The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-16
HUBERT PIER PLAN
SHUNTED BY CRAIG
Comptroller Injects West Side
Scheme Into Conference
With U. 8. Officials.
ALL DONE IN SECRECY
Dock Commissioners Efforts
to Build Up Ports Trade
Get Setback.

Dock Commissioner Murray Hulberts
plan to save New Yorks commerce 20,
q bad setback yesterday when Conn.
troiler Charles L. Craig managed 10 dl.
vert the attention Of the Board Of Egt,.
mate, the Sinking Fund Commissioners
and representatives of the United States
Railroad Administration TO his own IVES.
Side improvement plan. The result Of
mixing UP the two plans was delay 0.
course. and signs were not lacking tina.
the Mayor and Comptroller are private,
hostile to Hulbert's ideas and would l!,l
the plan II they can.
When the secret conference o! yes.
terday. which was made UP Of III.
Mayor Comptroller Craig, members u
the Board of Estimate and of the SIM.
ing Fund Commission and Of a Il
Smith, Regional Director of Pai,roai-
for the Eastern district: c. II. Marx.
ham. Regional Director for the Ale.
gheny district, and II. r. Walker r.
rector Of Coastwise Steamships e.
through with discussing the Hubert sn6
the Craig plans It decided to meet agar
December 4. This means that Connie.
sioner Hulbert's desire to get immed!at,
action toward improving pier faciltIs,
and relieving congestion is TO be ala.
plan Ia to be carried indefinitely int IT.
future.
Craig Drags In His own Plan.
The Craig plan for settling the Wes
Side problem by building a tunnel cor
tanning six tracks from Flfty-n.nt
street south to Canal street and by coz.
ering the tracks northward from FIT,
ninth street SO that Riverside Park coul
be extended to the marginal way had
business before the conference called 10
yesterday. 1t was dragged in by ma
strength by its own author. The nee.
ing was called to consider the Huber.
plan. The Comptroller's plan, injects
into the situation overnight. natural,
sidetracked the Hubert plan for a goo
part of the conference.
Apparently the Comptroller saw not
ing unethical in turning the meeting 70
his own plan rather than holding The
meeting to the purposes for which 1t Has
called. Obviously he desired t. get the
ear Of A. II. Smith. the railroad boss n
these parts. and about the only way tia
he could get Mr. Smiths attention was
on the score OF the Hubert pier idea
Mr.. Smith himself said yesterday after
noon that he had come to the City Hal
TO discuss piers
curious feature OF the contercn-s
was its secrecy. When the confer.
gathered members OF tire press, a str
nographer and secretaries Of some Of n
officials were In the Mayors receptlo'
ROOM The Mayor himself was uptow'
At that hour +. NJ SO Comptroli,
Craig took the head OF the table and
announced La lhe reporters and every
body not connected with the boards mus
take the air.
An Amazing Development.
This seemed amazing in view of the
fact that nothing In city administrat'o'
IL or more public concern and lntere.
than port development nothing morc
likely to produce interesting matter dus
to the public Subsequently an lnquir,
addressed TO Mr.. Craig as regards re4
sons for such privacy brought ircoher-
Ant resentment from the Mayor who la
stood otherwise silent while Craig q
he talking. Craig's explanation va
that the meeting was a conference" a.
that probably the Railroad Adu,~
tration representatives preferred pr.
vacy"
What happened came about to this
Comptroller Craig. having the first sat
as chairman of the meeting. got II.
West SIDE scheme before Region1 j..
rector Smith the very A II. Smith. CO.'S.
recalls easily. that Craig fought SO u'
terly when Smith was president II a..
New York Central Railroad an ofi',e h.
may reassume not improbably in -,
not too distant future. This episode W..
diverttng-Craig appealing for the A.
tention OF the man whose interests :
mad so rancorousiy attacked n wear ago
The Regional Director was sail I
have smiled from time 10 time dur..
Nae -
self TO nothing. Nor did Reg oaal y
rector Markham commit himself 70 ais
thing. Nor did the Steamship Direct,
give the slightest linking as TO the va
ne felt about matters. He left Yer
early. anyway. not too pleased at aay
ing been kept waiting an hour by a.
Mayor and the Comptroller.
Hubert Gets n Chance.
After the generalities OF tho C~a.,
downtown tunnel and upt0wa coye.a
way plan for West Side improy, r.
had been touched upon the co-scrss
came to Murray iiulhert's piers scheme
and for half an hour or more the Nu-.
Commissioners talked at full speed ts,.a.
to drive into the minds OF his collaag.e.
the necessity for getting something loa,
at once; trying to make them unle-
stand that New Yorks commerce (
standing still or shrinking while MAT o.
other Atlantic ports is growing 10y lear
ana bounds; trying TO make them go
that great shipping and steamship .'
terests are planning 10 move away --
less the city wakes UP in port drIr' .
ment matters, and pleading for a,H
action, action Instead OF DELAY He
all OF the details OF a well worked
plan before the conferees empAas.rr
the necessity for removing tile ~r...
steamers from their present North I.yr
terminal TO an East River terminal ,p7
tr!ng at the foot OF East Twenty Y
street lie argued heatedly and oa'-.
sastically
On the whole he was met coldIv or
with little sign OF support Craig h,
flaws In this and that. particular oh,
matter OF removing the Sound stea-"-.
phras'ng his objections az repres,.' .r.
the views OF business interests
Mayor. who didn't get to the Co0terrH
until after 8 o'clock, seemed 10 h4..
particular ideas about anything.
The whole discussion ended Wit ,.-'
ponement until December 4, an. ..r
everybody was instructed not n IA
about what had happened or wHN' BE-
been said in the powwow. Comm
sioner Hubert, who came out 81 '
secrecy red faced and pretty VIII ,}'
looked as II he would Ike - ..t.
talked, but he sald that Il hal no..
agreed that Craig was 10 review TN. No..
tails OF the conference for ire n'.""
Of the press.
TRADE BRBIEFS.
O.