Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-03-17

choice when the final showdown came but TO
vote for the bond issue. creating an enormous
state debt in order to finance New Jerseys end
Of the work.
Now the same tactics are being used to bind
the people of New Jersey to the New York har-
Dor development project. A bill is now pending
in the legislature that would bind New Jersey
to some form of joint action. No money is in
volved in this bill. it is merely to get the state
on record as favoring cooperation with New
York. the same as was done in regard to the
tunnel and bridge. Pressure will then be brought
to bear on New York, which has the most TO
gain by such development, to have that state
proceed with the understanding that New Jer-
sey. being committed to the project, will do her
part in carrying out whatever plans may finally
be adopted.
While the bill now pending in the legislature
does not commit the state to any definite plan,
the fact remains that the New York-New Jersey
Port and Harbor Development Commission,
which has been studying the matter for two
years, has recently submitted a voluminous re-
port recommending a plan involving an esti-
mated expenditure of $500, 900 and which is
largely for the benefit of Manhattan. Whether
or not this plan furnishes the best solution no
one is in a position to say. The report is too
and the time is too short TO go into
it properly. It is reasonable to suppose, how
ever. that once the two states are committed TO
the project this report will be followed In more
or less detail.
But New Jersey ought to know exactly what
it is going into before it even binds itself to a
project in any form. As former Attorney Gem
eraI Robert H. McCarter said at a meeting in
Jersey City recently. suppose there were a treaty
between New York and New Jersey for the de-
velopment Of the port Jointly, and suppose
something were needed for the development Of
Jersey City. Bayonne, or Perth Amboy; an ap-
peal would be made to congress for some money
for necessary harbor improvements; the con-
gressional committee would at once refer those
making the appeal back to the port development
with the result that it would be
found that all the money available for harbor
development in this vicinity was tied up for
years to come in constructing a tunnel to Staten
Island or South Brooklyn or the building of
warehouses and electric railways in lower Man
haitian.
1t is very plain that New Jersey has the big
end of port development at the present time.
With the exception of the New York Central.
all the trunk line railroads terminate on the
Jersey shore. If the millions of dollars that
would be spent in benefitting Manhattan were
to be spent in deepening the water and con-
s~tructing terminals on our own shores New Jer-
sey would be far more benefited.
Those who are urging the joint action in har-
Dor development are trying to cause a scare by
saying that if the two states do not get togeth-
err and solve this problem themselves the federal
will step in and do 1t independent
of the states. Judging from the meagre ap-
propriations that congress has been willing to
make for the harbors and waterways of this
that it will experience such a change of heart
all of a sudden as to appropriate hundreds of
millions OF dollars for the benefit of New York,
especially when every other port in the country
is so Jealous of New York and is doing every
thing it can to get the commerc away from
this section.
There is no necessity for New Jersey to act
with haste in this matter. The port development
commission took two years to study the PROPOSE
tlon, yet the people of the state are given hard
ly two months to say whether they approve of
the idea or not. Joint action in the development
of the port may be a good thing. but we have
got to be shown. Perth Amboy. being included
IN the metropolitan district, and yet being on
the extreme outer edge Of the whole district that
is to be developed, certainly has but little to gain
and stands to lose a great deal The least we
can ask is sufficient time to thoroughly consider
the whole project.