Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1920-02-12
Good News Read at Meeting Of
Pilots Commission Here
INITIAL FUND OF 100000
Other Important Waterway
Matters Taken Up--Co-Op-
eration Is Urged by Body

That a recommendation had been
made to Congress for the improve
ment of waterways connecting upper
and lower New York bay by the gov
Quoting q survey of these waters, was
the report heard by the New LeJrsey
Pilotage Commission at their monthly
meeting held here today.
The plan contemplates a. thirty foot
channel 400 feet wide from Lower
New York Bay. through Raritan
Bay. Arthur Kill (better known as the
Staten Island Sound) and the XIII Won
Ku'1 and south of Shooters Island.
The cost of the recommended i'm
provements will be $40 400, 900 and an
initial appropriation of $3.000.000 will
be necessary to finance the project.
The channel in Raritan Bay Is sup
ent although the fill since the last
dredging has lessened that to about
nineteen feet. The channel up Staten
Island sound Is at present thirty feet.
With the proposed thirty foot chan
ne! being dug through the local bay,
1t will be possible for large ships
drawing more than twenty-one feet
Of water. which at present cannot
navigate the shallow waters, to come
up from the lower bay through Rar-
itan Bay to this city and thence up
the Staten Island sound to Newark
Bay
The pilot commission was particu-
larly enthusiastic over this develop
mont. and made plans to continue it's
efforts to back these improvements.
The commission maintained that it Is
for the interests Of manufacturing and
the good of all the cities that will be
affected by the deepening of the Stat
en- Island Sound and Raritan Bay
And while the improvements will, In
cidentally, help the pilots, the first
consideration is not for them.
During the meeting this morning
two representatives from q large oil
refining corporation made their ap-
pearance to ask the advice and gain
some information upon the prospec-
tive improvements with the view of
establishing q large plant somewhere
on Staten Island. This course, which
1t is understood, Is decided upon, pro-
will mean the construction perhaps
Of at least five $4,000 barrel tanks,
on an area Of about two hundred
acres. The commissioners advised
the representatives that they are
strongly behind all such projects. but
not Very much can be done without
the staunch backing of the large in
dustries the merchants and the Cham
bers of Commerce in all towns con-
cerned. The two gentlemen We're rec
omnlended to start petition to be sign
ed by all the industries concerned, to
convince the Governor and legislature
that the sentiment for the improve
ments, the sincerity, of which. there
Is no question about, has a substan-
tial backing.
The commissioners themselves de-
cided to make arrangements for a
Joint meeting with tn local Chamber
OF Commerce and to which end. they
communicated with Secretary Hilton
of the Chamber of Commerce this
morning to make the necessary ar
rangementS.
The<6ther business of the monthly
meeting was formally gone through
and Secretary William Cox was au-
thorized to attend the meeting of the
River and Harbors committee in New
ark next week.
The entire pilotage was present at
this meeting. composed Of Benjamin
Van Note, president; William Cox,
secretary: John Predmore. Douglas
Haley, Alfred Delvin and Thomas
Gold'ngay.
Confer With Secretary Hilton.
Following the meeting of the Pilot
Commission at the pilot Office today
the commission held a conference
with Fred e. Hilton, secretary of the
Chamber of Commerce and offered
to get deeper channel from Sandy
Hook to this city and points on the
Raritan river. They also offered the
services of B. J.. Stumpf. their agent,
to get up statistics which the Cham
ber of Commerce can submit to the
War Department next week. The
members of the commission made il
clear that they were wi ling to come
before the Board of Directors of the
Chamber of Commerce at any time
and present figures showing the
amount of shipping done here and
what could be done if the port had
q deeper channel.