New-York tribune., 1918-05-17
Lease of Pier SO.
Sold by Auction,
Brings S65,500
Bristol City Line Finally
Obtains 1t at Increase
of $5O,5OO
Court Action Pending
Counsel for Original Lessee
Announces That Suit Will
Be Pressed

l'h" lease of Pier SO, North River,
which the Sinking Fund Commission
first approved last April at an annual
rental Of $4,000 but later rescinded,
was sold Mt public auction yesterday
for $G5,500 The Bristol City Line.
which had leased the pier from the city
for the last eighteen years for $4,000,
was the successful bidder. 1t had
rented the pier at the expiration of it's
lease on May for one month at $1,000.
William M. Wemplc, counsel for the
Hudson Dock ard Terminal Corpora
tlon, whose original offer of 900 was
recommended by the Dock Commits
sioner and approved by the Sinking
Fund on April II, announced that his
company would press the suit now
pending to force specific performance
of the city's agreement last April. The
Hudson Cor poration did not bid ycster-
day.
After the Sinking Fund approved the
lease to the Hudson Corporation, the
Bristol City Line obtained an injunc-
tion from the Supreme Court restrain
ing the city authorities from leasing
the pier. 1t contended that the Dock
Commissioner had acted in bad faith in
not giving it an opportunity to bid for
renewal and made an offer Of $4,000
This is the frs. time the city has
sold a pier lease at public auction for
many yeara The Dock Commissioner
was unable to act as auctioneer, owing
to q meeting Of the Sinking Fund Com
mission. aud James Day. Of the firm of
Joseph p Day & Co., sold the Tease
from an improvised "block' outside Mr..
Hulbert's Office.
The bidding was spirited. Henry +.
Cochrane, a Brooklyn lawyer. made the
first offer-$40, 900. He said that he
was acting for himself. Then there
were bids Of 81 900 more from various
persons until Mr.. Day said that, the
Dock Commissioner had a standing
offer Of 100000. James Auditore, OF
James A. Auditore & Co.. stevedores,
who some time ago submitted an offer
Of $4,000. ran up the bidding with
Mr.. Cochrane until it reached $4,000,
when Cochrane dropped out. Then
George w. Field, Of Platt & Field,
counsel for the Bristol City Line, ran
the bidding up to $65,000 with Audi
tore. When Mr.. Field bid $65,500 Mr..
!Auditore announced that he was
through.
Dock Commissioner Hubert later
announced to the Sinking Fund Com
mission that Pier So had been leased
for period Of five years at an annual
rental of $65,5O0. Mayor Hylan wanted
to know if the bankrupt Occident
Dock Company" the concern through
which the Bristol line held the lease
of the pier for many years, was repre-
sented at the auction. Commissioner
Hubert assured him that this time it
was the Bristol City Line.
An expected controversy between
the Dock Commissioner and Controller
pier at the foot of East Fifth Street
to the Pawtucket and New York
Transportation Company, to which the
Controller strongly objected, did not
materialize at the meeting of the
Singing Fund Commission. The Con-
troller sents communication to the
commission questioning the financial
status of the proposed lessee, and stat
ing that he would ask the commission
to reconsider it's action.
The commission held long execu-
tive session before the regular meet
ing and then announced that the mat
ter had been referred to the Dock
Commissioner without comment. Com
missioner Hubert said that he would
lease the pier to the Pawtucket COM
pany as soon as the lease was drawn
and the required bond supplied. 1t
was understood that the members of
the Sinking Fund Commission, at the
behest of Mayor Hylan, had decided
to refrain from public controversy at
the open meeting and confine their
wrangling in the future to the execu-
tive sessions.