The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-27
PORT AUTHORITY
PLAN DISAPPROVED
New York Board Of Trade and
Transportation Decides
Against Treaty.
COMMITTEE OPPOSES 1T
Members Report That This
State Would Be Hampered
by Scheme.

The New York Board of Trade and
Transportation heard yesterday the re-
port OF special committee appointed to
study the proposed treaty between this
State and New Jersey which provides
for port authority" representing both
States and with practically absolute
powers over all shores OF the harbor, and
voted to oppose the adoption OF the
treaty as II now stands.
The treaty" born of the present un-
satisfactory harbor conditions and OF
the necessity for their immediate I'M
provement Is the the offspring OF many
minds and many interests in each OF the
States II most concerns. 1t has not yet
been presented to the Legislature or
either State, but in its tentative form Is
under consideration by committees Of
the Legislatures and by various COM
nittees representative Of commerce and
industry
After a hearing on the treaty in this
city two weeks ago. at which Gov. Smith
and Gov. Edge OF New Jersey discussed
IL with other speakers, the Board OF
Trade and Transportation appointed a
committee to study 1t and report to the
meeting yesterday.
Basis of DisapprovaI.
The committee based its disapproval
on the fact that in its present form the
treaty invests the port authority" with
too sweeping powers and authority. The
committee reported that the treaty aims
to take from New York the power to nix
charges for the use Of transportation
facilities within the State unless New
Jersey agrees to the amount of the
charges, and In other respects fails to
leave New York free to initiate, adopt
and carry out measures deemed to be
for its own benefit within the State.
The Board of Trade and Trsnsporta
ton held that while the treaty was un-
| satisfactory as 1t now stands 1t merited
further study and consideration before
presentation to either Legislature.
The committee also made a report as
| to the plan now before Congress for
| deepening the channel from the ocean.
through the upper bay and into the
| Hudson. saying:
ALREADY, so far as concerns Greater
New York. the best plan yet visualized
| for the improvement Of our splendid
| harbor has been adopted by this board
and Is now pending in Congress. That
| plan provides for the continuance OF
the channel, broad and deep. from the
open Atlantic through the upper bay
and into the Hudson. thus to benefit
1
as Manhattan.
| ut provides also for like channel
from the Battery TO the Sound to ac-
commodate the enormous traffic Of the
| greatest tidal strait OF the world. and
| by removing the distractions in the
Harlem Ship Canal. for water trans
portation between the Great Lakes and
New England through sheltered waters
! by way of the Cape Cod Canal.
Would Increase Values.
while this plan is not in accord with
what Is wanted by some New Jersey
| interests II will increase values in Man
haitian and throughout New York city
| by millions of dollars.
| "Bi-State control. as Is the wont OF bi-
partisan control. is likely 70 fall into
| compromise and bargaining. commonly
share and share alike. and failure, dis
satisfaction and controversy hereunder
| may we'll so shatter the carefully con-
structed but fragile plan as TO bring II
down like house of cards"
| Among the speakers at the meeting
| yesterday were ]. Spencer Smith, vice
chairman of the New York and New
Jersey Harbor Development Commits.
sion: f. H. Outerbridge. also a member
of the commission; Calvin Tomkins, for
merly Commissioner of Docks and Fer
| r!es Lee kohns and Theodore P Shonts
| Mr.. Shonts made long speech to the
effect that subways capable of accom-
modating freight cars and trucks under
| the Hudson River, under this city and
all along the water fronts made the only
feasible solution of the problem of han
| ding commerce arriving at this port
both from abroad and from the interior
Of this country.