Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-08-03
WHATS THE MATTER WITH PERTH AMBoY?

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Amboy has been falling behind as compared with other
places was not known until the official figures as compiled
by the census bureau at Washington were published last
Saturday.
Perth Amboy has not stood still during the five years
covered by the census. The growth here has been 81 per
cent. But this growth is so small in comparison with the
increase in the value of factory products in other places that
it has caused Perth Amboy to drop from eighteenth place to
thirtieth. This is some setback.
1t is true that nearly all the cities, particularly in New
Jersey, show a falling off in the value of factory products,
but none of them has taken such a tumble as has Perth Am
boy. Out of eight New Jersey cities included in the census
tabulations only two have moved up the list. These two are
Newark and Camden. Newark which formerly ranked thir-
teenth in the country in the matter of value of manufactures,
now ranks eleventh. Camden has jumped from thirty-third
to thirty first. This puts Camden still below Perth Amboy,
but it shows Camden steadily gaining while Perth Amboy
is falling off.
The only cities in New Jersey that still lead Perth Am
boy in the value of their manufactured products are Newark
Jersey City and Bayonne. But Perth Amboy formerly led
Bayonne by a wide margin. Whereas Bayonne used to hold
twenty seventh place among the cities OF the country, Perth
Amboy was in the eighteenth position. Bayonne now has
dropped from Twenty seventh to twenty eighth place-only
one-while Perth Amboy comes tumbling from the
eighteenth place down to the thirtieth-two under Bayonne.
Keeping in mind that Perth Amboy has dropped twelve
places, the census figures show that Jersey City has dropped
only six places, Paterson falls one place and Passaic five
places. Trenton shows a drop of thirteen places being one
I more than Perth Amboy has dropped, yet Trenton shows a
net growth of 1855 per cent. in the value of her manufac-
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per cent.
While Perth Amboy may still take pride in the fact that
this city still ranks ahead Of such places as Paterson, Passaic,
Camden and Trenton, it is evident that something must be
done to boost Perth Amboy if the city is not TO lose still more
ground. What is the remedy and how is is to be applied?
There are but two ways whereby the value of manufac-
tured products of a city can be increased. Either there must
be more industries adding to the variety of products and in
creasing the number, or in the industries already established
must be permitted to grow so as to increase their output.
There have been no new industries of ay size to locate
in Perth Amboy for some time. In fact, the city has lost
two, the roofing plant of the Barber Asphalt Company which
was burned and was rebuilt in Woodbridge township, and
the United Lead Works which was burned and has not as
yet been rebuilt. What is the city doing to bring new indus
tries here? Why is it impossible to get the people of the
city together in some civic organization such as the Chamber
of Commerce is supposed to be? Petty knocking, fault
finding and Indifference have prevented such movements
from succeeding, yet it is through the activities of these civic
bodies that the city is advertised and boosted. How long
are the people of Perth Amboy, including the business men
and manufacturers, to continue this attitude of personal
likes and dislkes, which prevents a getting together for the
benefit of the city as a whole? Other cities are forging ahead
and Perth Amboy is dropping behind because of the lack Of
civic pride and enterprise on the part of her citizens.
But still more important is the attitude of the govern
ing body of the city toward such industries as Perth Amboy
already has. Even when local industries want to increase
their facilities so as to add to the value of the manufactured
products of the city, the Board Of Aldermen will not let
them. The manufacturers have to fight for everything they
get here instead of having the cooperation and support of
the city. The efforts of the Standard Underground Cable
Company to secure sufficient railroad sidings so as to in
crease the size of their plant and thereby add greatly to the
value Of the products of that concern alone, are thwarted.
The dry docks could secure contracts for the construction
of large vessels if it had the railroad facilities it asks for.
The Roessler & Hasslacher Chemical Company has an enor-
NOUS building standing practically idle on the waterfront
which could doubtless be utilized to increase the value of
the output of this enormous industry if the aldermen would
show q little desire to help rather than hinder in the way of
furnishing railroad facilities.
Perth Amboy is going to continue to drop behind as
long as this a%ntagonism to the local industries continues.
They are going to do their developing elsewhere. Perth
Amboy is the loser. The city has already dropped from
eighteenth to thirteth place among the cities of the country
in the value of manufactured products. AT the same time
this city shows the smallest percentage of gain of any of the
seventy-seven cities mentioned. 1t is time for Perth Amboy
to wake up, change her tactics and do something really
worth while for the community.
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