Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-04-05
'OPEN HEARINGS
ON PORT PLAN;
RAILROAD QUIZ
Central, Lehigh and Penna.
Lines Are Respondents at
Hearings Starting Today
USE OF BELT LINE
From EdgeWater to Bayonne
Chief Topic for Initial
Hearing of Body

The Interstate Commerce Com
mission and the Port of New York
, Authority today began concurrent
hearings in the offices of the Port
Authority, IL Broadway, New York
City, leading to the effectuation of
the initial steps in the comprehen-
sive plan for the development of the
port of New York. proposed by the
| Port Authority ana adopted by the
states of New York and New Jersey
and the congress of the United
States.
In the present proceeding the Port
Authority is sitting in its quasi-judi-
.cial capacity with Division 5 of the
Interstate Commerce Commission,
which on its own motion is investi-
eating the New York terminal sit
uation, for the purpose of making
findings of fact upon which, if neces-
sary, appropriate orders may issue
governing the reorganization and
| unification of the railroad facilities
within the port district.
The following railroads, with
| many subsidiary roads of the trunk
| lines, are respondents in today s
| hearing:
| The Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany, the Central Railroad Com
| pany of New Jersey, Lehigh Valley
Railroad Company. the Baltimore &
Ohio Railroad Company Erie Rail-
/ road Company, the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna & Western Railroad Com
| pany, West Shore Railr DAD Company
| (the New York Central Railroad
Company, lessee); New York, On
tario q, Western Railway Company,
New York, Susquehanna &c Western
Railroad Company, Hoboken Shore
Railroad Company, New Jersey
| junction Railroad Company, Ma
tional Docks Railroad Company, the
New York, New Haven & Hartford
Railroad Company, the Long Island
Railroad Company, New York Con-
Meeting Railroad Company, the Stat
en- Island Rapid Transit Railway
Company, Erie & Fors Lee Railroad
Company, Philadelphia & Reading
Railway Company, Erie Terminal
Railroad Company.
The hearing today concerns the
joint use by the railroads of a belt
line running from Edgewater to
Bayonne, now in four railroad own
erships, but which during the waI
was in joint operation. This line is
| No. 13 in the comprehensive plan
and an integral link in the entire
project to provide service by all the
railroads to all sections of the port
julius Henry Cohen. counsel for
the Port Authority, this morning
outlined the whole program for port
! development. General George w
Goethels, consulting engineer of the
Port Authority, was the first witness
for the afternoon session. General
Goethels has been in constant touch
with the terminal situation and was
retained as consulting engineer by
the previous bi-staec commission and
later by the Port Authority. Mem
bers of the engineering and statisti-
cal staffs of the Port Authority will
later be heard and it is reported
that they will present material OF
very great concern to the manufac-
turers and merchants of the two
states and also having bearing on
the cost of doing business in other
uarts of the country.
The railroads are represented by
Francis Lee Stuart, as consulting en-
gineer, and by their respective coun-
sci and operating officials.
Traffic men from the merchants
association, the State Chambers OF
Commerce of New York and New
Jersey, the Chambers of Commerce
of Brooklyn and Queens, the New
York Board of Trade and Trans
portation, the Newark Chamber OF
Commerce and like bodies, will be
represented at the meetings.
(Condnued on Page Five)