Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-03-27

million and half for 1917, is there
included the franchise tax?
Yes, taxes of all kinds.
Now, gentlemen, 1 come to what /
think is very important feature of
this whole matter, and that is the
Government requests at the present
time. AS you all know, the Govern
ment has a large number of enter
prises of one character and another
within our territory. The Government
regards, and 1 think we all agree
rightly, that the shipping program is
the kernel of success in the war. Any
one who has any doubt about this
subject, would suggest that they read
Maj General Leonard Woods testi-
mony given only yesterday before the
Senate Committee on Military affairs,
he having just returned from the
front, in which he demonstrates with
all his peculiar force and ability that
the two absolute needs are large num-
bers Of men to reinforce the French
and British armies, and larger num-
ber of ships, relatively speaking, to
carry these men over, to furnish
them with supplies, and to furnish
our Allies also with supplies. He
says the shipping program is the first
prime requisite of the whole matter.
He says with. sorrow that our Allies
abroad, though not blaming us, are
disappointed at the slowness of our
program, and earnestly hope that the
first few months of the second year
of our being in the war will produce
moro material results than our best
efforts have been able to produce up
to date.
Now, we have been for two or three
months in negotiation with various
arms of the Government. I say 1t
with no spirit of criticism of the Gov
ernment, because large bodies Of that
character, especially embarking upon
a vast, colossal new job, move at
times in rather bureaucratic fashion
and perhaps different officials tread
on each others toes. But that is be-
ing ironed out, and the situation has
resolved itself down SO that within the
last two weeks or ten days we know
pretty well what the Government
wants of us, both electrically, and
more especially for this proceeding, in
the railway matter.
In the contemplation of the figures
which l am about to relate, you must
bear in mind that everything costs
| double A car that used to cost $500,
modern standard type Of car, now
costs $12,500 to $4,000 or $4,000 and
deliveries are almost impossible.
Last year, our budget contemplated
ltlc OI one dIu
fifty new cars, fifty open cars, one
hundred closed cars, fifty of which
were to be made by ourselves In our
own shops-when 1 speak of cars ir
that sense, l mean car bodies-and
fifty, the contract for the other fifty
was let to the Cincinnati Car Company
We made our open car bodies, and dur
Ing the year we got those fifty cars
upon the street, somewhat delayed
but within a reasonable time Of the
expected day. We made our owr
fifty closed car bodies, and got those
fifty cars with the apparatus that goes
under them, upon the street. The f1t-
ty cars from Cincinnati, twenty-five for
the Southern Division, and twenty-five
for the Northern Division, were tc
have been delivered early last fall or
early In the summer. They were not
finished by the Cincinnati Car Company
quite on time, but the company's de-
lay was not so consequential. From
last September until now, those cars
have lain, completed, in the yards OF
the Cincinnati Car Company in Cincin-
natl, they and we being unable to
move them on account of the freight
congestion. In the last few weeks
they have come struggling along until
they now are practically all here. By
the time the twenty-five cars got down
to Camden, we had q fire in our car
house that burned up eighteen Of ouI
existing equipment SO we were not so
very much better off after the arrival
of the twenty-five. 1 simply cite that
as an illustration of the very great
difficulty we are under in procuring
new equipment.
Now, to return to the needs Of the
government in the railway alone-and
l want to also interpolate another fact
in addition to the double cost of all
material, that some Of the large sums
here mentioned, are expended by the
fact that when power Is required, II
gets into large units, and large ex-
pense of money, because our system Is
so laid out that we cannot tack on to q
well laid-out station with big units
little jerk water electrical unit, big
enough to handle perhaps the short
railway extension, or the additional
number of cars especially desired for
that one purpose; but it is necessary
for us to develop our station along well
thought out engineering lines, and
when we break the back of the power
we have, and have to have a new unit
corresponding in type to the others In
the station, it Is big unit and runs
into large money.
To fill the government demands, and
demands is not the word-to comply
with the Governments urgent re-
quests for help, will involve a total ex-
penditure of s6,64S,043 at present alb
normal costs. These extensions are
briefly as follows:
The Shipping Board say they musi
have transportation that can be pro.
vided by us and us alone to Port New
ark Terminal. There has been under
negotiation, q contract for the con-
struction of a line from the present
terminus of our so-called Bergen Line
In the Essex Division, in the lower
section of Newark, now terminating
at the foot of Chestnut street, am
mistaken. The proposed extension Il
from the end of the Hamburg Place
trackage, down Hamburg Place, thence
either over Doremus Avenue or O priv
ate right of way which we happen tc
own in that vicinity, to Avenue r
and thence southerly along Avenue r
over the new viaduct being built across
the Oak Island freight yards Of the
Pennsylvania and Lehigh Valley Rail.
roads, and so into Port Newark Term.
inal.
With that there is involved the build.
ing of a short piece of track in Gott.
hardt Street, Newark, from Chestnut
Street to Hamburg Place, so as to con-
meet up with the Hamburg Place line
about to be extended to Port Newark
Terminal, the Bergen Line terminal
ing now at the foot of Chestnut Street
Resulting, and between the two lines
making an elastic connection from all