Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-01-26
wnsHINcToN STREET AND CITY PLAN

Z Lack OF a city plan is being brought home lorclDy u 'e
7 State Street Improvement Association, just as 1t mas peeh
3, and will continue to be brought home TO every orsan~auoh
that is interested in the welfare of Perth Amboy as long as
I The city continues to middle along without any dehhl'e loea
. for the development of the municipality.
h Under our present method of doing things every effort
Y On the part of industry to enlarge its plant and increase us
\ business, every contemplated improvement such as the elm
nation of grade crossings, or the establishment OF docks ana
warehouses is baked, making it necessary to fight opposl-
lion to every step of progress that is proposed. Instead oil
!, .o-operating for the advancement of the city as a who'll we
I 1mll and haul, work at cross purposes and make 1t as hard
! q possible to accomplish anything worth while.
] Having fought the Standard Underground Cable Company
: with every means available in an effort to prevent it expand
ing so as to give employment to more men and increase It's
output, we find that the fight now turns on the Perth Amboy
Dry Dock Company. 1t is always fight, fight, instead OF help
ind co cooperation. This is no way to advance the city.
The crime that the Perth Amboy Dry Dock Company
IS accused of is its desire to increase its railroad facilities so
is to do a greater business thereby beneGting the city not
only by employing more men, but by attracting here a line
OF trade that would come in no other way.
OF course. the rights of the city must be protected. That
4 IS the first duty of the Board of Aldermen or any other public
i official. If Perth Amboy had a comprehensive city plan these
rights>as we'll as the interests of the industries located mere
would be carefully considered from every angle and there
i would be a harmony of action that would be advantageous 10
3 all.
Lacking a city plan, it seems, the only thing the officials
or civic bodies can think of is to fight every move That IS
made Instead of fighting the Perth Amboy Dry Dock Com
tany over the proposed tracks across Washington street, Tor
instance. why not go into conference with the company Iii a
| spirit of fair play and h%elpfulness to see II some agreement
/ cannot be reached whereby The dry dock company can be
!. assisted and at the same time the rights Of the city safe
! guarded? Much more is going to be accomplished for Perth
i Amboy by a friendly, helpful feeling than by antagonizng
! and fighting all>the time.
In the case of the Perth Amboy Dry Dock Company few
people realize what this concern means to Perth Amboy.
: Starting in a comparatively small way many years, IT mas
grown and developed until it is now one of the largest marine
Yards on the Atlantic coast. Hundreds of skilled mechanics
are employed and the large number of boats brought here
Cor repairs means a vast amount of business to the mer-
chants. This industry, like others located here, desires to go
: on growing. As it does so it causes Perth Amboy to grow.
The State Street Improvement Association is banking
strongly on a ferry at the foot of Washington street. No
doubt such a ferry would be beneficial to the city. But is
such a ferry possible under existing conditions?
The Staten Island Rapid Transit now controls the fran
: chise at tbe foot of Washington street. If it should contem-
plate transferring its Perth Amboy terminal from Smith
street to Washington street, it would have to have more
room than merely the width of Washington street in order
10 build its ferry slip. The Smith street ferry slip extends
out on private property on both sides, and that slip is none
leo large.
a city plan expert would have it all worked out in a most
thorough manner so that the city would know exactly what
was the logical development for the foot of Washington
Street
Had a city plan been adopted when the Evening News
first agltated sucn a move the loot ii washington oueo'
would have been provided for and it would have been the
duty of the city officials to see that the plan was carried out
Then the present situation would not have arisen.
There are other city problems that are being neglected
{ today in exactly the same way. After it is too late, perhaps
The CITY will wake up and find it has lost its opportunity to dc
spmething really worth while.
This Washington street matter ought to be considered
absolutely on its merits and without prejudice; not wha1
would be a good thing to do if conditions were different, bu
what is possible to do with things as they are. Before start
ing any Gghkthe city officials would do well to get together
& with the dry dock and the Rapid Transit officials with az
idea of cooperation and helpfulness and in an effort to dc
whatever is best for the interest of the city us a whole. In
cidentallv. the city should have a comprehensive plan so tina
all these municipal problems can be worked out CAREFUL!
& before hand. Then we could have real co-operation insteaC
Of the everlasting fighting thai has So retarded the progress
p@ the cityin the past