New-York tribune., 1921-03-16

solete. They did. it is true, lengthen
tie piers to accommodate the great
ships, but those who did that did not
stop to think that with the immense
more freight that would have TO be
handled it would even be necessary
to make the piers wider
But on the comprehensive prob
lem, which is much more than the pier
problem, nothing has been done, so far
as know, except talk. until this joint
state commission was created. Now,
say that twenty years is certainly long
enough to wait before the state should
step in to exercise it's powers in a
matter of such grave consequence. AS
3 matter of fact, the City of New York
Is unable alone to solve this problem.
1t can be done only by the exercise
OF state powers, and with Federal
powers added to that, and if the city
administration, assuming that it had
the comprehension to grasp the prob
lem. were to start out upon some con-
structve solution of the problem the
first thing it would have TO do would
he to come to Albany for additional
power with which to solve it,"
Mayor Hylan and other city officials,
including Corporation Counsel O'Brien
ard Comptroller Craig, who had come
to Albany to oppose the port treaty
bill, did not attend the meeting in the
Executive chamber, but learned of the
criticism heaped upon them by the
Governor after it was over.
An attempt by Comptroller Craig to
voice his opinions of Governor Miller's
frankness during the hearing before
the Finance Committee did not mate
rialize when Senator Charles Hewitt
chairman of the committee. cut him
short, saying that it was irrelevant to
the case at hand. Comptroller Craig
did not get any further than expires
on the city officials" by the Governor
and other advocates Of the bill.
Mayors Speech Is Brief
The speech made by Mayor Hylan
was brief.
"The City Of New York" he said,
"mig ight as we'll return It's charter TO the
state if this bill goes through. The
people of New York are getting tired
of having their city run by commis
sions.
"The Bronx Park and the Public
Service commissions nave done nothing
mand that this leg; station be defeated.'
"The city has carried on it's port de-
velopmeEt,' he Continued. without this
artificial authority which would put
the city in a straitjacket. You would
make this proposed commission q Dis
trict of Columbia in itself and give it
the right to exploit New York Ci5y's
port in the interest of such railroads
as want to develop their own proper
ties"
Notice that the constitutionality of
the bill, in the event of its enactment,
will be questioned BEFORE the courts
was served by Corporation Counsel
o 'Brien.
The proponents of the bin were
headed by William R. Wilcox, mem
Der of the Port Development Commis
sion. and Julius Henry Cohen, counsel
to the commission. The various organ
izations represented and their repre-
sentatives included the following: j.
Barstow Smull, chairman Of the Com
rnittee on Harbor and Shipping; J. C.
Lincoln, of the Merchants Association
Of New York; William F. Mcconnell,
New York Board of Trade and Trans
portation: Arthur Murtha, Harlem
Board of Trade; Raymond V. Ingersoll,
City Club of New York; j. Bernstein,
he Fifth Avenue Association; Walter
T. Arndt, the Citizens Union; Joseph
E. Kean, Central Mercantile Associa-
ton, and also representatives of the
Troy and Rochester chambers
Of commerce.