Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1911-12-04
Federal Government Most
Readily Helps Port That
Helps Itself.
MAKING A MODERN PORT
The Organization Is Neces-
sary If Gre ) Harbor
Properly Developes
lBy Frank Il. lamb


Some opponents of the port meas
ure will say that the government will
attend to our port needs if we do
not. hence let's save the labor and
money of doing it ourselves. The fact
is that Notwithstanding the vast
amount appropriated at various times
for harbor improvements, the num-
Der of ports demanding and need
ing assistance is 50 large that the
funds available when so distributed
are entirely inadequate. Consequent
ly our work is spasmodc. Few pro
iects are prosecuted to completion and
then only after the lapse of years;
in fact. none of the ports of the
country have been content to deYcni
only upon federal funds for their i'm
prOvementS.
A further fact that is developing
is that more and more the federal
government is contining itself to the
entrance and the inner harbor is only
of interest to it in so far as it affords
safe anchorage facilities This leaves
by far the greater part of the total
equipment of the port, such as the
interior waterways, the proper docks
and terminal facilities and minor port
equipment and regulation to be pro-
vided by some other body Another
fact that is fast developing is that
congress is directing it's aid to those
ports that by their local money and
cooperation show an interest in their
welfare. The adage that "the Lord
helps those that help themselves" is
being applied by congress to harbor
appropriations and only on this basis
can be explained the large appropria-
tiOns secured by the Columbia river
in its harbor work The friends of
the port bill firmly believe that for
every dollar spent by the Port of
Grays Harbor the government will
spend two on and above what we
would secure without this demOnstra-
ton of our faith in our own project.
Necessity of Public Board.
The affairs of practically every
great port, not only in the United
States, but in foreign nations, are
handled by separate port commits
sion or board with certain fixed and
definite sources of revenue The
method of formation, of appointment
and size of this central authority va
ries, but in their powers and duties
are unsalared boards. Such is the
constitution of the port authorities of
London, Glasgow, Liverpool, New York
Montreal, Portland and in our own
state this is regulated by the gener-
al state law. This assures a mini
mum of expense for general expenses
and insures the money going to port
work.
At the present time, outside of the
long distance control and the spas
modic work of the United States en-
sineering corps there is no author
ity governing port matters on Grays
Harbor Our greatest resOurce-the
port-its improvement. control and
development of its business is the
business of no one. Under such cir
cumstances can we expect it to de-
velop? Even in the matter of trade
development and harbor government
port commission is justified and the
cost is practically nothing
Essentials Of Modern Port.
A commercial port is an articulate-
ly connected machine of many ele-
ments. each depending upon one an
other and each of Importance in the
assembly. Primarily, a port is a
point of interchange between land
and water transportation facilities.
The rail facilities will reach any port
that offers business. Grays Harbor
has now three trans-continental rail
roads, with another ready for entry
when conditions warrant. These lines
reach many points on our harbor but
at the present time there is no ac-
tual connection between the rail and
water shipping facilities in that there
is no place where goods in carload
lots can be transferred directly with
modern facilities and without truck
ing to steamers and vice versa The
great highway of the ocean is open
and free to all but the question of
the harbor entrance generally pre-
-ents difficulties. 1t should be shell
tered, safe, of sufficient width and di.
rect in alignment with a depth of wa
ter in the bar to accommodate the YES
sells desiring to enter. The Grays
Harbor bar has all those qualifica-
tions excepting depth. This is now
in process of remediation by the fed
eral government and it is the opinion
of all engineers that when the two bar
jetties are completed our harbor will
have an available depth of thirty
feet or more, sufficient for the utmost
development of our port possibilities !
The interior harbor should be pro-
-