Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-06-16
HAVOC PLAYED
WITH SHIPPING
At ROTTERDAM
Chamber Of Commerce Of
Dutch City Estimates That
Port viii Not Get Back TO
Normal Basis for Five Years

Rotterdam. June 15.--Official pre-
diction is made by the Rotterdam
chamber of commerce that "the shin.
ping at this port has been reduced 10
such an extent that It may safely be
stated that II will not recover lis
former status in less than five years"
This statement is made in the an
nual report Of the chamber of com
merce, which shows that during the
year 1914, five months Of which were
affected hy the war, the number Of
ships clearing in and out of this port
was reduced tremendously
1T is feared the report adds, that
1915 will be even more unfavorable If
this tremendous universal struggle is
not terminated.
The weekly clearanCes in and out Of
the Neuwe Waterweg, the channel
which leads to Rotterdam, is now re-
duced to about ninety ships of all
kinds, as compared with weekly
business OF over ESQ ships a year ago
During the year ending December
81. last 1a,S42 steamers and 2Sl sail
ing vessels, aggregating l9,S73,646
registered tons passed through the
Nieuwe Waterweg. In 1913, however
32,17S steamers and 467 sailing YES
sells, aggreeating 27,545,47 net regis
tered tons. were cleared in and out
This is what FIVE months OF hostilities
did to a commerce that previously had
been growing by leaps and bounds
Even the number of fishing craft was
1887 in 1914 as against 1884 in 1918
The only gain for the year 1914 was
one i'm average tonnage which in
creased Is per cent over the year be-
fore
Rhine shipping Better.
in Rhine shipping. however. the re-
port does not show the port OF Rot
terdam to have suffered so severely
In 1911 Rotterdam claimed SO per
cent of the business done between
Dutch ports and Germany; In 1912
the figure was ST per cent. in 1918
SIS per cent, while in 1914 1t had
dropped tc only 1876 per cent. In 1911
Rotterdam did 19,042,S47 tons of bus
mess with Germany via the Rhine
This was the highest figure ever
known. IN 1914, Notwithstanding the
war. there was Is, 335,9S2 tons of bus
mess done between Rotterdam and the
Rhine cities.
Rotterdam is port, pure and sim
Bltt bfutdi q siNlA NliNs - - ~ -
is ugly; { Is noisy; 1t is dear Few
people who can afford TO live else
whore live in Rotterdam. An increas-
ing number of those whose daily bust
ness requires their presence in Rot
terdam. live in The Hague, and over
and back each day, by electric tram
pleasant journey of only twenty
minutes. The Rotterdamers are, how
ever. Unfortunately proud Of their har-
bors. They are the property, OF
course. of the city. every possible pub
lie service in Holland is jealousy adj
minstered on the basis Of local auton-
omy. The modern improvements of
the main harbor which include be-
sides the new waterway, the very new
est appliances for loading and un-
loading, were begun in 1870, and cost
the city S24,000,0OO
At present work is going rapidly
forward IN what is known as the
WAL harbor, the latest addition to the
list of railway, warehouse, petroleum
inland commerce, Rhine salmon lish-
cries. North sea herring fisheries
Rhine Mouse and other special har-
bors 1t is intended as a trans-ship-
mont center for Rhine traffic outward
bound. and draws its name from the
river Waal, which is the name the
Dutch give to the lower Rhine, as II
passes through Holland.