The New York Harbor Commission in one of its Reports describes the situation in our largest port in the following words : It will be seen that the railroad terminals are situated in the New Jersey section of the harbor and the steamship ter minals are situated in the New York section of the harbor, and there is no physical connection between them. Except in a few instances, there is no place in New York harbor where ships are brought alongside of railroad cars on the tracks of their main systems. Practically all interchange of freight between ships and railroads is done by the medium of lighters. There is no harbor in the world where so much lighterage is done as in New York.
The lighterage in the port of New York requires the services of 60,000 men who operate 10,500 craft representing an investment of $250,000.000.
The picture is not complete without another view, quoted from Dr. E. S. Bradford: In New York harbor, below West Sixtieth street, on the Hudson River, railroads occupy more than thirty piers for freight purposes, besides those for their many ferries. All the space along the river from West Sixtieth street to Sev enty-second street is occupied by a single railroad company. Many of the East River piers are occupied by railroads. Tho the city of New York owns a large portion of the river frontage on both rivers, its system of long-term leases has resulted in a considerable degree of control by the lessees. Almost the entire active waterfront of Jersey City is occu pied and most of it is owned by the railroads.
Conditions at the port of Boston are described by Mr. Paul T. Cherington in a pamphlet issued by the Boston Chamber of Commerce. There are twelve freight stations in Boston which have 49 different freight houses with 1201 separate doors; freight must be delivered or received at the right door according to destination or origin; and the three railroads con cerned are not connected by any belt line. In the words of Mr. Cherington: If each railroad were able to secure a complete cargo for each ship offering itself, and if all the business done in con nection with steamships were to and from competitive points the situation would be quite satisfactory. As it is, the strug gle for business by the individual lines is keen and the compe tition which develops leads to wasteful and unsatisfactory methods of operation for the steamship lines.
For example, suppose a ship operated by a line running in connection with the Boston and Albany Railroad should have only three-fourths of a cargo ready for her at that company's Grand Junction wharves in East Boston. She would not be permitted by present practice to solicit cargo at the termi nals of other railroads, no matter how much freight might be at these docks for the same foreign destination, nor is she permitted to load freight obtained from any of these railroad piers of, in fact, from any other piers unless that freight pays a high switching charge. If cargo for this ship
brought in by any other line were to be lightened to the side of the ship and put on board by the ship's own tackle, it would be obliged to pay half wharfage to the Boston and Albany Railroad.
Again, if more freight were at the Grand Junction wharves than the ship could take, and if there were no other sailing by this line until,.say, two weeks or later, the freight would lie there awaiting the next steamer of this line rather than be transferred to any other pier for forwarding by any other line. This again, is due to the switching charge which would be added to the freight in case of such transfer. These serve to illustrate some of the evils of railway ownership of terminals and exclusive steamship contracts.
8. The cost of delay.—In the American harbors, incoming ships are inspected by the quarantine of ficials before docking or discharging passengers or cargo. In New York each vessel arriving from a freight port pays an inspection fee of $10. Formerly inspection was in some instances made after sundown and an additional fee was charged but such inspec tions have been discontinued. In addition to this, a fee of $2 per hundred is made for the examination of steerage passengers.
If after this inspection the ship is allowed to pro ceed, it is necessary to "clear" it. The master pre sents his clearance papers from the port from which he sailed to the Collector of the Port. He also hands over his "register." These documents are held by the port officials until the ship is ready to "clear out." These formalities take time. To them must be added those entailed in satisfying the customs requirements.
It is here that the free port proves its greater ef ficiency. As Professor Edwin J. Clapp said: Perhaps the chief advantage of the free port lies in the facilities it offers for the rapid, frictionless discharging of ships with dutiable goods, whether destined for reexporta tion or shipment inland. As Hamburg lies 85 miles from the sea, precaution must be taken to prevent goods being landed on the way up. The Hamburg pilot, who must be taken aboard when the vessel enters the Elbe, is sworn in as a customs inspector. Under his guidance the vessel comes up the river at any hour of day or night and passes to her berth in the free port, unmolested by customs officers. There are no summary or detailed declarations of dutiable goods to be made, no customs officers to be taken aboard, with the explanations and delays attendant on their presence, whereas in England, their official hours are limited, a ship with dutiable wares must suspend the discharge of her cargo dur ing night hours. In the Hamburg free port, she discharges and loads day and night, if she will. When she is ready, her inspector-pilot takes her out to sea ; no officer of the customs has even been aboard. It is the least conceivable hindrance of the free movement of a ship.