New-York tribune., 1921-06-07
Dredges Begin
Their Task i'm
Jamaica Bay
Development Work Started
When Murray Hulbert's
!. Young Daughter Presses
Button al City Exercises
Hylan's Praises Sounded
Mayor, in Response, Assails
Port Authority Program; !;
Craig and C,srran Absent

~
which has been the concern of city ad-
ministrasions for q score of years,
graduated from q 'Tblue print" stage
yesterday. when Miss Regina Hubert,
the fousteen-year- daughter OF Muir
ray Hubert, Dock Commissioner,
pressed an electric button and dredges
and piledrivers began actual work on
the new harbor. II future City Fathers
carry on the work to completion, it is
expected New York will have an ocean
terminal unequaled anywhere in the
world.
The occasion was marked by the
presence of Mayer Hylan and many city
officials, including the members of the
Board of Estimate. with the exception
of Comptroller Charles L. Craig and
Borough President Henry IL. Currau
of Manhattan, and large delegations
from various civic and commercial
bodies in Brooklyn. The exercises were
held on the first city pier built on ia
naica Bay three years ago at Mill
Basin, but which has been little used
because Of the failure to dredee the
channels and progress with the devel-
opment of the bay proper.
The Mayor, Dock Commissioner, AL
dermanic President La Guardia. Bor-
ough Presidents Riegeimepn Of Brook
lyn, and Connolly Of Queens, Henry
Al. Meyer, Deputy Commissioner of
Docks, known as the "Father of ia
maica Bay; Representative Charles G
Bond, member of the Rivers and Har-
bors Committee of the House, and Mel
son B. killrner, secretary of the Ja-
maica Bay Improvement Association,
delivered addresses. Addison Wheeler,
president of the Jamaica Bay Associa-
ton, presided. -
Shore Line, to Exceed Manhattan's
The work begun yesterday is the first
link in the main project and viii con-
sist OF the extension Of Flatbnsh Ave
nue. through to Barren Island and the
dredging and strengthening Of the Mill
Basin channel. The plans call for the
development OF the city's two miles Of
WATERFRONT north of Barren Island and
terminal facilities, including docks,
warehouses and railroad connections on
the upland of 1900 acres, also owned
by the city The finished project will
COST several hundred millions of dol
lars and furnish q shore line greater
than that of Manhattan Island.
The praises of Mayor Hylan were
sung byxmost of the speakers. One
went so far as to declare that he was
"the best Mayor New York ever had
and predicted four years more for Hiz-
zoner at the City Hall. Borough
President Connolly Informed the re-
sponsive crowd that the Mayors "suc-
cess in Office" had been<due chiefly tc
the fact that he possessed that rare
sense" The Dock Department bane
PLACED "Yankee Doodle' as the Mayor
rose to speak, and hundred police re-
serves joined in the. cheering of the
citizen auditors. .. .
The Mayor made vicious attack or
the new port authority, the joint New
York-New Jersey state commission
created by the last Legislature to de.
velop the Port Of New York He in
timated tAat it was a tool in the hand;
of the big railroad interests and was
chiefly interested. in the. development
of the fiat lands in New Jersey. After
maica Bay project and giving credit tc
Dock Comm ssioner Hurlbert and the
present city administration in pushing
it along, the Mayor said:
This new port authority will have
very little 20 do. | am at loss to see
the necessity for it's creation. In fact
its policies have nothing to do with ia
maica Bay or the development of the
New York waterfront, but is concerned
more Will tIlS uSNciOplIleilt OIL 4NCW JGF-
sey. The purpose of it is to mortgage
New York to develop the fats in New
Jersey. wonder why the people OF
Brooklyn and TIE other boroughs have
not walked up to this fact. Brooklyn
doesn't want it, Queens and the Bronx
dent want it,, and New York City
doesn't want it.
Not Interested in Jersey
"Just as soon as Commissioner HUI
bert began the active development OF
the port this new commission was
created. | understand they are in sym.
pathy with the railroads. They say
ws haven't done anything toward the
development OF the port | want to say
that we have done more in the last four
years that other administrations did
in forty years. We are not interested
in the development of the New Jersey
meadows by certain powerful interests
that want them developed We are not
prejudiced against New Jersey, but
want to say that we are not going, to
haye New Jersey developed at the ex-
rense of New York. We.are going ahead
to develop the Port OF New York ire
spective Of what anyone else may do
The Mayors remarks were cheered
Lewis H. Pounds, former Borough
President OF Brooklyn and a membe,
" VAC ilSW < Va <aNtiViity1 UcstAGu lIit
Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce dele
cation. He stood in the crowd and
was not invited to seat on the
csnopied platform, where the speakers
and fifty other guests were assembled
Mr.. Pounds has always been an active
worker for the Jamaica Bay develop.
ment.
Mr. Wheeler called for Conptrolle,
Craig as the next speaker. The Comp
troller was PACED but found missing
and Major La Guardia was introduced
He prefaced his remarks by saying
that he was not there in place of the
Comptroller. He said he was "very
careful and particular whom he repre-.
sented." The aldermxnic president
criticized the Shipping Board for in.
activity in developing o merchant
marine. Referring to the new Port
Authority he declared that "you cans
develop port when it depends on the
development of private property and
stimulating the trucking business"
Borough President Riegelmann, who
has fought consistently in the Board of
Estimate for the Jamaica Bay project
reviewed the history of the campaign