The sun., 1918-11-03
HUBERT SPEEDS Big
WATER FRONT PLANS.
improvements Calling for
S2O,OOO,OOO Will Not Put
City in Debt. n
INTENSIFIES PIERS USE
Details Laid Before War De-
partment-DOck Property
to Be Reclaimed at Once.

The whole splendid scheme evolved by
/, Dock Commissioner Murray Hubert for
the alienation of archaically impossible
farbor and waterfront conditions might
be said. 80 far as active prelimtnaries
are concerned, TO have jumped into high
third speed yesterday. The Commits
eioner divided a day of pep between lay
ing lesser but important details before
the War Department at Washington.
comforting with Federal regional direc-
tors and with the heads of steamship
lines and finally giving his personal at
tention TO assurances from local steam
ship men that they would begin at once
20 clean up the litter OF junk which now
makes much valuable pier acreage worse
than useless.
Generally speaking the plan which
Commissioner Hubert now has worked
out 10 the final Ifs, ands and butts en-
braces a programme OF harbor and pier
Improvement which carries with 1t an
expenditure of s1o0.000.ooo. The Com
missioner Is one with the municipal
watchdogs of the city treasury at least
20 the extent of recognizing that so vast
q sum cannot be spent while military
America and her allies continue to carry
on. The permanent part OF the harbor
Improvement scheme, which soon must
be brought into being II the port Of New
York is to retain it's maritime trade and
remain a port of the first class. must
therefore await the coming Of peace.
Plans for Improvement.
Judging from the recent news coming
out of the uproar abroad. the day when
the city can begin work on the great
permanent Improvement plans OF Com
missioner Hubert Is not so far distant
. as Il seemed when the Commissioner,
several months ago. yanked on his coat
and buclaed down to the job of perfect
ing the development programme which
the CITY perforce will tackle when the
war is finished. But whether the bigger
phases OF the work are delayed by war
lasting weeks. months or years the
obvious fact has presented itself always
! 60 the Dock Commissioner that in the
meantime the plan for Improvement
must be well brought forward, regard
less Of length OF time the actual work
\ must wait. -.
wherefore Commissioner Hubert for
the time being has kept the 100000 5000
part OF his plan somewhat In the back
around, 30 far as present day personal
activities are concerned. Instead he has
dcnned only enough fighting clothes to
enable him to carry on battle TOT WV
!, zoo, 900, also an impressive sum. but TO
: be spent not in a moment or Immediately
but throughout a period stretching
through 1918. 1919. 1920 and 1921.
80 Such four year expenditure the
<ommissioper has reason for belief will
= obtain for the port and city vastly
rraat ter shipping facilities that are inn
soeratiye. will bring about lessening
Of congestion in harbor and river front
tarfic and simultaneously will make
sreater the income which the city re-
ceives annually through its shipping
Industry. .-.s .....-
eas "Pay ms You Go" System.
mi OF immense importance in the eyes OF
: fhe champions OF the Hubert improve
ment plan Is the fact that the Commits
sioner has 80 arranged his s20,OoO,0OO
programme that II will not put the city
IN debt, the plan including pay as you
20" method and a system of self main
tenance The Hubert idea Is based on
the idea of starting out with an eXpendi-
ture or s1e.000,0oO this year, sum
which Borough President Smith agrees
with Commissioner Hubert is not too big
TO devote to the work in view this year.
but is far from being approved by Con-
troller Craig. The United States Ship
ping Board and commercial bodies heart-
fly approve the plan.
When Old Father Knickerbocker starts
out to do even necessary spending he
must always keep in mind that the total
debt mourning power OF the city WITHIN
the Iebt limit. Is 10 per, cent or the as
sessed valuation Of taxable real estate
which by the assessment of 1918 Is
$S35.964,2s5.10.
The debt margin on the last date or
which II was computed, which was last
April, was s57,s35,5+7iS.
OF this amount there is a balance OF
reserve for dock. port and terminal I'M
rrovements of 1857 266.13.
The unencumbered authorization for
dock, port and terminal improvements
Is now 81 ,oo5.512s3.
There are other authorizations against
the debt margin OF $51.935.5474S. Wher
these are deducted II Is found that the
whole unreserved margin which may be
spent by the city for any municipal pur
pose amounts to a net sum of s26,529.'
( 1884.
Solving OF Problem.
N may be seen at glance that Il
Commissioner Hubert had to depend or
this unreserved margin Of s26, 1888
for the millions the city must use OF
dock DEVELOPMENT his chances OF goint
ahead Immediately with his programme
would be less than slim. But he has ap
proached the problem from another
angle
II is the law that all property which
can be determined to be self-supportini
Snay be taken out of the municipal deb
limit by the Appellate Division. provid
ed the city authorities make such ap
plication to the higher court In THU
way the debt margin may be increased
by the amount of the bonded debt stand
ing against a specified improvement
And Commissioner Hubert has facts an'
figures 10 prove that his department ha
n sufficient amount OF self-supportinI
property now In the debt limit to ex
Deed his present $l0.0oo.o0o needs.
The general plan OF improvement
which Commissioner Hubert intends L
night for with his customary vim ant
pep IL not. he argues. merely munici
nal development which would max
things pleasanter all around 1t Is pro
Gramme so vitality necessary that II
is not adopted the commercial suprem
acy of the port OF New York Is doomed
Crying Need for Piers.
There is a crying need for more piers
but TO build the piers now so necessar
would take a year. The Commissioner
temporary $4,000, 900 plan" therefor
csntemplates an intensified use OF pier
now in existence. As one phase OF thi