The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-06-21

We live in a day of specialsts-and one of the most
unique and interesting departures made in munic
pa governments anywhere in the world, was the Gre
alton in Seattle of a municipal corporation which was
specialist This corporation speciaizes entirely as
great community cooperative enterprise in the owner
ship and operation of a comprehensive system Of
terminals and harbor facilities When this spo-
calized form of corporation was organized in 1911 IL
the first of its kind in the United States. The
marvellous success of 1.-The Port of Seattle has turned
the of the shipping and transportation world on
what Seattle has done model for other great nat
ural ports to follow.
The marvellous results to Seattle of the splendid
system of terminals owned and operated by this
public corporation have been frequently stated Sum
married, they are follows Since 1911 when the
Port of Seattle created, the Washington Customs
District, of which Seattle is the principal port went
from twenty-frst place to second place among ports
of entry Of the United States in 1918. During the
past five years the total value of export and import
trade in the United States increased 243 per cent At
the Pacific Coast ports that increase 400 per cents
Puget Sound, where Seattle is the leading port the
increase in five years 536 per cent. Probably
in the history of the worlds has such
astounding increase taken place in such short
period Of time. Without the magnificent system Of
publicly owned and operated terminals, that
great flow of commerce which the Pacific
to Puget Sound could not have been handled but with
that system of publicly owned and operated terminals
90 per cent OF the foreign commerce coming from
every part of the world was handled by this public
institution. 1t handled practically without con-
gestion, and more efficiently cheapy, and with
less loss of time than freight handled By
any port in the country. What this means, not only
to Seattle but to the nation at large may be gathered
from the following statement recently made by one Of
the leading experts on harbor operation and manage
ment. This expert recently stated in public ad-
dress follows:
ut costs much to deliver shipment from
freight terminal in New York to the hold of ship as
it does to transport it by rail from Chicago the New
York terminal The 1300-me marine haul from Ha-
TO Boston is cheaper than the transfer from
pier in Boston Harbor to another. 1t costs to
load box of canned goods in Chicago than
it does to carry it by rail from Chicago to New York
1t costs to transfer barrel of flour the
wharf and to the hold of a ship in New York than to
carry it by that ship from New York to Liverpool It
is said that the waste caused by ideness of motor
trucks at terminal points due to inefficient loading
methods and congestion is S250,000,000 year.
New York. where half the nations imports and ex-
ports handled is planning to build terminal prac-
tcally devoid of modern materials handling appli-
New York plans to spend many millions of dol-
lars docks of exactly the size and type built in the
days of the clipper ship, with regard to pos
SIDE decrease III ndnulng costs 10 manu-
facturers and distributors.
"But all paying our tax for New Yorks inef-
fcency in the price of every pound of sugar eat
every cigar smoke, every cup of coffee drink;
we paying for it daily in every dollar spend.
1t cannot be said that the terminal problem is local
one that affects New York. Seattle or New Orleans
only. 1t is national problem that affects every one
of u.s.
This charge of waste and inefficency cannot be laid
to the door of the Port of Seattle Other ports, by
lack of efficient terminals, lack of proper
mechanical equipment and wasteful methods of ham
ding cargoes are undoubtedly one of the large
trbuting factors to the high cost of living This nef
fcency loss of time and waste at the principal ports
of the United States is reflected in the prices paid by
people wherever they may live in the United States.
Here lies the value to Seattle in having wonder
full harbor, properly equipped with terminals
and such terminals properly operated and managed.
By doing eliminate the high cost of Transports
ton and distribution in of the leading ports of
the United States. By doing perform national
service What is true of individuals is also true Of
cities Their greatness depends upon the greatness of
the service they render.