Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1912-03-12
HOW SAN FRANCISCO HANDLES DOCKS TO
PROTECT PUBLIC INTERESTS and TRAFFIC

cility, and, despatch their cargo BY
rail while doing so.
Obstacle in a Private Lease.
AS the work advances the point OF
greatest interest to the Commission 10
the China Basin, which is leased at
$1,000 year. Along the front of this
basin there is already sea wall con-
structed some years ago, and leavin,
just opening enough for the admission
of vessels to the slips that open from
the basin. As soon as the new sea
wall is extended in an unbroken line
from Mission street to Channel street,
that Is, from the ferry house at Mar
ket street TO the entrance to China
Basin, of which It lacks about 1000
feet, all this basin wall becomes a
part of II, and the Santa Fe has to
surrender by the terms Of its lease a
right of way one hundred feet wide
across its lcasehold along the water
front for roadway and 70-foo,
right of way for the same purpose
down both sides of the basin. The
Commission can then build piers out
from the basin sea wall and use
them as II there were no private lease
back of them.
The India Basin. belonging to the
State is going 10 he more than
doubled In size, giving room for many
piers within its entrance. II the state
plans are carried out. A million doi-
lars In bonds was voted to buy the
land. There are at present twenty
four piers built, of which probably
eight or ten are of the new steel and
available, the extension of the wall
and the piers is rapidly advancing.
In connection with the extension OF
East street and the construction ot
the piers the Harbor Commissioners
extend also the public Belt Railway,
which they are authorized by the
State to build and operate; and even
tually every dock will be reached by
II. As far as II Is extended no other
line Is allowed to lay tracks or to OPP
crate upon the piers Though the
Southern Pacific of course reaches the
Pacific Mail docks). Most of this line
has been built in the past two years
They are In fact two sections of Belt
one north OF Market street along the
grain docks. and the other beginning
just south of Market street and run
ming down to the present end of the
sea wall about pier so. In all, there
Is something more than six miles OF
track over which, with its own en-
gines, the Harbor Commission han.
dies about 1000 cars week straight
through the year Pier 80 is equip
ped with ferry landing, and all rail
road ferries on the harbor on every
side have easy access to the docks by
this line.
SO much for the construction. There
remain many points of interest In
connection with the operation and the
final equipment of these piers. To the
latter San Francisco has APPARENT;
given little thought. As for the oper,
alton, the laws OF that are specific
and the Harbor Commission has littlC
choice. II Is required to charge
Nho'bil iNNb W pay 'hS On
penses and reasonable salaries aud Il
provide the sinking funds and Interest
on the bonds. They may also collec
small surplus to be employed In adj
dition to the bonds issued. In fac
previous to 1904 all work was done
out of current funds and probabl,
half a million dollars year is noN
being 30 expended. The items of rev
enue are very varied, including wharf
age, dockage. freight tolls, belt-iin,
switching, electric lighting rental o
lots, use OF dredges and pilc-drivcr,
for private work, and from various
smaller items.
The Easy Coekage Rates.
The combination OF tolls, dockag,
and wharfage sounds threatening, bu
as a matter of fact the charges are S,
light that they make this cheap por
and its traffic is steadily growing
amounting last year to nearly 1000,
600 weighed tons of cargo. II Is cal
culated from the current tables tina
million feet of soft lumber, 1900,
feet Of hardwood, 10000 tons of mer
chandise, 1000 barrels of wine, 225
tons Of oil and 1900 tons of coal arr
handled over the public docks on al
average every day in the year. Dock
age Is charge made against the yes
sci occupying a berth at the pier o
moored in slip or channel belonging
to the State. Tolls are collected M
on the cargo. Wharfage Is an add
tional charge upon freight left upo
the piers longer than the rules permit
. Dockage is charged upon the nc
tonnage of a ship-s2 for her first 90
tons and three-quarters of cent
ton upon the balance of her net ton
mage. Thus the Stanley Dollar. o
which ! arrived In port, carried 2O5
tons of freight, but her dockage wa
only little under sl4 a day, and a
she unloaded her Frisco cargo owe
night and got away for Portland, tina
was her whole dockage bin.
The tolls are more varied. Genert
merchandise n. o. s. pays five cent
d ton - one cent for four hundre
pounds or less, and so on up. Sol