Evening star., 1934-09-13
FREE DOCKAGE HIT
IN EASTMAN PLEA
Port Authorities Told Rail.
roads Need of Addi-
tionaI Revenues.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK. September ia plea
for agreement between port authori-
ties and railroads to do away with free
dockage of steamships was made to-
day by Joseph B. Eastman, Federal
co-ordinator of transportation.
In An address before the American
Association Of Port Authorities, East
man said the appeal was based on .
desire to aid the railroads in raising
needed revenues. He promised the
port authorities that II they would
agree, the railroads would either have
to come into line or he would issue an
order under his powers as co-ordi-
nator.
"At our ports the wharves and piers,
which for convenience I shall call
terminals, are sometimes owned or
leased by steamship companies, but
more often they are owned or operated
by railroads, by government bodies,
such rs States, municipalities and port
authorities. or by independent private
interests.
Roads Own Number.
The railroads own and operate .
very large number. For . long time
other operators at many ports have
complained that they cannot obtain
satisfactory revenues from their ter
minals, because it Is q practice Of the
railroads to permit their terminals to
be used by steamship lines free Of
charge. I find that this Is in fact
the common railroad practice and
that it particularly affects steamships
engaged in overseas service. Competi-
ton imposes the same practice upon
the other terminal operators whether
they like it or not 80 that they must
depend upon charges for handling and
wharfage as their principal sources
Of income.
ST am also informed that in the
case of the terminals owned by gov
ernmental bodies, this situation has
often resulted in q deficit from opera
ton. which must be made up through
II.
1t Is charge against their general
operations.
Free Only In U. 8.
I'm no other country of the world,
so far as have been able to ascer-
tain, are steamships given free use
of terminals. On the contrary, they
are obliged to pay substantial sums
for their use. Generally speaking, the
coastwise and intercoastal lines in
this country also pay In one way or
another, largely by owning or leasing
their terminals, 50 that the benefits
of the free use 60 mainly to the over
seas lines.
"I have been unable to discover any
sound reason why they should be so
favored, either at the expense OF the
railroads or at the expense OF the
taxpayers or independent private in
terests.
"It happens also that at the lead
ing port Of the country. New York
Harbof, they are not generally. 30 fa-
yored, because there the steamship
companies usually operate their own
terminals and pay substantial rentals
for them. The State docks at New
Orleans and the terminals at Calves
ton assess substantial dockage
charges, lesser charges are assessed at
Pacific ports and there are instances
where some dockage Is charged by
publicly owned or private terminals
at Atlantic and Gulf ports"
Eastman said his trafflc assistants
are now engaged in making q study of
the situation and that they have rec
commended . scale Of charges ranging
from q half cent per gross ton for
vessels lifting or discharging $50 tons
of freight or less to 2 cents per
ton for picking up or discharging 500
tons or more.