Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-09
New Iork's Handicap


other ports on the Atlantic scaboard
particularly Philadelphia, are in posi-
tion to handle "A great deal Of this busi.
ness much more economically as regards
terminal costs and port charges Of every
kind than is New York itself Certain
fixed charges in connection with tho
transfer Of freight in New York from the
railroad terminals on the New Jersey side
Of the river to the ships at their wharvc-
in Manhattan or Brooklyn are absolutely
unavoidable i'm New York, while in the
case Of Philadelphia no such extra re.
handling of goods is necessary ON
account of the facilities provided on vr
tually every steamship wharf i'm the city
for runring trains on to it. Immediately
alongside of the ships. whore freight can
be transferred directly from the land ear.
riers to the marine carriers without the
nterpositiOn Of car floats and barges. as
is necessary in New York, Philadelphia is
in a position of great economic superiority
could the public be brought to realize it.
Nations and cities all over the world
are showing a remarkable and practical
interest in the development Of their ports
and are making enormous expenditures
for the excavation of deeper channels and
the construction of more and larger piers
Port development has outgrown the old
idea that it was a field merely for the in
vestment of private capital or for pub,
lie donations of funds to assist "A small
portion of the community in its efforts to
increase it's individual wealth and has
taken its place clearly among that class
of activities regarded by every one as
necessary TO the welfare of the whole peo.
pie and to the prosperity of the State.
Other Ports Are Awake
This twentieth-century spirit finds prac.
tical and universal expression. Alex.
andria, Egypt the oldest port of the
world, has a harbor expansion program
under way as modern as that of the most
advanced European or American commu-
nifty. In Europe, the cities Of Antwerp.
Bremen. Hamburg, London. Liverpool.
Manchester and others, with individual
expenditures ranging from $50, 900 600 to
5000 900 900, have provided themselves
with enormous modern docks and the
necessary auxiliary facilities. while in
our own hemisphere, in addition to the
ports Of the United States, the cities of
Montreal, Quebec, and Toronto. in Can.
ada; Rio de JaneirO in Brazil; Buenos
Aires, in the Argentine Republic, and Val.
paraiso. Chilli are all well advanced in
an up.todate program of port expansion.
The latter.named city, Valparaiso, with
n population Of only 100000 has testified
it's belief in its maritime destiny by an
expenditure OF s2O,OOOOO for harhor i'm.
provements, thus setting n high level Of
municipal endeavor to which many of our
cities Of many times its population could
profitalay aspire to reach,
In our own country, although New York
has spent large sums Of money improving
it's water front, other American cities,
notably Boston, Baltimore, New Orleans,
San Francisco and Seattle have shown
a realization that their ports are essen
tial and invaluable business adjuncts to
their other activities and have indicated
an intention to develop them accordingly;
still, as a whole the United States has
Jagged far behind the rest of the world
in this respect.