The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-03-01
SHONTS OUTLINES SCHEME TO SOLVE
 PORT PROBLEMS

A plan for the development of the port facilities of New York, which carried with it a recommendation of belt line railroad for the transporta- ton of freight to a distributing point and the building of tunnels for the same purpose, was outlined yesterday afternoon by Theodore F. Shonrs, president of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company. MT. ShOnts spoke at a. special meeting of the New York Board of Trade and Transportation, which was called to consider 8 reporT which q special committee of that body had made on the proposed treaty between New York and New Jersey for the improvement of port condt- tions
 In outlining his plan Mir. Shonts de- c1ared that because of the costly port facilities her traffic which could come to this port Is being diverted to other ports. With all of its natural advan- tages. Mrs. Shonts declared, the city is not taking advantage of it's great opportunities in trade with the world.
 We find that American manufac- turers who desire to sell goods in for eign countries in competition with goods from such ports as Hamburg, Liverpool or London are faced with expense due to the unecononies of handling shipments in this port that puts them out of the race before they start" MT. Shonts declared.
 '"I Ie difficulties centre not so much on the water as on the land" MT. Shonts continued. ''It is primarily a railroad and wareh ousing problem, a question of doing away with lost mo- ton. If oceangotng vessels are to find berths, the river must be freed of tugs, floats and lighters, The number of i tugs and lighters now in this port is more than the vessels in all the nayies of the world; and three-Quarters of them are bringing to and taking away from Manhattan things that are not destined for or do not originate in Manhattan and should be kept out of 1 Manhattan"
 l MT. Shonts declared that TO per cent ! of the freight for New York comes over the six New Jersey railroads, and | therefore they are made the most inn | portant railroad factors. The plan for 1 the future of the railroads relative to i New York, he declared, must be made l to fit the plans of the port instead of ] the port plans fitting any particular | railroad.
 '@The railroads must be-co-ordinated l through the establishment of connect . mon yard without switching and ware house facilities to handle, classify and assemble freight. This is impossible le on the water front. Nature offers a good. suitable site on the Hackensack Meadows, where low costs of ground and of engineering developments with
 quick access to salt water and com
 bined. All the New Jersey roads could
 be linked up as a solid unit
 "A belt line railroad could be built within a radius of fifteen to twenty
 i've miles of manhattan, which would
 connect all the railroads, offering an
 economical method for exchange of freight. This should be one common
 clearing yard for Manhattan, Brook lyn, Staten Island, The Bronx, Queens and New England, and also for all
 ocean going cargoes.
 "As much freight as possible which does not have it's final destination in Manhattan, or does not originate in Manhattan, should be kept out of New
 York;" said MT. Shonts. 1.-TWO meth ods have been considered as a. means | of avoiding lighterage--a bridge across
 the Hudson and the use of tunnels. My own belief is that the tunnel is | better. As to the original cost, six
 tunnels can be constructed for the | price of one bridge
 The cost of upkeep, he said, would
 be much smaller with tunnels and an-
 other advantage is that tunnels could
 be built quickly, while a bridge would take years to build. Tunnels also pro-
 vide hexibifity in the handling of traf- | fic, whereas @ bridge does not
 | Freight business would be better done by tunnels. There should be two parallel freight tunnels along the river | A z,-fn Rf meeting New Jersey and New York
 could be built as needs develop"
 1 The report of the special committee appointed by the Board of Trade to | consider the proposed treaty for the l development of the port. New York
 and New Jersey to share the joint cost
 and joint authority. was voted to be received, but no action was taken as