Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-11-28

The Staten Island Rapid Transit,
which is controlled by the Baltimore
& Ohio, having become about as
lad as er, railroad that pretends
to cater to the public can get, must
make Improvements or cas- to exist.
In a sense, however, the Balti-
more e. Ohio is not entirely to blame
for the outrageous condition on the
island as far as transportation is
concerned. In the first place, un-
der the law the railroads on the ISL
and have got TO be electrified by
January ! 1926. This will require
, all steel cars and a complete change
in the present system. Naturally
it cannot be expected that the rail-
road will spend much money on the
present system when 1t is to be aban-
doned so soon. The railroad COM
pany can, however, keep their cars
and their etations cleaner than they
are. Their appearance today is dis
gushing for decent people to enter
them.
As a matter of fact, there is rea-
son to believe that II the city of
New York had done it's full part,
the conditions today would not be as
bad as they are. It seems that sew
eral years ago the city took ol err
by condemnation proceedings some
of the property owned by the Balti-
more & Ohio at Clifton. At that
time the Baltimore &c Ohio promised
the mayor and other officials of
New York city that when the city
paid for this property the money
thus received would be Immediately
expended for new equipment on the
Staten Island railroad. Up to the
present time, however, the railroad
company has received nothing in the
way of payment for the land taken,
hence an opportunity to get new
equipment on the Staten Island
Rapid Transit has been lost.
Furthermore, the Baltimore &
Ohio stands ready to proceed with
its new development to conform with
the coming changes, but is unable
to get any satisfaction from the city
officials as to what is required and
what the city proposes to do. The
idea is to run all steel trains direct
from T~ottenville through the tun-
mel under the Narrows and thence
possibly through the tunnels under
the East river into the heart of
Manhattan. The railroad officials
have already taken this matter up
with the city authorities, but the
clty's plans, it seems, are not slrfil-
GENTLY developed to work out a
definite arrangement.
There is, too, a great deal of I'M
developed land LONG the shore OF
Staten Island that could readily be
developed for commercial purposes.
A few Industries are scattered along
the shore, but the Industrial life IS
nothing to what 1t could be made
through proper agitation. The Bal
timore & Ohio has made it known
hat it will gladly furnish the neces-
sary railroad service for any manu-
facturer who desires to locate In
that section. Much of the future of
the island depends on this develop
ment. Yet it is as a residential sec
ton that Staten Island can best be
developed. 1t can easily be made
the residential and %recreational sec
ton of the greater city.
So long as the present administra-
ton is so favorably inclined to
staten Island, and as the various
civic bodies on the island have SO
much influence, it would seem as If
|T ossure might be brought to bear
to have some OF these loose ends
taken up. and something definite
done toward bettering t%ransporta-
ton facilities at once.