Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-04
PORT TO SHARE
WAR SHIPMENTS
Markham Promises Aid to
Secure Share of Military
Freight
FINDS PIERS NEGLECTED

The port of Philadelphia will not be
sidetracked In the matter Of shipments
OF war freight abroad IL Charles II,
Markham, regional director Of the new
Allegheny district. can prevent 1t. In
the course of conference with Mayor
smith and Director Webster Of the
department Of Wharves, Docks and Fer
ries' the new official promised this city
its share Of export trade.
since the announcement that this city
was TO be limited to the shipments of
five per cent of military freight. pro-
tests charging discrimination have been
piling up and city officials have made
repeated efforts to get larger share
In the trCde. The ports facilities were
fully gone over at the conference be-
tween the Mayor and the new regional
director.
g, have scarcely had an opportunity
TO get fully in touch with the detail
OF the terminal facilities For ocean ship
ments here" said Mr.. Markham. "Hav-
ing both the ports of Philadelphia and
Baltimore in my territory l would
hardly feel justified in making COM
ment on the relative capacity of either
for the delivery of ocean freight.
Promises Utmost Aid
Il will say, however, that whatever
lies in my power to do / will be glad
to do to give this city the fullest scope
of the facilities that naturally belong
to it" Mayor Smith and Director Web
ster declined to discuss the conference
except to say they had presented this
ports capacities to the new officials.
report of the Chamber of Commerce
which will be submitted to Government
officials in support of local claims shows
that export piers were used in many IN
stances for export or orersea traffic
which remained there for long periods Of
time awaiting vessels. So fagrant were
these instances that In front of several
piers overseas freight was stored on
Delaware avenue under guard and re-
! mained there for several months. At
! some of these piers the situation has
eased within the last few weeks, due to
the fact that the Government is sending
more vessels TO this port for the trans
| portaticn Of this overseas freight. 1t Is
/ stated in the report that the congestion
/ if obviated at these piers would add TO
/ the facilities for overseas tratflc.
1t Is pointed out that the piers used
for local freight could be cleared and
that this class of freight could be han
died at railroad stations other than
piers.
Railroad Piers Neglected
But the point on which the report OF
the Chamber of Commerce places the
greatest emphasis is that the railroad
owned piers, irrespective Of whether or
not they are used for overseas or local
freight are not being used to their full
capacity.
A single instance is illustrative of the
use of export piers b.Iow their capacity
The open piers of the Philadelphia and
Reading Railway at Port Richmond are
capable of handling 10000 tons or more
of open-car freight exclusive of coal
These piers were used to less than 81
per cent Of their capacity in 1917. Foi
the covered piers it is estimated tina
more than 100000 tons of packag,
freight might be handled a year, while
in 1917 the quantity shipped was les'
than 100000 tons, or about 66 per cen
of capacity. At the time this inresti
CATION was made the covered piers a
Port Richmond were used to about th'
following percentage of capacity:
Piers A and B, to about 60 per cent.
Pier c. to about 35 or 40 per cent.
Per d, large douDle-ueck pier,
less than 80 per cent.
The report then cites the Washington
avenue district of the Penasylvani;
Railroad, where on Piers i6. As, SO. 8
and 56-all Of which piers are used 70
overseas and coastwse traffic--it wa
found during the period covered by tn
investigation that these piers, with
capacity of about $50 cars, containe
only 335 cars These piers thus ar
used to less than 40 per cent of thei
capacity.