Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-26
PHILADELPHIA AS A PORT
Tonnage Greater Than That Of Liver
pool and In Point Of Exports Sec
ond In the United States
by GEORGE NOX MCCAIN

rev Americans who have visited Great
Britain and come in contact with its i'm
porting and exporting life, or with its sea
faring men, but have been compelled to
listen to some remarkable assertions con-
cerning the commerce of those islands.
l have heard the most remarkable declar-
ations as to the tonnage of London, Liver
pool, and Belfast; how Liverpool, next to
London, dwarfed the tonnage of New York.
Once on a transatlantic steamer I was
forced to maintain silence when n British
manufacturer of hardware specialtics in
sisted that the maritime trade of the three
British cities named above exceeded in ton
mage the entire tonnage of all the Atlantic
ports of the United States
had no figures to rcfute his assertion and
so was compelled to keep my mouth shut.
But now along comes George F. Sproule,
who is not only secretary. but official sta
tistician, marine historian, n human com
pendulum of encyclopedia information to the
commissioners of navigation on matters per
tanning to the port of Philadelphia, who says
that in spite of the war our tonnage was
14.S40,3T0 in 1915 or 100000 tons in
excess of Liverpool in 1914. As compared
port for port in 1914 Philadelphia's ton
mage in arrivals and clearances was 10,6S2,-
800 tons as against 13, ,S17 .243 for Liverpool.
iniiaueiphla III point OF exports Is second
Ill the Chiteu otates'
ANoIliER popular misconception, which
a students of commercial geography should
note, is that New York and London are
the largest maritime ports in the world
1t is not only untrue but is surprisingly
untrue.
To nv astonishment Mr.. snroule conveyed
the information that in point of tonnage of
vessels arriving and denartinp the lotest
statistics being of 1917. the port of Hong
kong, China, led the world.
II boot ort So,, yor,, ~, +ho odd e,uros
or q 900 ia to,s
IL IS not IN unusual thlng' secretary
Hproule INFORMS me- lor marine statlsticni
sharps 70 ehueaVor TO nx the standing OF
port oy 'ne 'aiue OF ts imports ana eX-
ports' Is mere camouhage; vain at
tempt 10 ooost tourth or NTH rate city to
hisher rank.
1t is clever and misleading stunt pulled
off frequently by delegations of "promi-
nent citizens and influential gentlemen" who
visit Washington on behalf of appropria-
tions for harbor improvements.
There is but one way to judge the i'm
portance of port and that is by the ag
gregate tonnage Of the vessels that come
and go.
Philadelphia's maritime Importance suf-
fered during the war, which was largely due
to falling off in the coast line trade. This
D.. " :. Supp,ies " europe
- "'' e"'' "' f'sn''
WHEN death removed T Edward Add;ots
w y tooL ort of I;fo ~ 49,. 49, -. -.n
t,rosoro 6nnuo o,,d ,,o.t n,. W. ,nos' ~.
t;;. -. - P'" Poii
Not even tho hoor;sh ,s ,,.,
Tohor of Co,oro5o ,,.hn "L un. , tSreu
of his weolth and v,,Iao,;t,, Id ~ Ia Stnna
nipLtshirts on eyhibition in hoh.rdos sSa.', 49,
window in Wasbinaton on,,,d n',tIa a. nn.
to;n ,os,oo+, tL;a ,s',,a.,o o'u ou''' i" sef
Yot Ella '',',,,, AId;oS.D 49, ','an.
norant nor nncmituraJ H. va. mas n. ne..nei ~
ciors ond foucht tbor, -, ~ o. So ~ 'ian
He erected vast fnorc;o1 strrot,, NJ
was weII odroo+od anS ;,La",.o, ne
name wos courteous ontertain;na soo'
oos.od irhoront oWoI;.;na 49, anu POS
so disnosed would boya I'D H., -,
nonular in the soc;etv ~ h;a uu oain I.h justly
He was n STRANGE rara jndpoI dduS's no,;.
t;on of groed nrod;,o,;tr an.h;.t 'oil'1ina
litical daring and upscrnnnIousnoss p'
His twin obsessions were y dos;..
oon,a n,,It;,,,;,i;a; Mee "eSire 10 ne-
min ff, oh TInstx
hr hooL Nv onon,, e .:.l, teI states senate
tSev suhmoroed and hiipaS phiitar"4aS rrook-and
instinct fooi;na a. anu doo;"a sx ts every other
VI 'ne De''er kind.
As / KNOW it now, but unconsciously
n at the time heard from ]. Edward
Addicks's lips the sentence that marked the
turning point-and the downward. turniny
point-in his spectacular career in Della >
ware
1t is unnecessary here to detail his vsrions
ATTEMPTS to climb the height to tb. Irn;,oJ
States Senate, only to be beaten back bv An.
thony Higgins, Judge George GRAY, Colone,
Henry A. Dupont and later by Richard R,
Kenney.
1t was in 1899 that Addicks manavod to
secure what he thought was q maior;tv n
the Delaware Legislature, when II cona 40
to the point however be locLod g. 80
Two Republicans held out and the Jsod,ocr
lasted throughout the session until tbo a.
of final adjournment >"' e"'