For all other European ports, including Great Britain, the number of vessels arriving in 1887 was 18,891, carrying 5,917,242 tons of cargo, while in 1911 the number was 41,443, carrying 15,330,754 tons. The number of out bound vessels at all other European ports in 1887 was 14,995, carrying 4,467,353 tons of cargo, while in 1911 the number of vessels had increased to 23,441, carrying 8,975,655 tons, or a little more than double the tonnage. During the same period Germany had more than tripled her export tonnage. Germany's improvement in her commercial fleet is illustrated by the following comparisons, taking the figures for 1885 and for 1911: In 1885 Germany had 3,438 sailing vessels of a capacity of 854,900 regis ter tons, while by 1911 the number of sailing vessels had decreased to 2,723 with a capacity of 510,000 tons. The United Kingdom had in 1885 sailing vessels tp the number of 17,018 with a capacity of 3,457,000 register tons, but by 1911 the number had decreased to 8,714 with a capacity of 971,700 tons, a much more rapid decrease than that of Germany. The United States had in 1885 sailing vessels to the num ber of 18,564 with a capacity of 2,771,000 gross tons. The number of sailing vessels in 1912 had decreased to 10,969 with 2,147,700 gross tons capacity, a smaller decrease than either Germany or the United Kingdom. The de creases in sailing vessels was largely due to the building of steel hull steam vessels during the period in question, consequent upon the cheapening of the processes of steel manufac ture. The decrease in the number of sailing vessels in the United States was correspond ingly less, due to the stagnation in shipbuilding and the retaining of the old vessels in use.
The next two countries of importance in sea traffic are Norway and France, together equal to Germany, but both suffered decreases in aggregate tonnage during the period men tioned.
In the development of what are termed in land harbors Germany has progressed. This is especially noticeable on the Rhine where a great traffic has been built up through en couragement to navigation by the cities bene fited, acting under the direction of the govern ment in the working out of the system. The largest harbor on the Rhine is the Duisburg Ruhrort harbor, in reality a group, it being a transfer point for coal from railroad to river.
In 1907 the traffic was 31,000,000 tons or as great as Hamburg's overseas traffic. The har bors at Mannheim—Ludwigshafen on opposite sides of the Rhine have a traffic greater than the seaward traffic of Bremen. Other prominent harbors are at Crefeld, Miihl heim, Cologne, Diisseldorf, Worms, Carlsruhe, Frankfort, Offenbach (on the Main) and Strassburg. The rivalry between these cities keeps the harbor facilities constantly up to the highest point of efficiency. The larger part of the Rhine traffic is inland bound and iron ore and grain form two-thirds of the total, while coal for export forms half of the outward traffic. Two-thirds of the Rhine traffic is in foreign exports and imports and one-third in domestic goods. In 1907 the total Rhine traffic was 64,500,000 tons, an increase of 400 per cent over 1885. The chief articles of the Rhine traffic are wheat, rye, iron, coal, coke, manu factured iron, soda, salt, stone, sand, gravel, brick, wood, cement, fertilizer, petroleum, coffee, fruit, wine, tobacco and machinery. The in crease in the river traffic is shown by the fol lowing tables, selected from the reports of vari ous harbors, as indicating the increase at har bors of different sizes.
The whole German system of traffic and transportation, rail, inland waterways and over seas, is all one co-ordinated organization, each element of which is developed in its proper relation to the whole and each of which is em ployed to promote the prosperity of the other and of the country at large.
The preferences in rates on the inland lines promote the overseas traffic, which proves a consequent stimulus to the building of liners and other vessels whose passenger traffic in turn is of great value to the railroads. An endless chain of benefits is thus established for an efficient traffic and transportation system, not only highly profitable in times of peace, but effective in times of war for the national defense.
Bibliography.--Helfferich, Dr. Karl, 'Ger many's Economic Progress and National Wealth> (Berlin 1914) ; Howe, Frederic C.,