Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-08-14
MASS MEETING
FOR SHIP CANAL
Lewis Nixon to Be Speaker To-
night at City Hall
EXPECT MANY TO ATTEND
Project Is Boosted at Meeting
In South Amboy Last
Night

In South Amboy Last
Night
The first big mass meeting to be
held in this city to boost the canal
from Morgan to Bordentotwn, will be
held tonight at the city hall under the
auspices of the Intra-C Coastal Ship
Canal Association. The speaker of the
evening will be Lewis Nixon, Public
Utility Commissioner of New York
city. The association is anxious to
enlist the aid Of the public in general
to make the waterway a certainty and
SO all are urged to attend the meeting
All plans for the meeting have been
completed by the Inter-Coastal Ship
canal Association and it is going to be
one of the greatest booster meetings
ever held here. Mr.. Nixon, the speak
er, left Washington, d. c., this after
noon and will arrive here about 8
O'Clock tonight at which time the
meeting Starts. Although there will
be short talks by local people, the
greater part of the meeting will be
given over to Mr.. Nixon who will tell
of the necessity of building the canal
and will no doubt present New York's
side of the question, and tell what the
canal will mean to that city.
Due to the fact that Mr.. Nixon could
not arrive here early in the evening,
the drum corps will not take part in
the affair. The committee in charge
of the meeting had planned to give a
dinner and reception to Mr.. Nixon at
the New Packer House upon. his ar
rival here, but this has been can
celled. The drum corps was to escort
Mr.. Nixon from the Packer House TO
the City Hall.
During the meeting people will be
informed the way the association is
planning to get the project before
the towns and cities of the United
States so that these places will Coop
crate with them in boosting and de-
manding the canal. To date the as
socfation has received requests from
the Lumbermen's Association of Phil
adelphia, and the Metuchen Chamber
Of Commerce for speakers to talk on
the canal project. Both of these asso-
s, and they will be supplied.
Delegates will be present at to-
nights meeting from New Brunswick
and South Amboy.
To Arrange for Convention
A meeting of the three assembly,
men from Middlesex county, Andrew
J. Wight, Fred w. Devoe and Andrew
kirkpatrick, and Assemblyman Ar
thur T. Warner, of Union, will be
hSlo dt y ClOCh ILLS AFTERNOON III
Mr.. Wight's offices here to plan for
the Inter-Coastal Ship Canal conven-
tion which will convene here some
time in October. Much business of
Importance is expected to be accom-
plished by the four assemblymen
who are enthusiastic over the possi-
bilities of such canal.
South Amboy Boosts Project.
RaI Q410< SrJ sJoasA
SOUTH AMBOY, August LIT was
wet crowd and a wet subject at the
first meeting of which will be the
South Amboy chapter of the Intra-
Coastal Canal Association. The rain
was falling hardest at the time the
meeting was called to order, but 1t
did not seem to dampen the spirits of
the men who, intent to put this part of
New Jersey on the map.
The meeting was called to order by
City Solicitor Leo j. Coakley, who
stated that the purpose of the meeting
was to organize for the purpose of
boosting" the New Jersey Ship Ca
nal. He stated that owing to the
weather and the small representation
of business men present he thought IL
advisable to postpone organization for
at least one week. He thanked the
men who were out however. The
meeting was attended by practically
all the city officials, several business
men and few public spirited citizens.
The chairman introduced as the
speaker of the evening Senator Thom-
as Brown, of Perth Amboy.
Senator Brown opened his remarks
by saying that the reason that the
canal had not been constructed in for
mer years was due to the fact that the
project had lacked push" and the CO.
operation Of the entire people. He
stated that the proposed canal would
be thirty-three miles long. 1t would
bring New York about two hundred
miles nearer Philadelphia and be the
means of a great reduction in trans
portation. He urged the people of
this city not to think of the project
in local terms, although it was bound
to boost this section of the country,
but to lend effort to show the people
in other parts Of country just how it
will benefit the country at large. In
event the canal is constructed the Sem
ator predicted that the largest
wharves in the world would be con-
structed in South Amboy and it be-
come one of the most important ports
on the Atlantic coast, relieving New
York city's congested condition. He
stated that it was to be considered
from three different Angles-war,
commerce and national security and
insurance.
Mr.. Coakley thanked the senator for
his address and next introduced John
TenBroeck, of Perth Amboy, whom
he declared to be the war mayor"
Mr.. TenBroeck opened his remarks
by saying that our first duty was to
show the rest of the state that we
mean business. He agreed with the
Senator that it was not entirely a
local project, but he liked to look at
1T from that standpoint for the time
being. He told how the raw cotton
could be brought up to this city and
then distributed to manufacturers in
the east and made into cotton goods.
He urged those present to fight for
thirty-five foot canal.
The next speaker was Albert Leon
one of the leading merchants of
Perth Amboy and one of the most
public spirited men in the county, ac-.
cording to Mr.. Coakley. Mr.. Leon
said that the ship canal was the solu-
ton of the congested condition of the
eastern ports. He stated that ware
houses could be built along our water
front and used instead of New York
City. With the canal it would not be
necessary to transfer the freight in
New York harbor but it could con-
tinue on up or down the coast in the
same bottoms. He stated that con-
gress was fighting over the division of
China and a few other minor details
of no particular Importance to the
people of the United States at this
time. He said that 1t is nigh time
for the congress to settle down to
hnoinasS The kew IN the high cost