New-York tribune., 1922-12-26
Young Boswell
InteUiewS
Alfred E. Smith

BECAUSE ne q GovsrHor-tisci Of New
York,
he goes info oMcs on yonHarV I,
hs uas G0vernoY o. Nsw York from
1918 70 1890.
hs was ones prssidsui Of ne Board oi
Aldermen,
Ne hoe keen ssnss Of kumor.
The nsw Gorsrnsr. IN bropn spii
ond striped b-vtpH orarot, eat by the
toindow. A secretary saf a a desk iH
tAs corner, opening The food Of Morning
leticrs. 4 odHary eAirped IN ths opp0-
cite viHdor, and there ras a hgs
pitcher Of udtty on ths tabb.
AL sMITH-whs. do you wan. 70
know7
Young Boswell-T should like 20 know
what stand you are going 20 take on
the transportation question, on prohl-
biuon and what you think Is n model
government
AL SMITH, don't want 20 talk
about my program until after my mes
sage on January 3, and don't Intend
10 tell you how ! stand on any OF
these questions. That's what all the
newspapers want 20 know, and
couldn't tell you without telling the
others, but | might say something
about the port plan. | am prompted
10 speak by a Newspaper article | read
this morning. Washington has notified
the authorities that they must unity
the water fronts In New Jersey, follow
ing out the first principle set forth IN
tho comprehensive plan. A unified
water front leads 20 the necessity Of a
tunnel under the Narrows, 20 hook up
the trunk lines coming into New York
from the West with those coming In
from the East, in order that the freight
may be kept moving without costly
floats, and that industry along the
water front Of Brooklyn and the Bronx
may be fed without tho use Of floating
property. The tunnel and the trunk
lines, further, will make possible the
development Of jamaica Bay. giving
that region direct connection with
every railroad entering New York.
he turned his cigar aud looked at Il
questionin1lv.
There's no greater problem than the
| port problem presented with all the
natural handieaps we have 20 over
come. These handicaps are responsible
] ANA hAf NNNhNNNANH VI NAANAN WM NANM'
| haitian Island below Forty-second
Street Freight In less TIM carload lots
coming from the West and consigned
10 Brooklyn, has to be transported hy
carts across Manhattan Island and
across the bridges into Brooklyn. The
trucking business Ia vitally Effected By
this condition. A great loss grows .ou'
Of delivery. The records Of the United
] Tw...f.Nra. CrraAwaNfrn ard ~ -
operating men, made 20 me during tbs
last year, show that each truck de
livers on an average Of only two load
day. And the loss in operation b
such that the rates must Of necessity
be high, and that adds considerably q
the cost OF business.
Years ago, when l worked FOR Z
truekmsn, We trucked oil In barrels fo
20 cents a barrel. With the presen
congestion and delay oceasioned by !,
unless n truckman can get 80 cents 1
barrel, he can't make 81 a day with
team.
Young BoEwell-How about the
motor trucks
AL siITH-A motor truck Is no more
i efficient below Fourteenth Street thar
I a kfAAlE anu NH - ANAH NAAR - 80"
/ do better by twice 10 pay for itself
and 4. can't do Il with the congestion
and delay AZ the terminals. The open
Ing Of the yehieular tunnel viii be o
/ great relief 20 the port. as II will per
/ nit trucking directly from Jersey
/ doing away with the delay az pier fta-
tions. Trucking from pier stations Is
/ very costly. The piers are narrow
and when TRACE Is lively they 're
glutted up with 10. L. is not unusual
for truekmen 10 report that they have
had 20 wait FOR three or four loufs 70
deliver or receive a load.
All less than carload lots should %
delivered by the railroads. In that
way trucks can be loaded over night
and the small packages put down at
the destination Of the consignee. That
system Is being worked In a Western
city. and should be done here. In
fact, the government was about %
order Il done during the war. for .e-
lief OF congestion, when the armistice
was signed.
One OF the greatest wastes Of doing
business in this port Is the loss ~
motion and the use o. ita equipment
10 less than capacity. Several OF the
railroads have under consideration
what is known as eontainer car, com
ing apart In units, 10 be put on a motor
truck and delivered without 80 much
handling. All Of tho difficulties have
mentioned will in a very large measure
be relieved by the final carrying out
Of the port plan. All Of New York's
serious problems come from her enor-
nous growth in a short time. Prob
ABLY no other city IN the world has