The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-01-01

and Break Monopoly, But Could
Cbear 10 per cent Doing IL, De.
clares Transportation Expert in
Second of Two Articles, Pre-.
pared for The Times.
BYJ. T. FLYNN
| Consulting Engineer California
| Rivers and HarbOrs League
In previous article, in an en-
deavor to show how, with the
opening of the Panama canal, a
fleet of eight freight steamers, OPP
Grated by seven Pacific seaport cit
les couud place the Pacific coast
states in position of freight rate
dictators rather than of helpless
victims of railroad extortion. ]
made the statement that through
such fleet, freight rates from At
lantis to Pacific could be reduced
from an average of $40 per ton to
maximum of Sc per ton, and still
pay 10 per cent dividend on the
investment. That perhaps is a
startling assertion, but the figures
support it.
A 12-knot modern oil burning
freight ship, costing one million
dollars, averaging $50 miles per
day of "a hours, would make six
round trips per year between the
Atlantic and the Pacific ports,
with an aggregate cargo capacity
of 10000 tons. If fully loaded
both ways at SO per ton, the gross
earning would be $4,000.
Against this, should be charged
81 per ton for probable canal tolls,
amounting to $4,000; stevedore
charges at SO cs per ton amount
ing to $50, 700; operating expenses
of $500 per day for $50 going
days, $165, 900; estivated port
charges $4,000; marine insur-
ance $4,000; for depreciation or
upkeep of property. on a basis OF
rebuilding the ship every 20 years
$50, 900; making a total expense
of $552,000 or a net profit of
$168, 900. AS ii would take less
than $68,000 year to meet the
taxes and general office expenses
of each ship, the stockholders
would earn ten per cent on the in
vestment, even if each ship should
be operated by .seperate COM
pany. :
While there will be scores, if
not hundreds of foreign tramp
steamers passing through the Pan
a ma canal, affording low freights
to and from Europe, as we'll as
South American ports, these ships
will not be able to handle cargoes
between Atlantic and Pacific
ports in American territory, on ac-
count Of the coastwise shipping
laws, which prevent foreign bot
toms from taking cargo from one
American port to another. In ad-
dition to this protection, the local
steamship companies being made
up large of local merchants.
would not only be able to route all
their goods over their own ships
JUST AS THE JAPANESE ARE
NOW DOING, and thus insure full
cargoes both ways, but defeat any
"cut-throat' rates which the rail-
roads mikht offer through dummy
When it comes to sending these
goods to the interior of the sew
eral seaboard states, over routes
controlled wholly by the railroad,
that is where no river navigation
exists, there is nothing to do, but
see that the legislature passes and
enforces the right kind of a pro
rate and maximum freight bill,
which every legislature has a right
to do, within the limits of the
state, and without reference to the
interstate commerce or any other
federal law.
Based upon their present do
nestle export and import tonnage
Portland could support one of
these ships, Seattle one, Tacoma
one, San Francisco two, Oakland
one, Los Angeles one and San Di-
ego one, making a total of eight