Evening journal., 1917-05-12

I more specifically. / hope-dragginf
the major and growing proportion OF
its freight one hundred miles farther
across country TO an inferior port
economically speaking-tha one IN
which its own headquarters is To-
Gated. and which would afford un-
rivalled facilities for the efficient
handling OF this business, were they
but taken advantage Of Is without
legitimate reason from the standpoint
OF sound economies and would be
enough to excite the laughter of the
gods and the populace both IL the
subject were not so serious.
Needless to say this burden Of
useless handling costs does not come
out of the pockets OF the transporta-
ton companies. as Il is passed on by
them to the individual shippers
throughou. the country, and in turn
by them to the helpless victim OF all
corporation extravaganza and inehi-
cheney the much talked-of Ultimate
Consumer. Most business men are
too busy with their own affairs to
appreciate fully the inoxcusable
freight situation in New York and as
he does not feel It in his own per-
sonal pOcketbook II causes him no
particular worry The waste is ex-
istent, nevertheless, and It Affects
every individual citizen to some ex-
tent as a member Of the consuming
public. The economically unsound
status OF the caese is unquestionably
a fact, and equally unquestionably,
a fact, and. equally unqesdonably.
will sooner or later be corrected.
Admittedly. the terminal costs OF
handling freight through New York
are much greater than through Della
ware River and Chesapeake Bay
points; also admittedly. the cost of
ocean transportation to European
ports Is practically the same from
any OF these localities; so that mani
testify the shipping public OF the
United States is paying annually a
huge sum in unnecessary freight
charges for the sentimental privilege
If a privilege II be-of having their
goods shipped TO them via New York
instead Of through one OF the patron
izlnely referred to Jay towns Of the
seaboard, such as the hamlets OF Phil
adelphia or Baltimore.
THE present freight routing GUS
tom of shippers from interior points
by which seventy-flve per cent. OF the
shipments from the Atlantic seaboard
are sent through New York and sub
jected to one or more than one, addi-
tional unnecessary rehandling Is Just
as sensible as, and no more so than
il would be for the trans-continental
railroad lines of the United States e
run all of their east and west-bound
trains over Pixies Peak merely FOL
the purpose of affording someone tn,
profit Of hauling them up one side Of
the mountain and letting them dowr
the other.
SWORN is Turning
Evidences that the long suffering
worm is turning at last are many
however, and / believe il is a mere
question OF time when, and a practical
certainty that, the so-callcd. but err
roneously so-called free lighteragt
service in New York harbor-largely
by means Of which the overlordshiI
Of Manhattan in American shipping
affairs IS maintaincd-wil be abol-
ished: and then will come the day
| when other and better ports can
work out their own salvation on a
| basis of free competition.
philadelphia was the leading port
Of the United States and the Ameri.
can Continent up TO the third decade
Of the nineteenth century, when hel
sceptre was wrested from her by
New York and has never been re