The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-09-26
WANTS DETROIT
TO OWN BELT LINES
tCo.si.ued from rass ossa


use water transportation. In Detroit,
for instance. a concern desiring 10
ship by water must pay for wharfage
and loading and unloading AT prohibit
tive prices because there Is not ade-
Quate machinery. and II also must pay
for terminal charges for the use or
The belt tines out or proportion To the
service received.
out of so OF our foremost ports,
says the report. only two, New Or
leans and San Francisco. have prac-
tically complete public ownership and
control OF their active water frontage
Out OF the so there are 81 in which
railroad ownership and occupancy COW
ers over so per cent OF the active
frontage, and II more between 20 and
so per cent. IL is the theory OF the
American government. established
from the first that waterways are
public highways. And yet their ter
minals are largely under private con-
troll
Two ports only. New Orleans and
San Francisco, are noteworthy for
their high degree OF public ownership.
control. efficiency and equipment AT
New Orleans the active water front
is admirably equipped and controlled
by a state board: most OF the wharves
and sheds are open for general traf-
nc. and a municipal board operates
ten miles Of belt line railroad. giving
coordination between the waterway
local industries and trunk line rail
roads"
The direct effect OF this policy is
shown by the fact that during the
past ten years New Orleans. as a
place OF export. has jumped from COM
parative obscurity 10 a position ahead
OF Boston and Philadelphia, while in
imports she rivals both, and promises
soon to leave them far In the rear.
Her gain in imports for eight years
was nearly 200 per cent. The stats
tics relative TO San Francisco are too
much broken by the earthquake dis
aster 10 be conclusive, although that
city has also made great gains in
ocean shipping.
AT many lake ports" continues the
report, much Of the lake front 10
protected by government breakwaters,
but almost no use is made of 1t. in
spite of the serious congestion OF the
inner harbors. At four of the most
important lake ports there IL total
srnssAea. of ABOUT t2s piles: nEptected,
by breakMater. On this IL miles
there are only 10 active wharves.
nearly al, under railroad control. The
striking lack Of terminal use Of such
protected front seems TO be largely
due TO adverse control, mainly by
railroads. We constantly see close
physical proximity of rail and water
lines with no commercial interconnec-
ton Except at the through terminals
of the railroads themselves) with a
consequent high transfer cost. Often.
indeed. rail lines are a positive OBJ
stacle to the handling OF water traf.
fic, instead of a benefit.
High landing charges, together
with the absence of adequate termi-
nails, show forcibly the lack OF CO
operation between the localities and
the federal government The govern
ments enormous expenditures on
channels are in many cases largely
neutralixed by the action or Monaco
ton Of the local authorities on termi-
nails Localities should, as a rule, be
required TO furnish and keep open
adequate terminals as condition
precedent to channel improvement by
the federal government. II Is their
fair share Of the work, and they alone
can do IL effectively.
Probably the greatest single deter
rent TO water terminal advance is the
present adverse attitude OF rail lines
towards independent water traffic, In
their exclusive control OF frontage, In
refusal or neglect to coordinate with
general water traffic, and In refusal to
prorate generally with water lines in
through movement Of traffic"
Regarding Cleveland the report says
that 1t is primarily a river harbor,
largely industrial. In general the
wharf equipment is only moderate,
with not much warehouse space.
Trans-shipping machinery Is mainly
confined to grain, coal and iron ore.
A belt line railroad Is being construct
ed, but only a small section Is now in
operation. The total river dock front
age Is about IA IL miles. The river
is narrow, very winding, and obstruct-
ed by about 20 bridges, making the
passage of large vessels slow and ex-
psnsive.
The city owns very little river front
age. mainly street ends. About third
is owned by railroads, with consid-
cradle ownership also by industrial
companies. In 1872 the state granted
TO the city three miles OF the Cleve-
land terminus Of the Ohio canal for
city purposes, but this later became
the property Of the Baltimore Ohio
railroad system.