New-York tribune., 1918-11-18
IN. Y. Mercha s
Ask Correlation of
Port improvements
Dock Com mis- sion err
Urged to Cooperate With
Development Commission

Commencing one part of Dock Com
missioner Murray Hulbert's plan of
harbor improvement and condemning
another the Merchants Association
has written to the Dock Commissioner
asking him to embark upon no port
development plan which has not not
been correlated with that of the New
York and New Jersey Harbor Develop
ment Commission. The letter is made
public to-day in the associations pub
licaton, "Greater New York"
William r. Wilcox, chairman of the
New York and New Jersey Harbor De-
velopment Commission, issued a state
ment yesterday to show that the re-
ported government plan of shifting
Gulf and other Southern ports traffic
from New York to Philadelphia was
not necessary.
The commendable part of Commits
sioner Hulbert's plan, the Merchants
Association declared, was the proposed
construction of new piers in Manhat-
tan, Richmond and Brooklyn. The spe-
cific objection was to the Dock Com
mssioner's project Of arbitrarily
CIdliS pldutiIlS Cnc OOuHO line piers
from the Hudson River to the East
River
Railroads Occupy Front
One of the principal reasons for ask
ing Mr.. Hubert to coordinate his plan
with that Of the interstate commits
sion was that the association believes
the occupation of so much Of it's water
front by railroads to be a prime cause
Of New York's harbor difficulties, and
it points out that the remedy lies out
side of the Dock Commissioners iuris-
diction.
Construction of new piers as sug-
gested by Commissioner Hubert, the
Mercahnts' Association admite. would
provide promptly much needed facli-
ties. The transfer of the Sound line
steamers to the East River, however,
the association declares, would hurt
the cotton, woollen and shoe interests
which had settled on the lower West
Side OF Manhattan in centres conven-
lent to the present piers of those YES
sells. Such a change, it says, should
not be made without consideration of
the interests of the industries con-
cerned.
Asks Correlation
'For the reasons outlined," writes
William Fellowes Morgan, president of
the association, in his letter to Com
missioner Hubert. eve therefore rec
ommend that, in your commendable eff
forts immediately to increase the city s
pier facilities, you do not enter into
any programme Of extensive change
until 1t shall clearly appear that the
changes proposed will be directly CO.
related with the more fundamental re-
organization of port facilities contem-
plated by the operations of the New
York and New Jersey Harbor Devel.
opment Commission"
Mr.. Wilcox, the chairman OF thai
commission, asserted in his statement
that the rail congestion given as the
cause for the proposed shifting O.
Southern sea traffic to Phiadelphit
did not actually exist at present; tha
as the government surrendered The
use of piers it had commandeered por,
facilities would return to normal, an(
that piers now under construction
would increase these facilities bevont
any degree attained in the past histor,
of the port.
Some Traffic Lighter
While the Lackawanna railroad wa.
handling more carloads than since
1914, Mr.. Wilcox said, the Pennsyl
vania, the Central OF New Jersey ane
the West Shore were handling less
This fact remained, he asserted, giving
figures to showt it, even excluding The
months of last winter when severe
weather and lack of coal brought
freight embargoes.
New York's share Of the foreign com
merce of the United States, said Mr.
Wilcox, had fallen from 52.76 per cen
in 1915 to 44.68 per cent in 1917. Three
Of four great railroad feeders wer,
operating below capacity. Established
trade routes were not being utilizet
to the utmost
"If relief from congestion is needed ;
the statement continues, "and the fig
ures do not uphold this contention
then the relief should come 20 rail
roads whose business is equal to o,
greater than that of previous, years
rather than by further dverting busi
ness from railroads whose busines,
has materially decreased,