Perth Amboy evening news., 1914-12-10
TELL WATERWAY MEN
At CONVENTION ABOUT
C|TY'S ADVANT I AGES
Our Waterways Need Dredging
Is Claim Before Rivers and
HarboTs Congress - Needed
Improvements Pointed Out.
Special to the EVENING NEWS.

Special to the EVENING NEWS.
Washington, Dec 10:-New Jer-
sey is taking an active part N the
National Rivers and Harbors Con-
gress, which convened here yesterday
and will continue until Friday after
noon
An important paper was presented
and read by B. F. Cresson, Jr., chief
engineer of the New Jersey Harbor
Commission, who is here as one of
. the delegates representing Jersey
City. He said in part:
"The development of the port of
New York should be of as much in
terest to the people of this country
as any other waterways or port ques-
tion. 1t is well known that at the
present time New York IS handling
more foreign commerce than all 9TH
er ports of the United States COM
bined. Statistics show that before
the outbreak of the European war
New York was handling about At per
cent. of the total foreign commerce
Of the country, and this percentage at
the present time is largely increased
1t is therefore to the industries of the
country that the port of New York
shall develop along economic lines
and that the facilities there should be
such as to make the passage of COM
merce as easy, as cheap and as rapid
as possible.
New jerseys Important Part.
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.
Great stretches of New Jersey
waterfront which might be devoted
to factories and warehousing 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
Jersey could do likewise If 1t could
devote its Hudson river frontage to
other than railroad purposes.
Big Concerns Boost Population.
Such great companies as the Bush
Terminal Company and the New
York Dock Company located in
Brooklyn-the former alone bringing
a population of some fifty thousand
to it's district and paying taxes in
excess of one thousand dollars 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 sidings
which would not be dependent upon
lighterage for every pound of their
railroad freight as is the case with
the companies above referred to.
New Jersey has now commission
the New Jersey Harbor Commits
sion-with power to act in the in
terests of the state where before
none existed. 1t is ready and anx-
ious to cooperate with New York
In all questions of port organization.
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