by Don31
CJPat wrote:And just to emphasize the point that was addressed a bit mildly, don't forget the collapse of manufacturing throughout the entire zone, Newark to New York. NYC had a lot of manufacturing (usually the core foundation of most cities). This required a lot of raw materials brought in and finished products moved out. The cost of manufacturing in the NYC/Newark area was re-evaluated by the respective manufacturing owners to include the cost of their aging facilities (a lot of it going back to the late 1800's-early 1900's). As import taxes were reduced to promote global exchange of products and labor and facility costs were found to be cheaper down south, all those factories began to shut down and move South. Reduction in Manufacturing = Reduction in Freight, both in and out.
So throw that additional log onto the fire. The Aldene Plan definitely impacted CNJ, but in reality, the economy and the costs associated manufacturing had already driven a spike into the heart of the railroads in this area. The change in the municipal taxing laws of real estate in New Jersey also added a significant extra operation cost to the Roads.
Very true CJPat.
You can't fix stupid, but stupid eventually fixes itself.