Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-10-20
THE PORT.

NEWARK Is mdklns raplu Striues To-
ward becoming a great seaport in
spite of her handicaps. Newark bay
at the present time is little more
than flooded meadowland with a
shallow channel through it. Yet
Newark, with commendable enter
prise, has proceeded to spend mil
lions of dollars developing the water
front along this bay and now, tired
Of waiting for congress to act, the
city is contemplating deepening the
channel so as to make 1t possible for
large vessels to reach her docks.
During the war a great terminal
was built on the shores of Newark
bay and Newark is doing everything
to retain this terminal. The corpora
ton that leased it has decided to
stay. 1t has already established a
direct steamship line between New
ark and Cuba; there is another reg
ular line of barges operating be-
tween Newark and Buffalo using the
Hudson river and the New York
state barge canal. Now another line
running from Newark to South
America is about to be launched.
Many of these vessels, in order to
use the terminal at Newark, ship
only a part of their cargo at the
dock and then proceed to upper New
York bay where the rest of the cargo
is brought along side from Newark
in lighters.
But the point is. Newark is forging
ahead as a seaport and does not
hesitate to spend millions on such a
waterfront as she has. realizing hat
the money thus invested will return
to the city many times over in in
creased business.
Here in Perth Amboy, with a
matchless harbor and a direct fair
way to Sandy Hook, less than twenty
miles distant, we are doing compare
lively nothing toward building up
our city as a port. That we could
furnish better water facilities than
Newark furnishes today is apparent.
We have failed to develop any ter
minal, however. that will attract
shipping. If the city would spend a
million dollars, or even half a mil
lion in building suitable docks. it
would not be difficult to get steam
ship lines to come here. In fact,
shipping interests are crying for
more room in the vicinity of New
York for the rents there are driving
them away. Once the development is
started we could go on improving our
harbor making 1t second to none on
the Atlantic coast. and it could be
done at half the expenditure needed
to make Newark or Baltimore real
seaports.
Perth Amboy needs some big men
with vision to take hold of this mat
ter and make a real port of the city.
One time we were considered a likely
rival for New York. The metropolis
far outstripped us. Now Newark is
forging ahead with commendable en-
|terprise that has always marked that
city.
Here. indeed, is a big task for the
reorganized Chamber of Commerce
and it can accomplish big things If
the people will stand behind the or
Iga~nization. giving it the support 1t
ought to have. A live Chamber of
Commerce. such as the reorganized
body promises to be, can get assur-
ances as to shipping coming here and
then it will be up to the city to pro-
vide the terminals.
AS for the channel up the bay,
that will come soon enough once We
have the shipping knocking at our
doors. Already we have over nine
teen feet at low water at the shallow
est part of the channel which is far
better than Newark a boast Of.