White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1927-01-07
Development of Jersey Terminal
Would Aid Western Shippers

| be eventually decided upon, to the
American Merchant Marine.
my personal study and observation
of this matter has led to the follow
ing conclusions:
THAT under the direction of the
Shipping Board thorough study of
the whole shipping problem should be
made by committee of the most
experienced men available in each
branch of the business This com
mittee should also include representa-
tives of each department of the gov
eminent, as they are all directly or
Indirectly interested in the shipping
problem. The work of this commit
tee should include a study of the his
tory of the development of the mer-
chant marine of the principal foreign
countries and the methods followed
by the private owners of foreign ton
mage, which has resulted in their sue
cess to date.
Before arriving at it's final recon-
mendations, this committee should be
satisfied that every effort has been
made to insure the fullest possible
understanding and coordination be,
tween the bankers, manufacturers and
merchants; the railroads and steam
ship lines; the terminal and ware
house companies; and all other
branches of the transportation system
of the United States.
"The natural advantages of the
United States in this respect are not
equalled in any other country in the
world, but strangely enough, it is sell
dom that this feature of the problem
has been mentioned in the discussions
which have taken place in the past in
connection with the development of
an American Merchant Marine.
"Any plan proposed for government
aid to a privately owned American
Merchant Marine must assure prefer
entail treatment in the form of trade
benefits, regulation, encouragement
and sympathy.
CAS- a practical example of the pos
sibilities of effecting coordination be-
tween the many elements of the trans
portation system of the United
States, to Offset the disadvantages of
the increased costs of construction
and operation, it is only necessary to
refer to the present methods of effect
ing trans-shipment of cargo by light
ers between the railroads and steam
ship lines serving New York Harbor
This slow and expensive system is
well known to the shipping and trans
fportation world, but it is remarkable
that such a tremendous loss of capital
could continue without interruption
for so many years, without forcing
large portion of the traffic away from
New York.
at is hoped that the development
taking place in Newark Bay, which
will provide terminal facilities for the
direct transfer of cargo from railroads
to steamships, will be completed in
time to avoid the diversion of traffic
from New York, and thereby demon
strate in practical manner, at least
partially, how some of the handicaps
under which American shipping must
operate may be equalized.
"The War Department, Corps of En-
gineers, U. S. Army and United States
Shipping Board have been cooper
ating for a number of years in the
publication of a series of studies of
the principal ports in the United
States. Port Series No. 20, Port of
New York., recently issued through
these government agencies, covers in
great detail this slow and expensive
method Of transhipping cargo from
railroads to steamships in New York
Harbor, and many startling facts
have been brought to light, viz:
"That the cost of moving carload
of freight from the Jersey side of the
Hudson River to alongside of a steam
er in New York averages $50 per car.
and prominent railroad executive
has said that it costs as much to take
a freight car from the Jersey yards,
unload it at Manhattan or Brooklyn
and return it empty to the yards, as
it does to transport it from Buffalo,
N. Y, to the New Jersey yards.
"That the estimated total minimum
cost of the railroads serving New
York Harbor of this lighterage opera
ton amounts to $50,00O,000 per year.
| ut is only necessary here to mention
that the total appropriation for the
present year, to cover deficits of the
entire operations of the United States
Shipping Board, amounts to approx
mately $14,GO0,000.)
"That the estimated cost of inter-
est to shippers or consignees for
each day the entire cargo moving
through the Port of New York is in
transit amounts to approximately
$545,OOO per day.
THAT the estimated extra cost to
steamship lines operating under the
congested conditions which exist in
the Port Of New York amounts to
from 100000 to $5,000,O0O per year.
After dealing exhaustively with
the causes of this slow and expensive
method of operation, the report re-
ferred to points out that if the Port
of New York were to be designed
anew to meet present and future traf-
fic conditions, we would adopt the
principle of bringing rails to ship side.