The sun., 1918-12-13
OPPOSE FEDERAL AID.
FOR HUDSON TUNNEL
Members of Senate Committee
Say Projects Elsewhere
Have Been Rejected.
COCKTAILS TELLS VALUE
Says Vehicle Tube Would Have
Been Great Aid in War
Shipments.
Special Despatch to TIE srS.


WASHINGTON, Dec. 12,-Federal as
pistance OF s6;ooo,o0o to build the pro-
posed vehicular traffic tunnel under
the North River was unanimously dis
approved by the Senate Committee on
Interstate Commerce to-day. This de-
cision was reached Immediately after
q hearing accorded Senator Calder and
the proponents Of the plan to have the
Government foot the bill Of construc-
ton for the 100000 connecting link
between Manhattan and the New Jer-
sey district.
The committees disapproval affected
only participation in financing the
project. It was intimated that the
bill with the appropriation feature
eliminated and either private construc-
ton or joint State construction sub
sHtuted probably would be reported
favorably.
The principal witness before the
committee was Major-Gen. George
Goethals, builder of the Panama Canal,
who had been called by the joint tun-
mel commission Of New York and New
Jersey to pass on the technical aspects
OF the project. Gen. Goethals said the
military value Of the proposed tunnel
would be highly important.
Would Have Helped Transports.
IF we had had such a tunnel the
Government could have expedited the
handling Of It's transports" he said.
such a tunnel would expedite the
handling Of mails also"
Gen. Goethals explained that he had
passed on the question Of whether the
New York and New Jersey shores
ought to be connected by bridge or by
tunnel. 81 decided against a bridge
because II would be an obstruction to
navigation" he said. "If destroyed in
time OF war 1t would block navigation.
A vehicular tunnel project would re-
lieve congestion where bridge would
not and fogs and ice would not be the
terror to traffic that they ara now"
Gen. Goethals's plan embraced tube
forty-two feet in diameter, OF concrete
block construction, with two tiers and
a sufficient width to allow three trucks
90 pass. 1t also provided for a foot
path. An engineering firm, he said.
had estimated the cost ut $12, 000, 900
and that ii would take two years to
build it. The yearly maintenance was
placed at $l25.ooo.
"This tunnel" he said, would re-
lieve congestion along the shore front
and II the proposed port development,
with large freight classification
yard on the New Jersey side. is fol-
lowed out 1t would bring material re-
lief in lighterage and other river
trafic, now very much congested."
Urged as Federal Utility.
but why should the Federal Gov
eminent help build this tunnel when
II refuses to help bridge and tunnel
projects for the Mississippi and other
streams?" asked Senator Kellogg
(Minnesota).
That is not for me to answer"
replied the General.
The plea for Government aid was
presented by E. w. Bloomingdale,
chairman OF the Joint State commit
tee, who urged that Federal aid in
tunnel building might be extended on
the ground that the tunnel was but
continuation of the national high
way system and an important factor
in the development OF mail routes.
'Oh, but you can say the same
about a bridge over the Mississippi"
said Senator Kellogg.
But the port OF New York Is more
than local in its utility" persisted
Mr.. Bloomingdale. 1T is q national
institution, surrounded by conditions
that put II in a class by itself"
Senator Kellogg told Mr.. Blooming
dale that these questions were only
OF degree"
Senator Smith (south Carolina),
chairman OF the committee, asked
why, If It would be made a paying
enterprise within twenty years,
private capital was not Interested?
why not Let McAdoo do IT." asked
Senator Kellogg with a smile.
THE tunnel could not be made to
pay to the extent that private capital
would demand" said Mr.. Blooming