should be such as to make the
passage of commerce as easy, as
cheap and as rapid as possible.
New Jersey is to the port Of New
York a good deal as the port OF New
York is to the United States. 1t has
been stated above that a large part
of the foreign commerce of the coun-
try passes through this port, and this
commerce must be received from and
distributed throughout the country
largely by the great railroad systems:
with the exception of the New York
Central Railroad and the New Haven
railroad, all of the great systems ter
minating at the port of New York
have their tidewater terminals in the
New Jersey portion of the harbor, and
New Jersey is the medium through
which this distribution of commerce
takes place. New Jersey, therefore,
has been used at important points at
the port of New York largely for the
liable frontage has been taken UP
with railroad facilities. Great
stretches of waterfront which might
be devoted to factories and warehous-
ing are now used as railroad yards
for the handling of commerce passing
through the port There Is probably
no port in the world where desirable
locations are in such demand. New
York receives enormous rentals for
piers on the North river and New Jer-
sey could do likewise If it could de-
vote its Hudson river frontage to
other than railroad purposes. Rail-
roads are generally 4 benefit to a
community, but in the case of the
waterfront of Jersey City on the Hud-
son river they have been q positive
detriment and hindrance.
New York More Progressive.
'It cannot hedenied that New York
has been far more progressive in de-
ve,oping It's industries and its water
front: New Jersey has lacked control
over its waterfront and this has,
therefore, been used to a great extent
to serve the better organized and ad-
ministered parts of the harbor in
New York.
New Jersey is vastly interested in
having a general railroad terminal
system adopted at the port OF New
Fork. without 1t and with the neces-
sites of the individual railroad COM
panies New Jersey can scarcely hope
to release it's waterfront on the Hud-
son river from railroad yards. With
| a general joint railroad system there
would come the opportunity to sub
| stitute for railroad yards steamship
piers and behind them warehouses
| and factories which could do business
with the railroads directly on their
sidings and not experience the delays
and drakbacks incident to the lighter
age of freight.
| "Such great companies as the Busf
| Terminal Company and the New York
| DOCK Company. lOCdted III DTOOklyI-
| the former alone bringing a popula.
ton Of some 10000 to its district and
paying taxes in excess of 81 900 day
show the possibilities about New
York harbor. With joint railroad
system in New Jersey similar termi
nal companies could locate in New
Jersey directly on railroad siding.
which would not be dependent upor
lighterage for every pound Of theii
| railroad freight as is the case will
the eomnanies above referred to.
New Jersey has now a commission
the New Jersey Harbor Commission
with power to act in the Interests
OF, the State. where before none exist
ed. It is ready and anxious to co
operate with New York in all ques
tions of port organization. New Yorl
has SO far not been able to adopt an
general port plan. but many plan
have been advanced in the past. ant
the Board OF Estimate and Appor
tionment of New York City are nov
CONSIDERING a plan for a general ter
minal railroad system.
Co-operation Is Necessary.
New York needs a railroad re or
ganization very badly in order t,
make better use and more economi
use of its waterfront. But New Yorl
cannot accomplish a reorganization
by itself; it must consider the condi
tions in New Jersey and the tw,