Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-03-24
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BOOSTING THE RARITAN.
We quote the following from last
lights New York Evening sun:

We quote the following from last
nights New York Evening SUM-;
Representatives from various New
Jersey municipalities, in a recent
meeting at Perth Amboy, have
launched the Raritan Terminal ana
Waterways Association. The object oil
this organization is to promote the
deepening of Rarltan bay and river,
the extension of railway terminals TO
Perth Amboy and the development at
that point of a great port for ocean
going This, 1t is claimed,
is made necessary by the present con-
gestion in the lower New York harbor.
This is not the first attempt TO de-
velop at Perth Amboy a rival port to
New York. During the colonial period,
and in the years from 1876 to 1883,
the good people of north Jersey re
scented bitterly the necessity of bring
ing In all their foreign imports by
way Of the neighboring city. And THIS
resentment was greatly heightened by
New York's action in placing on
these imports very heavy customs
duties. tho incidence of which 1t re-
Quired no great amount Of acumen
for the Jersey farmers to see rested
squarely on their shoulders. AS
Pennsylvania was using the port or
Philadelphia in the same way TO tax
tho people of the southern counties.
New Jersey became, in the words OF
Madison, like q keg tapped at both
ends.
at Is not surprising, then, that the
state should have tried to free Itself
from his unfortunate situation by de-
V%eloping its own ports. And so laws
were passed during the period OF the
confederation discriminating galnst
New York and Philadelphia, and es-
tablising ports at Perth Amboy and
Burlington. Streets'were laid out, piers
planned and bouutles offered to YES
sells ~dlsCharging and taking on car
goes at these points.
whether or not this movement
would have been successful, and riy-
ais to New York and Philadelphia
built up in New Jersey, it is hard to
say, bat with the adoption of the
Constitution and the consequent abo-
Gition of all state tariffs, the whole
plan collapsed. Ii now remains to be
Seen whether the Raritan association
can accomplish for Perth Amboy what
the eighteenth century legislators
failed to do, by Transforming 1t into
Il port of first importance for great
ocean going vessels"
1t is up to the people of this vicinity
to prove that we can accomplish for
Perth Amboy what the eighteenth
century legislators failed to do. This
Is truly the only strictly New Jersey
port. Jersey City. Hoboken and New
ark are swallowed up in the port of
New York. They cannot escape it.
likewise Camden is merely a part of
the port of Philadelphia. But here
In the middle of the state is a great
arm of the sea running many miles
directly into the heart of New Jersey.
Nowhere else can the state ave q
port thai is strictly her own. 1t Is
time this fact was impressed on the
legislature at Trenton. If New Jer-
eey wants to develop q port, let at
tention be given to the Raritan bay
and river so thai the development
will be for the full benefit of New
Jersey instead of merely being an
adjunct to the ports of New York or
Philadelphia.
AS the Evening Sun points out, this
was destined to be a great port in the
early days. There is more reason than
EVER today why this idea should be
carried out.