The morning call., 1894-12-31
WHY NOT REDUCE DOCKAGE =?
Big Sums for Wharf Privileges
Discourage Commerce.
TOO MANY WEALTHY FAvORITEs
"Let Us Turn Over a New Leaf,'
Says the Ship Owner, Who
Gives His Views.

The city docks are the stepping stones to
our highest commercial ambition. Ship
ping is the backbone of our prosperity.
Let us turn over a new leaf" says the
shiD-owner. LET us improve our harbor
system by partaking of some invigorating
t0nic," one Of these authorities said yes
terday.
During the course Of the past year the
harbor front has not materially improved
either in general appearance or in the mat
ter Of business. Two many affairs, do
mestic and national. have become mixed
up in the routine of our commercial life
for the good of our shipping interests.
Uncertain tariff legislation first con-
Spired to kill off trade. To-day we are
feeling the effects of it in the non-appear-
ance at the wharves of general cargo YES
sells. The foreign fleet that is in port and
en- route is a coal fleet. Coal constitutes so
per cent of the cargoes received in sailing
craft, and general trade is rapidly degen-
ating to a sort of upplies-for-corner-gro
ceries basis.
The transportation problem is the most
serious that we must confront. The estab-
fishing of ship lines between ports
north of us and ali ports of trans-Pacific
volume OF trade. The Panama Railroad
Company's steamers are handicapped by O
contract that forces them to avoid Central
American ports. Goods from New York
via this line for Central America must be
transhlpped at Panama or San Francisco,
aud the Pacific Mail Company, the WORLD
is incidentally informed, owns San Fran
clscO'S Central American trade A mighty
barrier Of hidebOund agreements between
transportation companies siareS the ship
per in the face from that direction.
"At the north two subsidized steamer
lines compete with our monopoly line to the
Orient which to protect itself brushes
out weaker concerns and hogs everything
IN sight TO pay interest 10 a favored few of
It's bOndhOlderS, " no are chasing arIstocratS
through the baronial balls of old Europe.
"All the profitable sources of income
from shipping at San Francisco are con-
irolled by q few for the benefit of a few
The smallfry shipowuer who dares to
accept charter to carry cargo is looked
upon as AL intruder who should be quickly
fired out. And he usually is
But the evil of the monopoles is not
the only drawback. With the Southern
Pacific and the exclusive Mr.. Money bags
to deal with, ships that come our way
| have something else to contend with.
ours is the most expensive harbor in
the world. Even the sailors grOg comes
higher in San Francisco than it does else
where. Our dockage charges are far in
advance OF those of any other port. except
one, it is said. on the globe. Foreign ship
| masters are In stew TO get away from
our wharves almost as soon as they have
tied up TO them. They break mems bones
and legs and arms by forcing them to wor x
so fast that they become careless of their
personal safety, fall down ships holds
get struck by falling articles of cargo, or
strain their muscles. so that they are
physically incapable OF punching an enemy
| IN the nose when he offers them an insult.
| Yes. statistics show that more men are
! hurt dlscharglEg cargoes at this city in the
| period of twelve months than there are at
! Liverpool Where there is ten times as much
| shipping.
IAN order to proceed TO San Francisco
! strikes terror into the heart of the average
| foreign skipper. He sees oceans of pilOtage
charges. owboat bills and. above all, dock
age bills, that seem to flash up in oppusi-
ton to his gross receipts for freight like
tile thirteenth man at birthday banquet.
"Can the State afford to charge less for
wharf privilegesP 1t can. There is always
large surplus in the harbur fund. and il
bothers the politicians whole lot. They
| hate TO see SO much good coin lying idle
when it might be paid out in salaries.
| Without any ELECTION particularly on the
present Board of Harbor Commissioners,
which has done IL anything better than
| any OF its predecessors, the expense of
conducting the business of the city front
can be reduced nearly one-half.
Thousands of dollars have been paid
out unnecessarily. and to prove that this is
true few examples are cited:
"The State was jobbed on the Fremont
street wharf, which, because OF faulty
construction, has had to be repaired time
and again at an immense outlay.
| "The Pacific Mail Steamship Company
and other corporations are charged small
4 toll 0t,NEN vaI-
JOY big profits. The ships make up the
| deficit
| The Powell-street wharf, built at cost
! of $4,000. is practically useless. Any
man who has kno Wedge of the strong
tides that flow off the seawall could have
told the builders that they were working
| on structure that would never be of any
service as pier.
"A laundering engineer designed slip
at Lombard street that cost the State $40
600, and now 1t is the next thing to con-
demned. A contract is about to be let for
the repair Of this structure uecesstatiue
an outlay of about $4,000, and new sir
has had TO be built that cost about $50. OO0
These are just few OF our harpor-
| front eXtTavaganZas.
! ut is too much to ask of importers tina,
they pay, in addition to their many harbor
expenses, all the way from $3.50 to $500
for the privilege Of discharging a general.
cargo Ship "heh at otner ports they car
| discharge his vessel 10 per cent cheaper
Tine suggestion made that the city con.
troll its harbor front is a good one. There
is not business mao in the community
who has not thought this for ever so long
ago. The business of the front is no more
State affair than the building of the City
Hall, and the taxation that is placed upon
shipping should GO into the city treasury
and be regulated according to the demands
made upon the fund"
There are any number of matters to be
considered for the benefit of the shIppin ne
interests of this port that are too well un
derstood to repeat. 1t may be that whav
we need TO do Is to follow the shipo wner':
advice ana turn over a new leaf this com
ing new year.
|
| ONE ON RENNETT