Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-11-27
THE WHARFAGE QUESTION.
Why not Abolish the Whole System
Of Charges?
The Rates Here are far too High,yet
on5riou5e very Little to the city
Treasury-A Business Mans
Views on the Subject-The River
Meeting at the Chamber Of Com
MERGE this Evening.

Meeting at the Chamber Of Com
MERGE this Evening.
There has been a fear on the part
of the business men of the city that the
meeting of the Ohio River Improvement
Committee, to be held at the Chamber
Of Commerce this evening, would, or
might, in some manner, prejudice the
plan for the improvement of the river
as a whole by taking up the fight for
local dam, below the city. This fear ap-
pears to be groundless, however. A re-
porter for the Register talked yester-
day with a number Of gentlemen who
have taken a deep interest in the matter
OF river improvement as a whole, and
they say one of the chief purposes OF
the Cincinnati convention was TO en-
courage river cities and districts 10
bring a pressure to bear upon Congress
men and Senators TO secure dams In GER
tain localities Wheeling is one OF these
localities. the engineers locating one or
the proposed dams a few miles below
this city. and. therefore, it comes with
in the province Of not only Wheeling,
but of Bellaire, Martins Ferry, Ben
wood and all communities on both sides
of the Ohio as far up as Wellsburg, TO
WORK for that particular improvement
Other cities and districts will look out
for the dams proposed for other points
along the river, and the result Will be
the amalgamatiOn OF the whole into one
comprehensive plan of improvement,
each dam, located at well considered
point by competent governmental en-
gineering authority, forming an integral
part Of a perfect whole.
1t is probable that the meeting to-
morrow evening will take some cog
nizance Of the high wharfage fees
which the Council of Wheeling persists
in imposing on river men at this point
The tax is both a heavy and unneces-
sary one, and it should be abolished Ell
tirely. The wharf should be maintain
ed just as the streets are, for the COM
mon good of the community and 1t
should be absolutely free TO all who de-
sire to use II for legitimate river pur-
poses. This matter was referred TO by
a prominent gentleman yesterday, who
said:
Il an not directly Il terested in river
matters, but I have been at some pains
to look into this matter of wharfage
charges It's an outrage. Wheeling
charges a higher rate than any other
city along the river, and furnishes poor
or facilities. The whole thing ought
to be wiped out and the wharf made
free. 1 can come into the city with the
biggest team and heaviest wagon ever
devised, and can go all over the city
without payment for the use of streets,
yet if l own little steamboat and want
TO put on or take off a package, the
freight of which is quarter have
to pay a dollar or two of wharfage, most
of which goes into the pockets Of that
uslesS piece of furniture. the wharf
master. The river interests are entitled
to relief from this petty eXtortion. Let
the city abolish the wharfmaSter and
his fees at one swipe, and give the boats
a chance to furnish cheap transporta-
ton and cheap freight rates. Every
shipper, not only in the city, but all
along the river, is interested in this
thing. Here are the businss men OF
this city, endeavoring to build up the
river interest and secure its improve
ment, while the City Council of Wheel
ing, during the present year, delibera-
tely refuses to pass an ordinance reduc-
ing the rates Of wharfage Why can't
the city government be liberal in this
matter? The amount of wharfage paid
into the city treasury is Insignificant,
while the amount, added to the exceed
ingly handsome per centage collected
by the wharfmaster, is a burden upon
the languishing trade Of the steamboat
men. 1t is a restriction which ought
not to stand for a moment, in these days
of freedom of trade and Of encourage
ment to commerce. Let tho Register
and all other city papers, as well as the
rivermen and business and manufactur-
ing interests of the city unite TO cut
the entire system Of wharf taxes off,
and the city will have taken a long
step in the right direction
The wharfage collection in 1894 were
s. .326. For the present year 1t is prob
able they will not net one-half that
sum to the city treasury. If the whole
amount of the wharfage collections
were expended upon the maintenance
and improvement of the wharf, it
would not be so bad. but not One-ffth
of the collections are so used. The
money goes into the contingent fund
of the Board of Public Works, and is
used to clean and repair streets in all
parts of the city. the average eXpendi-
lures of the wharf proper not probably
being more than 800 or 5000. This APP
pears to lack the element Of fairness,
and something ought to be done. 1t
p is scarcely probable, however, that
much can be expected from Council
which not only killed an ordinance re-
ducing the wharfage fees, but which re-
fused to appropriate so or $12 TO put
the river marks in proper shape.