Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-09-11
ANCHORED SHIPS MEAN LOSS
River Won't Seem So Busy When
Vessels Have Quick "Turn-
Around" and Port Prospers

| 1Awharves, docks and ferries, mildly asked
City Solicitor Smyth for an opinion on what
he should do regarding the slowness IN the
construction of the two new municipal
piers, Nos. 50 and S4. South Wharves.
| No. 50 was to have been finished July IL,
| put is only about 25 per cent done now;
| No. "a was to have been completed April
II, and is only 40 per cent done. The di-
rector,s mildness in asking for legal advice
| is Undoubtedly caused by public apathy
| regarding shipping matters which is both
astonishing and inexplicable to any, one in,
| terested in this ports foreign trade. And
| that means--or ought to mean-everybody
| living within 100 miles of the city, for
! countless thousands of our people owe their
present comfort and well being, either di.
rectly or indirectly, to the ships that ply
! the Delaware river.
| PHILADELPHIA, as q port, has reached
a crisis. Captain Joseph L. Gately, of
the United States Shipping Board offices in
this city, is authority for the statement that
1t is now perfectly useless to try to attract
any more shipping to this port for the sim
pie reason that there is not single wharf
available to a new line along our entire
waterfront
Statements and figures given out by the
United States Department of Commerce a
week ago showed that Philadelphia's ex-
ports dropped by the immense sum OF $40.
OOO,OOO in the fiscal year ending June 30
over like period ending 1019 and that
this port is surpassed by New York. Gal.
weston and New Orleans in goods shipped
out. The New York superiority is not cause
for any great excitement, but that Calves
ton and New Orleans should so far surpass
us is not only humiliating, but seems to
contain almost irrefutable proof of the
traditional 'slowness' of Philadelphia, at
least so far as concerns the wonderful op-
portunity that is open to her to jump to
second place in the country's commerce
., Our apathy is probably due to the fact
that we have lacked a consistent educational
campaign aimed to show our people just
what foreign commerce means to each and
every one OF them They regard it as some
thing entirely aside from their every day
activities and not touching them personally
at ALL
But it does; Philadelphia, as the second
port in the country, if not. indeed, the first,
would mean extra money in the pocketbook
Of every family here and in radius of 100
miles.
TT is quite the ordinary thing for the
traveller on the Camden ferries to point
TO score or more of ships anchored in the
river and to make some remark tending to
show that he thinks their presence proves
the activity of the port. But it doesn't.
tom of the Delaware Ships come here to
get to dock and unload and get away again,
not to anchor and await their turn.
, Let the commuter on the ferries count
tne nuhper OF snlps ne can see IN the
stream each morning and multiply that by
1000. The result will be just about the
number of cold, hard dollars in cash that
the ships have wasted that day-the pen
atty, IN other words that we are imposing
on ship owners and merchants for using
this port in preference to New York, Balti-
more, New Orleans or Galveston.
1t costs just about $4,000 a day to hold
ship in port: That is a conservative esti-
mate, Big and little, the ships that come in
as.
age about 5000 deadweight tons each. Many
are smaller; many are bigger. Five thou
sand tons is the mean.
THERE is now in the stream n shin
l. named the Holyoke Bridge, which is $500
deadweight tons-so close to the average
that figures that apply to her may be taken
as approximately correct for the 1446 for
eign trade and 1880 coastwise trade ships
that used this port in the six months ending
June 80 last. Figures on carrying charges
for ships will vary of course, with the
valuation of the vessels and that ranges
anywhere between $50 and 5000 per dead
weight ton. But the Holyoke Bridge is such
a happy medium between high and low
ratings that glance at her accounts should
prove illuminating.
In the first place the Holyoke Bridge has
the following sums charged against her every
day of her existence:
JIaLLIe iHsurshce '''.'.'...... 123.SO
Rnpsirs ..,.,',''''''''''. l88oo'ooO
Agency fee ......,..,..:,::.... S,57
Pntnriinr Gntn1, c@ompehSatlon @ 9, 1900
Wireless maint tenanra '' '''su""'e'' 20
cuhnna rIpa giznaI ''''' i'UO
'' S'e""' apparatus '''''''' l'oo
Carrying charges '.'..:'.'.'''''SO7 40
"a Snu na,r,JS nd trem u tn.rtS seven oncerS
aar aach n1ar i.tiu 10 60 eacH uaE
noorthir non , ro,i T'aN'nS a. 'f-'' ua!' lier
i''Un.ns p"' io'
Master OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. S3a37
second mate ........,,............ i65 IS
Third hrd d,,ra mate ...'....'............. 1000
a. r. sHamen at ss5 ,,,,,.,,.,' ,'3 YAK NO
2, Ordinary seamen at se5......... 10000
second assistant engineer .......... l93 *
Deck engineer :......... iooU'Eoo iooo' Eo
Firemen at 800 .................. 27oO0
NlperS at SI0 observation-disclosures. 1870 90