Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-05-21
BIG THINGS COMING

& Mayor Dorsey's veto of further street paving in this city this
year is well taken in the light of facts as presented by him in his let
ter accompanying his veto. While municipal improvements are not to
be.discouraged and the paving of streets is me of the most commend
able things that a city can do, the fact remains that there is other work
to be done and if a few streets are cared for each year, particularly
during such times as these, it ought to be sufficient.
AS the mayor well points out, the city is rapidly approaching its
aebt limit. 1t is time to take heed The condition of the county fur
aishes an example of what happens when the debt limit is reached and
here is a desire to make further necessary improvements. An ehort
20 get the legislature to permit the freeholders to exceed the debt limit
has fortunately failed. There would be no end to the expenditure
ef money by some public officials if there were not a limit somewhere.
Perth Amboy is already paving three or four streets this year. 1t
B work well worth while. But that ought to be sufficient for the
present. There are other important matters pressing. The city is on
the eve of great developments. Some of us have not yet come to realize
the Importance Of these things. Because they are not purely local
projects we fail to grasp their full meaning and are inclined to give
them but little consideration. "ff"
The commission appointed by the states of New York and New
Jersey is planning to bring a belt line railway here. This is one of the
greatest projects in the whole country today. 1t means the unlhcatlon
of the port of New York and will link Perth Amboy up with the
metropolis so that docks, wharves and industries here will be as con-
yenient to the great trunk line railways and the shipping piers of the
rans-Atlantic steamships as those of any other section of the metro
poitan district.
The ship canal project across New Jersey is thoroughly alive and
will be pressed before congress during this session. There is strong
backing for this work and there is every reason to believe that it will
be a reality before very long. The state highway commission is going
to build a million dollar bridge across the Raritan river at this point.
We have our soldiers memorial that must not be lost sight Of, the dc.
mand for parks is growing and there is the reservoir to be built
There is just so much money to prepare for all these things and to
carry out these city improvements. If we go on at the present rate
we will soon reach the cty's debt limit and then when truly big pro-
jects are upon us and we see a great opportunity for developing the
city in conjunction with these big projects we will be bound hand and
foot because the debt limit has already been reached.
1t is time to look into the future of the city and plan for the big
things that are sure to come. Wake up, gentlemen, and be ready to
grasp the opportunity for making Perth Amboy a great metropolis
Now is the time to plan for things really worth while. The duty
today is to get a city plan to include not only the street paving and the
grading of new thoroughfares, but to include every phase of NUM-
cipal development. Until such a plan is available we should go slow
on how we use up the borrowing capacity of the city.
We want all the street paving that we can get within reason, but
there are other important things also. The city can well afford to rest
with what is already under way and get a plan fol-. the entire devel-
opment before proceeding further.