Evening star., 1897-02-13
THE WORLDS GREAT PORTS.
European Cities Going Ahend While
New York is Standing Still.


Some German merchants, bankers and
imperial officials have found great encour-
agement in the fact established by figures
that, while during the last ten years the
commerce of the city Of Liverpool has in
creased forty per cent, he tonnage of ves-
sels arriving at or departing from the Ger
man port of Hamburg has increased seven
ty per cent in the same period. The geo.
graphical position of Liverpool is highly
favorable to shipping, and the docks of
Liverpool. 1t is we'll known. have at large
expense made the harbor most desirable
one IN the facilities which 1t gives to YES
sells of all dimensions. But recently Liver
pool has had TO contend with the serious
industrial and mercantile rivalry of the
city of Manchester, and the business of
Manc hester has been greatly promoted by
the Manchester canal The German gov
ernment in the construction Of the new
Baltic canal, has Disseminated In favor of
Hamburg, which has increased its shipping
business very largely Of late years at the
expense of the other North German port
of Bremen. At the close of the Franco
Pruss!an war the tonnage of vessels ar
irving in and departing from Hamburg was
20OO,Uvu, and of Bremen in the same year
SOO,oOU. Since then the commerce of Brem-
en- has increased about IS per cent and
that of Hamburg 400 per cent.
Notwithstanding these great gains the
L
distinction of being the greatest port in the
world for sea-going vessels, New York fol-
lowing rot very far behind, brit showing
comparatively little increase. The num-
Der of ships, steel, steam or sail, whio n
leave the port OF New York in a year is
about 1900, and more than two-thirds of
the total number of such vessels are reg
istereG under foreign flags New YORK
has gained of late years in respect OF the
amount of business done with European
ports, but there has been no corresponding
increase in the volume Of business
done with domestic ports. and more
over the city Of New York has had
to meet very strong competition from Bal
portion of the shipments of western grain
ha-:ng been diverted to these ports and
away from New York. The business of the
port of London is very largely of local
character, London being mart of con-
sumption and interchange of articles ar
riving'f from other parts OF England.
The four cities of London, New York.
Liverpool and Hamburg stand at the head
OF the ports of the world, but there are
others at which very large mercantile
business is lonesome decreasing. but a
larger number failing to keep up with
the ratio of growth in mercantile business.
Anewerp in Belgium stands fifth among
the commercial ports OF the world ana
very near ii, with volume OF tonnage
nearly as high. is Marseilles, In France, the
chief port of the Mediterranean. Havre, in
France, does considerable business, chief
ly with foreign countries, In the shipping
line, and Stettin, in Germany, large bus
In ess chiefly coastwise. The DEVELOPING mt
of the railroad and canal systems of each
port has much TO do with its growth in
commercial business, and II is a fact usual
ly to he observed that a city which Is the
terminus of a canal retains longer and bet
ter its shipping trade than railroad
terminus. AL least this is Observable in
the United States.