The herald., 1897-10-10
STARTLING FACTS ABOUT STEAMSHIP EXPENDITURES IN u s

UInIIILIVu nUIU !
"How much money do you suppose the
transatlantic steamship companies
spend every year on this side of the
water in the purchase of supplies. the
payment of wages, for repairs and SO
forth?"
This question was put to the repre-
sentative Of one of the most important
lines running. steamers into the port of
New York the other day. 1t was poser
for the time being, but a day or two
later when called at the steamship
company's office he had the answer
ready. 1t was startling.
The aggregate expenditures Of the
regular lines in the port of New York
alone undoubtedly amount to from $15,-
100000 to $4,000. 900 every twelve month.
Probably the tramp steamers spend
quite $10,000,000 more in the same port,
and the total amount left by deep water
steamships in all the ports of the United
|
In by immigrants and excluding coast
wise vessels, is over rather than under
$50 900. 900.
How are these figures arrived at?
Well, my friend, the steamship man had
a cursory examination of the expendi-
lures of his own company made. and the
total for that company alone was only
a shade below 50, ,0OO 0O0
COAL AND SUPPLIES" LEAD.
Our largest annual expenditure on
this side is for COAL" he said. "The
amount paid out for that item each
year is $6OO,OOO. Supplies come next.
and they run from s41O,O0 to $425, 900
say $420,000 Supplies is, of course. a
very elastic word with us. 1t includes
practically all the food consumed by
both passengers and crew on the east
ward voyages 1t takes in hundreds o.
cattle, whole flocks of sheep, chickens,
turkeys. ducks, geese. eggs by the car
load, fish enough to load a big schooner,
pigs in great droves, barrels and barrels
Of fruit both fresh and preserved. clans,
oysters. crabs, turtles, vegetables. wines
and liquors. mineral waters-perhaps in
all thousand items. Supplies also in
clude lubricating oils rope, tar, brooms.
brushes. awnings. and thousand and
one things which need hardly be men
toned. but which any man with prac-
tical mind can easily imagine.
after supplies come wages paid for
labor. do not now refer to the wages
paid to ships companies or officers, but
to those paid to men who live in New
York or it's immediate suburbs. You
, might not think our expenses in this
line would be great but they run from
, $4,000 to 100000 year. Our worllmen
: include longshoremen, carpenters and
joiners, painters, machinists, gas and
steam filters, bricklayers. clerks, bag
gage men, porters. and so on. In the
course of year 1 believe we must en-
ploy men of almost every craft under
the sun. Our pay roll for one week
this summer bore the names of 1,20C
persons, and it was not our busiest
week either, although sometimes the
list is much smaller.
Our pilotage bill every year is no in
considerable sum. Since the middle O.
August. 1896, we have paid out abou
$31, 900 for this item alone, and though
] you might not think it, our printing bill
in New York for the last year amounted
to $4,000. Beside these items we have
a general disbursement expense, which
/ amounts to about S125.OOO a year. II
includes all repairs that we send out
to shops not owned by ourselves, post
, age, kilograms. and vast number OF
J items unconsidered by the outsiders
But these are not all: During the yeal
We pay out on an average s2s5,oOo in
railroad freights. That is. this money
is handled by us, although it comes ul-
timately from the purchasers Of Amer.
lean goods abroad. Now let us put
; these figures down in tabular form: