The New York herald., 1921-09-15

profit on each would range somewhere
above $4,000. 1t l. regarded as reason
able to suppose that some piers have
made profits as high as $4,000 10 $780,
900 year for their leases.
Report Filed by Gen. Black.
Gen. Blacks report. which was nled
with the Federal Shipping Board. states
THE charges per berth for piers be-
fore the war were between $50 and 500
a day, averaging between $50 and $50
q day | am giving here few eN-
smples OF the rates now charged" This
report was made in juno. 1920. Prac-
tlcalIy the same leases hold to-day. The
cases cited are as follows:
"Pier on Manhattan shore, Hudson,
I50xS0 feet, leased from the city for
$4,000 a year. II has two berths. The
cost to the lessee is S66.67 for each
berth per day The charge made by
the lessee for berthing at this pier is
5000 to $3.50 a day This was charged
the Shipping Board.
pier 65Tx1o3 feet, which is leased at
$4,000 a year. or a cost per berth per
day OF s152 That is charged for at the
rate of $500.
"Pier 842x5o feet, municipality owned.
Is leased for s3s.3s0. That means $3.50
per berth per day. The Shipping Board
is charged $3.50 per berth per day.
'Pier, covered. s44x6o feet, municipal
Iy owned is rented for $4,000 year.
This is s57.47 per berth per day, and
the charge for berthing is $3.50.
''Pier costing its lessee $3445 a day.
and the berthing charge is s225. There
Is another case where the cost to the
lessee Is S48.4S per day. and the berth
ing charge is $225.
Another case. the cost to the lessee
is s5S.47, and the charge Is $3.50 to
$500.
Another case. the berth costs the
lessee S10417, and the berthing charge
is $500 to s225. $3.50 to sS5o, up to $3.50
q day.
There Is another pier owned by the
city and leased at 1000 per year,
which has two berths. making the cost
$45.s4 per day. and the charges by the
lessee are $500 day."
Accompanying Gen. Blacks report is
q detailed chart covering twenty-five
municipal piers which are leased to ship
ping companies and individuals and sub
leased. The average rental per berth
obtained by the city is about SIS. The
average day charge made by the lessee
Is about S225.
Showing what happens to shippers.
Gen. Black In his report tells Of Ship
ping Board vessel which entered this
harbor for ballast and took on gen.
eYal enrgo. 1t cost the Government
<S5 900 % load that one cargo. Gen.
~rai BLACK states he was informed by
shipper nat he had saved $4,000 on
one cargo by sending his ship to Balti-
sacro io 81 load. The report continues:
rft N Nmed that the harbor here
il conxest-d During the entire time |
was here there was not a day passed
when there were not two or three OF the
Shipping Boards vessels lying at anchor
in the harbor awaiting berth. There
IS no necessity for that. There are berths
enough in New York IL the present IA
cilities were taken advantage of
Taking the deep sea shipping only,
for example. or the piers that are de-
voted to deep sea shipping apart from
the railroad piers. or the railroad owned
piers, there are 477 berths 800 feet long
and over. that are used primarily for
ocean shipping in this port.
Ose,r Comm cree of New York.
ctr 1913 the ocean commerce entering
the port of New York consisted of 4,223
yesscS; in 1918. 4.243. Therefore we
caaeaxe that number as representing
o-dfn,4<%ry the number OF ships In ocean
commerce which use this port in year
There are berths enough TO allow each
ship to lie at its berth from forty to
sixty days.
f"Leseees may or may not dhave ships
enough to use their piers, and II Is op-
tional with them whether or not tney
lease out space. Few piers have ad-
eouate storage facilities, with the result
that cargoes are left on the piers too
long and they are improperly used for
etoraue purposes. That Is an alto
cether improper way TO use so valuable
q filing as oier space in New York city.
Most of the piers are too narrow 10
afford space for both the incoming ana
outgoing cargo. and frequently the in
coming cargo must be moved away be-
fore the outgoing cargo can be moved,
causing q greatly increased turn around
time for the ship.
1T costs at least $4,000 day for
ship 10 lie idle. Then each day that
berth Is occupied in that way BY an idle
.NIn decreases the earning capacity OF
the plsr bv exactly that much. For
instance. II man uses a thousand foot
pssY for only two ships, the bcrthing
CASTS cf those two ships are manifestly
moro than X he used the pier for berth
irg three Or five ships, which could cas-
~ Be coNc
There 10 no system which exists by
which freight transferred by lighter
shall be unloaded at points which Will
made tho land haul by truck a minimum.
No system has existed here for the let
ting OF piers for any particular purpose.
II a man needs pier he gets Il where
he can get n. and apparently gets Il
by favor. irrespective Of what he Is go-
ing TO do with It; yhat use he Is going
TO make of H.
Adds TO Transportation Costs.
That means a tremendous increase
In the cost Of transportation that
situation involves. You take any ship
which comes In loaded with freight 50
per cent. OF the stun for Manhattan. she
should have a berth In Manhattan be-
cause her material can then be handled
most economically to it's destination by
truck. Suppose that ship had to 20 TO
South Brooklyn. she In so far away that
trucking by horses or by motor becomes
extremely expensive, and then all this
material has to be brought to Manhattan,
and must be handled twice. once into
the lighter and out OF the lighter to the
trucks for it's final destination.
IF an effort were made to put this
harbor into zones to be used In ac-
cordance with the cargoes that come
IN and the destination OF the cargoea
that come in the cost of moving goods
through this harbor would be enormously
decreased. Take the case Of ship
coming in With d cargo mainly intended