Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-09-22
PROGRAM FOR THE RARITAN DISTRICT

In deciding to advocate a free port" zone in
and the extension of the belt-line railroad sys-
tenn to New Brunswick along the Raritan river,
the advisory council Of the Raritan district Of
the Port of New York Authority has fixed upon
q program that all municipalities in this section
can &c behind and push to the limit.
These two projects are fundamental. With a
free port zone on the south shore OF Raritan
bay, which is the logical place for it, industries
are bound to spring up all around 1t as we'll as
within the zone itself, for that is what the zone
Is for.
With the belt-line railroad touching at New
Brunswick and extending along the shore of
the Raritan river to this city, industries are
bound to locate all along the route where they
can have both first class railroad facilities and
water transportation as well.
Naturally, with these two projects accom-
plished, deeper water would follow. Raritan
bay could then demand a thirty-hve foot chan
mel up from Sandy Hook to the mouth of the
Raritan river and fifteen feet of water from the
rivers mouth as far as New Brunswick. With
chips coming to this section to take advantage
OF the Tree port anu 10 mdhe u IL AuSAh~
ties that the belt-line railroad would give. the
water would have to them.
Few people realize what a free port" really
means. The advantage to every community
hereabouts is hardly appreciated. Winston's
Encyclopedia gives this definition of a free
port"
"A harbor where ships of all nations
may enter on payment of a moderate
toll and load or unload. Goods may be
stored at first at free ports without pay
ing any duty; the goods may then be
either re-shipped for export on pay
ment of a mere transit duty, or admit
ted on payment of the usual customs OF
the country"
But this does not do the free port" Justice.
A free port zone Is a certain territory OF a
few square miles bordering on deep water set
inside by the government where raw materials
aFaaS.Fenter from other countries, be manufac-
tured into finished product and re-shipped with
out any duty being charged on the raw material
that is brought here. 1t means the establish
ment of great industries within the zone which
means the employment of thousands of hands.
This creates a demand for homes, communities
are built up and an enormous business develops.
The benefits spread for miles around.
The fact that congress has declared In favor
ct free ports in the United States, and the TACT
that in making the plan for the development OF
the Port of New York the port authority has
deemed it wise to recommend that a free port
zone be located within the port, makes it per-
fectiy feasible for the Raritan bay interests to
put up the hardest fight possible to have the
zone located on the south shore of the Raritan.
There are numerous reasons why it ought to
be located there. and there are few. II any, rea-
sons why 1t ought not to be located there. ex-
cepting the petty jealousy of other sections OF
the port that might want to hog" everything
in sight.
The advisory council of the Raritan district
of the port has started out well. With the right
kind of support from the municipalities that II
represents it ought to be able to accomplish
something really worth while.