
Mayor O'Dwyer--Cornerstone St. George Terminal, Staten Island

( Amy Pearl / WNYC )
At the ceremony of laying the cornerstone for the St. George Terminal on Staten Island, Mayor William O'Dwyer speaks about Robert Moses, increased transit, plans for three new ferry boats and the development of Staten Island. He jokes about the previous terminal, which burned down in 1946.
O'Dwyer predicts that today's children will one day witness air transportation from Staten Island to Manhattan, and the population will double or triple. Staten Island can't be a "step-child" of NYC.
Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection
WNYC archives id: 5776
Municipal archives id: LT2344
This is a machine-generated transcript. Text is unformatted and may contain errors.
You know by our present home. We are indebted today for the present share of so many distinguished officials of the city stagnation I'm sorry I'm not able to present them to you the time has not been met but I do want them to know that we appreciate that coming here to participate and they ceremonies and I ladies and Jasmine that climatic moment has arrived and I have a great honor and a great credit to present to you the greatest my ass the greatest city of the world never had generals I would lie. Down on a. German at a. Bribe was in the hall. To run. On for. Wisdom I was. Dumb I remember him the editor my face and I. Remember friends ladies and gentlemen who are coming into. The Thames a ceremony is a labor economist on the right time and. I think we're going to straighten out the record for Mom I was as I remember was the grand jury in the just returning down here where I don't want to die just for one thing My were broken to let some I have a dozen other things crossed that night. I'm with toilet paper is that not on the bottom that leaves me when all general my body is being told I'm about it I want to play go down there that's a rough play let's just returning about what it was a rather long time of the administration building. Up of a. On the right. I want to tell you ladies and gentlemen a step not one that took great officials that you have in the city government elected officials Red shake and MILLION all at the end of the. Dream I have years of working above these men it's been a delight every minute of every day. I speak now for every person on the board of us of another is a time when I'm enjoying the help in the capitol and in the hall I want to came to the county council Fred Scheck was always somebody that we could depend upon didn't know what the subject was either spend up on the administration the same that we we got things accomplished instead of just talking about and now or one of my final appearances and Staten Island towards the end of this ministration I'd be left on fire if I didn't tell young people down here when I think of those two men. That. Talk about. Traffic and transportation. That's the kind of a person Bob Moses is. That whatever that there are an evening at a party is such a sociable parting them out of whatever it is that always somebody trying to get is go because Bob just has no patience when people talk about a subject and they don't know the facts. Bob knows the facts. Again at the end of this administration I'd like to. Say for Bob know. That it wasn't for his prophesied about one point his plan and I was with was a splendid set of plans that I'm going to his guidance was prepared by Matt I'm going to have a no good ministration no matter how. Well intentioned that we're going to hope to press progress this project here is. Five has gone in three years and what it took me and I happened to readjust to the plan Bob and so happened that one day you owed terminal burned down there was a set of plans afoot to go to work I'm glad I'm a law says he didn't mind if I set fires and they all run I'm glad he said we're waiting for someone to then I that they did it. By Moses take many a short cut midday a word in the night like as as much as new home and but he told me confidentially that he did not set fires and he'll turn. A lot of our home with a question that will probably. Go on fire as God and thank God today we're all set for something worthwhile I'm happy that Bob Moses pressed that point that the building of the bridge is not going to lessen the need on this terminal other the being on question about and to the opinion of our best research people of Engineers that they traffic in this traveler is going to increase and increase to a point. Why aren't people well why they're traveling to or from New York the average to make up that much. When one of the toll that takes. And I are less than the rigs as a long distance from the Brooklyn then the other way out that never touches Manhattan not all as a whole program but you're paying your little part of delivering something for the land the federal and state government to do in the red for an Ontario program as good of a job that Bob Moses is well on his wedding completing and that. Program of highways that connects. Knits the various part of the Senate together that's really well be tied in with the extremities of the prison top and there's another different type of traffic that goes from here straight into Manhattan you know a lot of ways to me that in just a month everybody in Staten Island will not always have a limousine Williams And the bottom have always been the bus service to right here to determine the law has been need for that very well and is not going to change in the lifetime of any person alive today I'd finally agree with Bob and I'm glad you brought up a question that I'm not sure what the cost and there will be people on both sides but as ransom you want preparing it not only something to back up a step not when you want from carrying something in the nature of relief from man having traffic jams that we've had over the years at this very term I'm Amy some people enjoy the arc of a bronze and other place should be the last to scream about it now it just costs a lot of my thank God they you know the numbers every time a good deal more than the people is that my. Wish it were. Without thinking just to this there will be other thinking too I love to see those beautiful little schoolchildren of us will come down here to look around and that I know that as years go by those. Handsome young lads not from the little girls will grow up to be. Great men and women the credit to their families and their community in the city state and nation. And as they grow old I go to sleep things happen new inventions and new uses of present inventions that we cannot vision of the present time but we should be prepared now that they would have an opportunity of a just come and take full advantage of that's when we are asked me to hold a vote and I was down here. To look around as a part of this terminal or some other section here very realistic that you have that body of water between you and them have. Not a higher speed up posters we don't bottom whether it's bridges or other new bones. You still have to spend considerable time I will be nice or greater speed on that as the years go by and some part of this terminal should provide for the day when I have to lay the air transportation will take your problem here to some part of Manhattan and I expect a lot of babies here not to be tall I'm told they're traveling once in a while when the need comes by air right from one of these. Spots on Staten Island to somewhere along the east or west side of the city that's a long talk to me to look into top it up with Madigan housing but most will come to that a little later. That was something about the dam hoppers that I'm trying to to. Sort of third row with every punch I get there. Here and then come back once in a while and plant one myself stands on the lovely talk you made and that was one period a year and one of those spots at last. You have made something out of the engine to chat and that was about you bucks out. The plans are wrong hard three new box. Take years to happen two years to give you three brand new bulbs. That have to be built. The beds have gone out. That's something like eight hundred thousand dollars difference on the bit. We're working on that. We're delaying an extra week or so I think under request of the president of this promised a ha Was it possible of the chairman not in the work remaining down here. No one would want the work to remain down there more than me and that goes for every member of the board of the. I wonder. We haven't got eight hundred thousand dollars of what. I want. To say here's what we can do it for him the closest to that on three boxes as more than eight hundred thousand dollars of them. As a serious decision for us to make much as we love to go along I don't think I would be in good conscience. Permitted to make a gift or a present of eight hundred thousand dollars to anybody says my. Eyes You just gotta stand with his I'm not. I whether I have an opportunity to shout about ten times and get. You know I want to live we're going to have another final meeting on the sidewalk I'm sure a lot. I'm going to make an announcement on the eighth of July. I can tell you right now don't expect us to give eight hundred thousand dollars of the Saudi money and sought out the window we haven't got the right to do what we can afford to do please understand but we promise you that it's not out of the given that you will have the three you brand new thirty bucks falling in and out of the strength that you. I don't think anyone I was twenty more rocks at me here today so I don't have to spank him and. As all right is a pleasure to come down here. And. So long as you can write back. I think you know what I mean. I have a great interest on the borrowed from a series of your money and business interests. I'm going to look at all the acreage that you have on this farm and I can see in the struggle for space that we have announced selling an opportunity for the most unusual live on a pond in the spiral. I'm very happy to know and I discussed the more than once that your. Planning and your zoning in this collection has been geared to a great development with the best possible use of the property on this island. I can say that it's a separate rate you need to think almost within the lifetime of those babies. But you've got to do something to get a farm turned into city streets. And the first thing you must give them an additional highways is good transportation on those highways and you've got to have them the way from this terminology the planning part of that plan. Good presentation and the best possible way to get those thirty miles up to maybe autumn from New York back that's one plan your bridge is going to be I'm not I wouldn't know what the whole enough that I would most want has been done already and let's just a little more progress on these programs that we have laid out as well once we have added concern that. I would not be surprised to talk to see the population in the. Truly great first class you know as a part of the city and raised. A lot and we started out to do that. Plus we wanted to give the people that help the home edition mind that not only have the some money that you can have a substantial portion of the city made a stepchild you don't got to deal with every part of the equaling you've got to spread out with them the money available. Each one getting a share in the cases that my mate you've got a little more from us as because you've been getting a little less per song bring you know. What I have. And I don't stock one of the new firm I was moving pulling out of the slip so I'll say goodbye a bunch. Thank you very much Myron while.