Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1911-06-11
GERMAN CITIES
ARE AUTONONIES
LACK or PUBLIC SPIRIT SHOWN
TIlROJGHOUT AMERICA.
WATERWAYS Lower TAXES
Channel Is Useless Unless craft Have
Accessible Places for Loading
ana Unloading.

Washington June 10.-"A channel
the easiest uuvigable imaginable, ls
worthless to water craft if they have
no place to load and unload" said
Commissioner Herbert Knox smith OF
the Bureau of Corporations Depart
ment q Commerce and Labor. The
statement marks the importance with
which wate' terminals are regarded
| by that branch OF the government
which has made the most thorough
Investigation OF tho commercial AS
/ poets Of water transportation i1 the
/ United States The commissioner con-
/ 'irms the view Of National Rivers
and Harbors Congress that the very
vital Importance of the subject Of
adequate terminals is but poorly ap-
| IpreCiated even by many ardent advo-
Gates Of waterway improvements.
Mr., Smith said, every one knows
that something is wrogn with our
waterway svstem. II does not do It's
fun share u transportation The
| Bureau Of Corporations has been try
/ ing to find where the trouble lay and
its two years study cf water termi-
mails has convinced me that one of the
chief defects was the trrmual qucs-
| don. Tern nails are exactly as I'M
portant "a channels. You might as
wei, build a railway without stations
or yards as waterway without ter
mlrals. Ald, II the waterways Is to
be public high way, its terminals
must, to reasonable degree, be un-
der public control
Notwithstanding the vast stretches
" nayigable water area in the
United States this country Is seriously
remiss in tention to its own inter
ests in the failure Of the great COM
mercal and Industrial centcrs having
excellent harbors, to acquire full con
troll and a ownership Of their water
front.
private interests" said Commits
sioner Smith Control nearly all Of
our active water frontage Public
control exists in considerable degree
only at New orleans San Francisco,
Baltimore and New York, and is
greatly modified in New York by
exclusively private bases for long
terms out Of so Of our foremost
ports, only two, New orleans and
San Francisco, have practically
complete pullic ownership and con-
troll of their active water frontage;
have a small degree OF control and
40 none at eli. out Of 81 ports for
which data is available exclusive Of
New Orleans and San Francisco, only
II have any publicly owned wharves.
out Of 25 ports with available data,
excluding Now Orleans and San Fran
cisco, only 10 have wharves open
to general traffic, with a total Of
only 40, the majority being insight
icant and antlquated out Of 46 OF
these ports the majority Of the act
i've frontage is privately owned in
40 and In but small amount Is
so owned. Cut Of so of the foremost
ports mentioned, there are 21 in
which railroad ownership and o"cu-
parcy cover over so per cent OF the
active frontage, and IL more be-
tween 25 aud so per cent.
1.-TWO ports only New orleans and
San Francisco, are noteworthy for
their high degree Of public owner
ship, oontro efficiency and equip
ment 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 traffic, and municipal board
operates 10 miles OF belt line rail-
way, giving coordination between
the waterway, local Industries and
trunk line railroads. At San Fran
cisco there IS an excellent system OF
wharyes under state control, Kept
open for general traffic The water
terminal situation in these two cities
is by far the best in the country
It is well known that the locali-
| ties are larSGiy at fault for not avail
ing themselves Of what Of natural
rights belorgs to them. Terminal
] 'Albl h''t SUN as tA'fNNlNt ubthhBt
and Wharfage rates have been so ex-
cessive especially in the great Mis-
lssipl Rive' system as seriously to
have hindered traffic.
Such nigh lanllng charges" ,"
Commissioner Smith remarks, ITO
gether with the absence Of adequate
terminals slow forcibly the extreme
lack Of cooperation between the lo-
oalltles and the government the gov
ernments enormous expenditures on
channels being IN many cases largely
neutralized by the action or MONACO
ton Of local authorities on termi-
nails"
How can tho great German port
cities have helped themselves in re-
spect OF water frontage as well ag
with regard to the ownership and
operation OF other public utilities, is
splendidly illustrated in their great