New-York tribune., 1921-12-14
Port Authority
Appeals to City
Against Hylan
ssSound Horse Sense Alone
Needed to Prove Value of
Development, Sphinxes
Are Told by Outerbridge
Public Opinion to Decide
Commissions Sole Desire
Declared To Be Improve
menE That Benefits All

The Sphinx Club entertained the
Port Authority at dinner at the Wal
dorf-Astoria last night and devoted the
entire evening to discussion of port
development. Eugenius II. Outer
bridge, chairman of the commission,
was the guest Of honor.
In prologue to the speaking there
appeared the spirit of Henry Hudson,
which said that it had watched the
growth of New York for 300 years, and
was glad to see that the town was now
waking up to the possibilities Of it's
harbor.
Mr.. Outerbridge began his speech
with reference to the charges made
by Mayor Hylan.
You gentlemen no doubt saw on
Monday morning the scare headlines
that three horrible bandits. one of them
known as Al Smith, former Governor
of the state, and two accomplices,
Lewis H, Pounds and your humble
servant, were stealing all New York
City's piers and docks and getting
away with them across the boundary to
New Jersey-a 100000 600 getaway"
he said II rubbed my eyes and at
have arisen because of the temporary
absence Of Commissioner Enright on
vacation, but on further reading I saw
that the Mayor himself claims to have
detected the bandits and to have de-
feated the hold-up, thereby proving
that he is the best of police commits
sioners.
Eager to Protect City
"The bandits, understand, will pre-
sent an alibi when they are arraigned
at the bar of public opinion We of
the Port Authority have no controversy
with the municipal authorities of New
York, on the contrary, we are just a
keenly interested in protecting and
facilitating the improvement of the
eity's property and interests as they
are. 1t is altruism on our part, as we
earn no salaries and would lose nothing
if we were discharged, but, on the con-
trary, would gain the personal advan-
tage of being able to attend properly to
some of our personal affairs"
Mr., Outerbridge continued:
"We have grown amazingly in spite
of neglect of port planning because of
the natural advantages afforded US,
but in doing so we have created points
of congestion which check the easy
flow of commerce, limit our capacity
ana entail neaVy expense.
Think of this port to-day, with
75,O00,000 tons of rail freight, with
45,000000 tons of steamship freight a
year, with 5000 steamships entering
or leaving the port yearly, with an
unknown and almost incalculable local
water-borne commerce, with a manu-
featuring output in volume and va
riety unparalleled anywhere else in
similar area. with 100000 people
to be housed, clothed and fed-then
let your eye run over the largest body
of sheltered waters of any port in the
world, with 500 miles of shore front,
much of it undeveloped, and then give
your imagination free play; think of
its being capable, under proper de-
velopment, of handling commerce and
industry tenfold their present dimen-
sions and population in proportion, and
won't your sound horse sense tell you
that the Port of New York is the
greatest advertising proposition the
world has ever known ?'i
Scattered Authority HurtfuI
Ignorance, the complexity of the
subject, scattered authority and ad-
herence to old customs were the chief
obstacles encountered, Mr.. Outerbridge
said, and modern scientific metho
must be demonstrated to cure them.
Other guests were Lewis H. Pounds,
B. F. Cresson, William Leary. Eric H.
Palmer DR.. Sidney Mezes, Robert B
Adamson, Darwin P. Kingsley and
William Fellowes Morgan Collin Arm
strong presided. Irving Flood led the
singing.
Letters were read from Governor
Miller of New York and Governor
Edwards of New Jersey.