Industrial Survey of Newtown Creek District The Merchants' Association Gives the Results of a Careful and Thorough Inquiry Into an Area That Constitutes One of the Important Sections of New York City From the Viewpoint of Commerce and Manufacture-Partially Developed live approximately 650,000 people. This population is composed for the most part of the laboring class, of which about 70 per cent is of foreign birth or parentage, the predominant nationalities being German, Russian, Italian and Irish. Easy of Access The Merchants' Association, through, bring in raw materials and ship prod-veloped section of the district, there now its Industrial Bureau, has recently made ucts on the Creek alone to the extent of a survey of the Newtown Creek District about 5,000,000 tons, valued at more than $200,000,000. in the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The results are being printed in pamphlet form for distribution. The introduction, which summarizes the findings, is given below. Undeveloped Land "A large portion of the eastern half of the district is entirely undeveloped. In all there are more than 550 acres of undeveloped lands suitable for manufacturing purposes. "In addition to the labor residing in This land is available the immediate vicinity, half the popula MAP SHOWING THE Extent of the District "Newtown Creek forms part of the boundary between the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City, and joins the East River at a point about opposite Thirty-third Street in Manhattan. The land bordering on the Creek and its tributaries, comprising a section approximately three and onehalf miles long and from one-fourth to three-quarters of a mile wide, is already an industrial district of great importance, which at the same time offers opportunities for even greater future development. The western end of the district lies near the population center of New York City, the eastern end is near the geographical center, and the entire district is not far from and is easily accessible to the wholesale and distributing center of Manhattan. Thus it will be seen that this district has the characteristics most sought after by New York manufacturers, namely, easy accessibility to the wholesale and retail center of Manhattan and to the vast labor supplies of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Industrial Development BAYONNE NEWARK BAY "The western half of the district lying near the mouth of the Creek and the East River is almost fully developed industrially. There are manufacturing establishments of almost every description, varying from candy factories to great copper and chemical works, but for the most part consisting of heavy industries, such as oil and sugar refineries, copper smelters, chemical works, foundries and forge shops, and brick, STATEN HOBOKEN UPPER BAY H N A Σ RIVER ROOKL Y LOWER BAY in the Newtown Creek district and reach it within less than an hour for a five or ten-cent carfare. lumber and coal yards, which require in plots varying from a few hundred tion of Greater New York could work considerable ground area, are preferably square feet in area to 100 acres. separated from neighboring plants by "From the standpoint of present and some open space, use large quantities potential labor supplies, the Newtown of heavy raw materials, and manufac- Creek industrial district is ideally lo- "In the immediate vicinity of the disture heavy products. The industrial im- cated. Within a radius of two miles, trict, on the Queens side of the Creek, portance of these plants may be esti- or a maximum of twenty minutes travel- there is much undeveloped territory suitmated by the fact that each year they ing time from the center of the unde-able for residential purposes, which, INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT OF IMPORTANT DISTRICT length for lighters, tugs, tankers and medium sized schooners. The Federal Government has already appropriated funds necessary for the work of widening and deepening the channels of the Creek and its tributaries so that cargo boats of twenty-foot draft can be accommodated throughout the entire length of the Creek proper and some of its tributaries, while barges, schooners and other small craft drawing not more than fourteen feet will be able to reach the remaining tributaries. "All of the territory on the Queens side of the Creek is accessible by sidings from the main lines of the Long Island Railroad, which connects with the New York Connecting Railroad for New England points and all trunk line railroads at its East River terminal. Rail Equipment "Although there are many car floats and railroad terminals, there are only meager rail facilities at present on the Brooklyn side of the Creek, and this constitutes the greatest obstacle to the future development of the Brooklyn section of the district. However, detailed plans have been made for the Belt Line Terminal Railroad which will traverse the entire Brooklyn section of the district and connect with the trunk line terminals on the East River and South Brooklyn water front, thus giving rail connections with all parts of the coun try. "With the exception of rates from New England points and certain shorthaul points near New York, the same freight rates apply to stations in the without any doubt, will provide homes for hundreds of thousands of workers within a comparatively few years. At a greater distance from the district, but easily accessible within reasonable traveling time, are such centers as East New York, Jamaica, Flushing and Corona, which are capable of almost indefinite population expansion. In fact, both the Borough of Queens and the Borough of Brooklyn offer opportunities for homes near the Newtown Creek District suitable to persons in all walks of life. Transportation Facilities "Most sections of the district already have excellent rail and water transportation facilities, and adequate facilities are planned for such sections as do not already have them. The Creek itself traverses the district longitudinally, and is navigable throughout most of its UNDEVELOPED LAND ON NEWTOWN CREEK LARGE MANUFACTURING UNIT; HEAD OF DUTCH KILLS MOUTH OF NEWTOWN CREEK; MANHATTAN IN DISTANCE INDUSTRIAL SURVEY OF THE NEWTOWN CREEK DISTRICT Newtown Creek Industrial District as to other points on New York Harbor. Commodity rates are the same as for Greater New York with the exception of coal and a few other commodities for which the short-haul factor gives New York a slight advantage. Attractive to Manufacturers "The Newtown Creek Industrial District should prove especially attractive to many manufacturers who ordinarily believe there is no location near the center of the New York district which will conform to their requirements. This is practically true of manufacturers of heavy products who must have considerable area in order to provide for onestory or other low types of buildings; who require quantities of storage space; whose processes are noisy, dusty, odorous, or in some other way likely to be obnoxious if located in close proximity to residential sections or certain types of high-grade manufacturing; who receive raw materials and ship finished products in large quantities, so that direct rail and water connections are necessary; and who at the same time cannot be located in an isolated section far removed from the developed sources of labor supply, the wholesale distributing and retail centers of Manhattan, and the facilities for coast wise or foreign shipping. Such industries' should always be considered in plannng for improvements to the Creek channels, the construction of new railroad facilities or in the development of vacant land, since it is to them that the district is particularly adapted and should especially appeal. Belt Line Needed "While this district is remarkably well situated from the standpoint of economic factors necessary for successful industrial production, and has already developed into one of the most important manufacturing sections of the world's greatest industrial center, nevertheless the further development of certain parts of the territory is retarded pending the improvement of the Creek and the construction of the necessary Belt Line Terminal Railroad. For these reasons the various business associations and individuals interested, as well as the City government, should push these improvements more energetically.". Special "binders" or covers for "Greater New York" may be had for sixty-five cents. NEW TOWNS AND CITIES IN THE DAYLIGHT SAVING LIST Compilation Made by the Eastern Zone Daylight Saving Association Reveals the Growing Popularity of the Healthful Reform All subscriptions for the 1921 edition of MR. UNTERMYER ON the Official Postal Guide should be ad PHILIPPINE RULE IS ments, Government Printing Office, Requirement Regarding the Keep- Washington, D. C. Remittances for Counsel for Legislative Investi ing of Accounts in the Philip-subscriptions should be made only by gating Committee Says It Can pines Seems Unreasonable postal money orders. Currency is sent INQUIRY AT WAR DEPARTMENT not be accepted. The Merchants' Association, at the instance of some of its members, has made inquiry of the War Department STATE INCOME TAX not Change Agreed Scale Counsel for the Legislative Investigating Committee now sitting in this City, Mr. Samuel Untermyer, has replied to with respect to the necessity for a regu- What the State Collects This Year the inquiry sent to him by The Mer lation recently promulgated in the Philippine Islands requiring merchants to keep their accounts either in Spanish or English, or in a native dialect. A literal enforcement of this regulation would work serious hardship to Chinese firms doing business in the Islands who are not acquainted with one of these languages. It is suggested that such merchants be permitted to keep their accounts in any language that they may choose, with the possible provision that an annual or semi-annual report must be made in the form of an affidavit drafted either in English, Spanish or in a native dialect. PARCELS FOR FRANCE Agreement With the Post Office Upon 93,700 Incomes Sub ject to Taxation The following table, summarizing the 93,700 returns made under the New York State Income Tax Law, shows the classification of the income taxpayers in proportion to their incomes: Income Class $1,000 to chants' Association as to an increase of $1 a day in the wage scale of the Building and Allied Trade which, it was understood, was put in force at the instance of Robert P. Brindell's association, to be paid over by employees for the privilege of being permitted by Brindell to work. Mr. Untermyer's Reply Amount 780,380 steps the Investigating Committee was No. of $2,000 321,170 1,012,737 681,225 437,286 4,486 389,748 1,729,575 To this inquiry Mr. Untermyer has made the following response: 1,058,524 "I beg your pardon for not having 1,379,313 sooner replied to your letter of May 16 866,330 which I find among my unanswered 897,942 644,935 correspondence. The delay has been due 750,534 to my constant engagement in a legis2,299,974 lative investigation. 885,692 841,854 8,851,306 Forced by Council "Replying to your inquiry you are misinformed as to the circumstances surrounding the increase in the wage scale. It was the result of the insistent demands of the Unions affiliated with the Building Trades Council, notwithstanding the fact that they were under The following announcement has been 1,000,000 and over. made by the Post Office Department: "By agreement between this departMR. SMITH A MEMBER ment and the postal administration of France, the limit of parcel-post packages Mr. Alfred L. Smith, Secretary of the exchanged between the United States Music Industries Chamber of Commerce, and France has been fixed as follows: and formerly Manager of the Industrial contracts that did not expire until the "Greatest length in any direction, Bureau of The Merchants' Association, end of the year. The Building Trades four feet, and maximum cubical con- is a member of the American Trade As- Employers Association, however, agreed tents, two cubic feet; that is, a package sociation Executives, which is made up to the increase. four feet in length may be eight and of representatives of old established one half inches in each of the other organizations of manufacturers and disdirections." tributors of single lines of goods or services. "The answer to your first inquiry answers the second. I quite agree with you that another scale would stimulate building, but there is nothing that the The Hon. Herbert Hoover, Secretary Committee can do in that direction so OFFICIAL POSTAL GUIDE FOR 1921 of Commerce, is cooperating with the far as I can see. Can you suggest The July issue of the United States Committee with the object of giving anything?" Official Postal Guide will be printed at wide distribution to helpful production the Government Printing Office, and the and distribution statistics. Superintendent of Documents will be charged with its sale to the public. The price of the cloth-bound Guide is $1, and the set of eleven monthly supplements, 50 cents, or a total of $1.50 for the Guide and supplements for one year. There were 2,696,609 vistors to the as compared with 1919, of lubricating main Public Library building in Forty- oils 50 per cent, and of gasoline 52 second Street last year. ¡ per cent. |