Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-10-15

ton in its final plans suDmltteo 70
the legislatures this winter. Several
| sections of the port are already ag-
itating that the free zone be located
with them. This committee main
rains that the logical location for
such a zone is on the south shore OF
Raritan bay and 1t hopes to convince
the port authority to that effect. The
/, endorsement of your body is desired
/ 10 assist In securing II.
oTwo things. then, gentlemen, we
ask of Won tonight: First, that you
go on record as favoring the expend-
iture of at least one million dollars
at once on waterfront development;
that a commission be appointed by
you to take the whole matter under
advisement and report at the earliest
possible time, and that you have a
York Authority at its hearing Octo-
Der 21 TO tell them Of the action you
have taken.
second, that you formally en-
dorse the plan to have the outer belt
line railroad extended TO New Bruns-
wick and along the bank of the Rar-
itan river to Perth Amboy. also the
plan to have a free zone within n
port located on the south shore OF
Raritan bay.
Elm conclusion. gentlemen. may
we remind you that the situation as
we see it now, is similar to the situa-
ton which existed a little over 200
years ago when discussions were
freely held as to which port should
be favored by the British authorities
at home: the Raritan bay with Perth
Amboy as the main city or the port
of New York with New York City
as its main city. The interest of the
East Jersey proprietors could not be
aroused, Notwithstanding some sharp
appeals from colonists and settlers
along Raritan bay and Raritan river,
with the result hat appropriations
were made for the development of
New York to the detriment of Rari-
tan bay. We claim that the situa-
ton today is somewhat similar be-
cause the port of New York Is so
congested that the first task OF the
Port of New York Authority Is to re-
lieve the congestion. which means
thai incoming and outgoing freight,
importing and exporting freight,
destined to other points than New
York City must be diverted to other
ports. The New York members of
the port authority from the advisory
standpoint are making a strong bid
for Jamaica bay and Staten Island
and New York has spent $6.000.000
to obtain at these two points the
freight which will be diverted from
New York City proper. The city of
Newark has also made a strong bid
for that freight and has spent over
one million dollars in improvements
along the Newark bay waterfront.
In the meantime Perth Amboy is
still asleep and no appropriations-or
any plans for the future develop
ment have yet been considered,
1--WE might also add that. such
cities as Wilmington, Delaware and
Camden in our state, are spending
millions at the present time building
municipal wharves to attract ocean
shipping. Neither of these places
have anywhere neal the facilities
for ocean shipping as Perth Amboy
possesses.
I'VE come here tonight to beseech
you to look this situation in its right
light and to warn you that for many
years to come, nay, for many gener-
atoms, the future development of
Perth Amboy will depend Of the
action taken by you now"
City Engineer Morgan F. Larson.
the Republican candidate for sem
ator, was present at the conference
and praised the project highly. He
said that the city would be able to
finance this big water front develop
ment project for where there is a
will there is a way" He pointed out
two ways of financing the UNDER
taking. the first of which would be
increasing the valuations, this now
being urged by the stat taxing off,
Gals. and the other way would be
to amend the Pierson act so that
the city would be permitted to in
creas its bonded Indebtedness to go
ahead with this revenue producing
water front improvement.
when I take my sea- in the SEN
ate the first of the year." Mr.. Lar
son said. my first bill will be to
work to that end so that we can go
ahead with this big project. I ia
vor action to improve Raritan Bay
and Raritan river all the way to New
Brunswick and pledge myself to do
everything possible to get these i'm
provements for Middlesex county,"
Jean du Bots, president of the
Raritan Terminal and Waterways
Association and active Chamber of
Commerce worker. spoke briefly but
forcibly. He pointed put that the
congestion in New York harbor must
be relieved. Other places must be
developed to handle the shipping.
Perth Amboy is one of the most
desirable, he said, and can get this
business If the city wakes up and
acts at once. The city went to sleep
200 years ago, he said. when it was
possible to nave secured the shipping
business which went to New York.
Don't let us go to sleep again."
he said. Now is our opportunity
to act. We can make Perth Amboy
a greater city. What are we going to
do for ourselves?"
Alderman John J. Clark
ed his intentions of f~avoring the
proposed project and said he had
always acted in favor of waterfront