The sun., 1918-11-01
HUBERT FINDS
PIER SPACE WASTED
Being Used to Only 90 Per
Cent. Of Capacity, Says
Director of Port.
FUTURE NEEDS GEATER
Will Confer To-day With Rail
way and Shipping Director Re-
garding Immediate Relief.

kuIuIu& IulucuAutc hCiiCAs
on the eve, Of the conferences which
Murray Hubert. Commissioner Of Docks
and Ferries and Director OF the Port Is
10 have to-day with Federal officials and
the heads OF many steamship lines re-
garding the depiorable state OF berthing
and pier conditions here, Mr.. Hubert
felt impelied last night TO quote fa-
vorits saying OF Major-Gen. Goethals--
who also, It may be remembered. had
some Waterfront problems on his
hands for tlne at Panama
III you want to get anything done
you've got to have authority" runs the
Gosthais slogan which came to the Com
missioner's mind. Wherefore Mr.. Hull
bert, now that he has his long studied
plan of harbor improvements In ship
shape, intends to wade in and procure
the financial, official and public support
necessary to make his ideas practical
realities.
Since / assumed office" said Mr..
Hubert yesterday when asked about the
meeting to be held to-day. Il have re-
ceived applications from upward OF
thirty steamship companies either for
piers or additional pier space In the
port Of New York. The publication OF
my plan for waterfront Improvement,
covering four years and costing upward
Of Ss0.000,0o0, has caused many COM
paniss to renew their requests.
q Gould Handle Rail Capacity
.son Tuesday I was visited by repre-
sentatives of more than twenty foreign
and domestic steamship companies to
know what steps was taking to carry
out my building programme, They all
agreed that the facilities that were In
sufficient before the war were worse
now and unless something was done
hare they would have to seek port facili-
ties elsewhere. -"
.sff, the steamship companies we're af-
forded the proper facilities they could
handie more cargo traffic than the rail-
roads could deliver. which Is in direct
contradiction to the statement OF the
Federal railroad directors in divertine
shipments to other ports.
II informed the gentlemen that was
prepared to 80 before the Sinking Fund
Commission and the Board Of Estimate
ana Apportionment for the money neces-
sary within twenty-four hours after re-
csiving In writing a bona fde offer fol
the use Of the contemplated piers. pro-
vided they make the obligation of the
city eif-sustaining.
f''I could apply then to have these
bonds exempted from the debt limit Of
tho city. I expect to meet at 2 O'Clock
Tomorrow afternoon with A. II. Smith
United States Regional Director Of TIT
Eastern district. Mr.. Markham Of the
Allegheny district and Mr. Walker, Fed
erai steamship Director. mere.
rAoroughfares Bodily shut on.
81 am OF the opinion that the steam
ship and railroad companies under thu
guise of war protection have shut of
6odfly part OF our thoroughfarss here
thus eongesting trafhc space for storag
purpose. for which they are collecting
revenue. This ID wrong, and DO no
purpose that any of the 'city's land shall
be used for such purpose by any on
unless the city Is paid for such use
There's lot of barbed wire fencing II
position near our water fronts right nov
which easily can be removed. and thu
relieve water front congestion and he'll
out traffic" -
Mr. Hubert, now that he is ready =
swing into action. will infuse all the PEE
and enthusiasm for his Job and the cit
which Is the marvel OF his associates an,
all others who come into contact wit
his dynamic personality and aggressive
ness. He maintains ne has-and back
Up his assertions with facts and figure
Ia s100.o0o,000 Improvement ide
boiled down to a S20.o00.00O actually
which can be brought into being when
ever his plan receives the municipa
financial help necessary to It's develop
fnent and completion.
Ma Ira, CT 10 tha I,,rk
for channel and water front improve
ments has had the effect in some quar-
tiers Of the municipal government q
slowing up full hearted acquiescence o
the part OF certain meticulous city IA
TIERS your idea" say few of the timi
folk. Undoubtedly has a vast amount G
good in It but to bring about the -in
provements which you contemplte fc
the coming year alone would mean grea
labor, cost and other difficulty"
Work IL a War Necessity.
The Job OF licking the daylights OF
Of Germany" in effect the Director
the Port promptly replies, means sres
labor. cost and other difficulty. but 1t ha
TO be done, and whipping our port int
decent shape, not only for the great CON
unercia1 growth following the war bl
for our everyday commercial necessitit
right at this moment. is one with wiz
ming the war In that II also has to
done-not ought to be done. but has i,
be done"
As a basis for his statement of the al
! solute and immediate necessity of ge
ting TO work on the proposed plan OF in
provement Mr.. Hubert has. among 9th,
things, the unadorned statements OF u
big shipping men that they no longer ca
do business here. but must land the
vessels In other American ports unle
the port of New York Is promptly free
81 conditions which include inefficienC
OF pier management. pier wastage. riv,
traffic ANARCHY" inadequate birthiT
facilities. neglect Of dredging and Il
many other drawbacks which Commi
sioner Huibert's all embracing plan
Improvement not only seeks to end b
to supplant with modern equipment al
efficiency.
Details OF the Hubert general plan
\ such, for instance. as getting 100 p
cent. OF service out of existing pie
which now are used only to 20 per Ger
of their potentialities-can and will
taken up by the Commissioner imm
diately. In far larger sense the HI
bert Improvement programme 10 one
vision that looks not only into prese
needle, but especially into the great pro
lens which will confront an already 1
adequate port as soon as the certain al
tremendous expansion of post-bellu
overseas traffic begins TO seek admiissi,