TOWAGE.

The towage charge on coastwise and foreign vessels from the sea buoy or Southport, to the city anchorage is 30 cents per gross registered ton, loaded or light.

Docking or undocking within city limits is charged for as follows:

Steamships with steam:

Under 2,000 tons.

From 2,000 to 2,500 tons-

From 2,500 to 3,000 tons..

From 3,000 to 3,500 tons.
From 3,500 to 4,000 tons.
From 4,000 to 4,500 tons.
From 4,500 to 5,000 tons..

From 5,000 to 5,500 tons__.

Over 5,500 tons, add $5 for each additional 500 tons.

All rates on gross tonnage.

$35

45

55

60

65

75

85

90

The towage charge from the city to sea or to intermediate points is 16 cents per ton.

No time rates have been established for towboat hire. The usual charge for towing steamers from stream to dock and vice versa is $50. Flat rates are also quoted for towing between designated points, e. g., from city to Swift's dock $50 each way; from city to Navassa $75 each way.

LIGHTERAGE.

All the principal water terminals have direct rail connections, rendering lighterage unnecessary in connection with through traffic. Private companies lighter for their own convenience. The charges vary with the nature of the goods involved.

The time rental of lighters varies from $5 to $30 per day.

STORAGE.

This subject is covered under storage warehouses and railroads.

LOADING AND DISCHARGING VESSELS.

There are no mechanical facilities in this port for the unloading or loading of general cargo. At the Clyde Line wharf, cargoes are trucked to and from the ship and are handled by the ship's tackle when goods are transferred to and from lighters alongside. Cotton is handled entirely by ship's tackle at the piers of the Champion Compress & Warehouse Co.

The railroad wharves and the wharves of the fertilizer companies are all equipped with unloading towers and overhead trestles for unloading fertilizer materials from incoming vessels. The Standard Oil and the Atlantic Refining Companies have unloading heads on their wharves for kerosene and gasoline from tankers. The American Molasses Co. of North Carolina is equipped in a similar manner for unloading molasses in bulk. For further information on facilities for handling cargo, see tables on Piers, wharves, and docks (pp. 37 to 51).

LABOR.

There is sufficient negro labor at this port for handling all cargoes coming into the harbor. This labor is not controlled by unions. The customary number of hours worked daily aboard ship and on shore is 10, extending from 7 a. m. to 12 m. and from 1 p. m. to 6 p. m.

The present labor wage scale is 40 cents per hour for handling general cargo, nitrates, potash materials, phosphate rock, and similar fertilizer materials. For sulphur and tankages the wages is 50 cents per hour; for Peruvian guano 75 cents per hour. Winch men, hatch foremen, and the better class of labor receive 50 cents per hour. These rates are subject to an increase of from 5 to 10 cents per hour during the fertilizer shipping season. The above rates are for a 10hour day with time and half time for overtime, holidays, and Sundays.

The only competition of other industries for the available labor supply is afforded by the fertilizer plants and the cotton compress plants in season.

STEVEDORING CHARGES.

The Diamond Steamboat & Towing Co. do practically all of the stevedoring in this port. Some of their rates are as follows:

3.00

Sailing vessels and barges under 500 tons net register__

Sailing vessels and barges 500 tons and under 1,000 net register___

Sailing vessels 100 tons and over....

Port warden's fee_____

Quarantine:

4. 00 6. 00

10.00

Agency fees. The charges for agency fee or consigned tonnage (which does not refer to regular berth service) are as follows:

Steamers loading or discharging not exceeding 300 tons bulk cargo_
Steamers loading or discharging in excess of 3,000 tons bulk cargo_
Steamers loading or discharging general cargo (either full or part
cargo)___

50.00

100. 00

100.00

Charges for demurrage and dispatch money vary according to charter party.

Tonnage dues.-A duty or tax of 2 cents per net ton is imposed on all vessels at each entry into a United States port from a foreign port or place in North America, Central America, West India Islands, Bahama Islands, Bermuda Islands, Newfoundland, coast of South America, bordering on the Caribbean Sea above and including the

mouth of the Orinoco River. This tax is not to exceed, in the aggregate, 10 cents per net ton in any one year.

A tonnage tax of 6 cents per net ton is imposed at each entry on all vessels which shall be entered in any port of the United States from any other foreign port or place. This tax is not to exceed 30 cents per ton per annum.

The tonnage year is computed from the date of the first payment, and expires on the day previous to the corresponding date of the following year. No tonnage tax is imposed on vessels entering a port in distress nor on those not engaged in trade.

Light money and alien tonnage tax. In addition to the regular tonnage dues, light money at the rate of 50 cents per net ton and an alien tonnage tax of the same amount are, with certain infrequent exceptions, imposed at each entry thereof into the ports of the United States upon vessels of countries with which the United States has no commercial treaty and upon vessels not exempted by presidential proclamation, except that upon foreign-owned vessels built in the United States the alien tonnage tax is 30 cents per ton. An alien tonnage tax of 50 cents per ton is also imposed upon vessels of American registry carrying one or more foreign officers. These charges are of infrequent occurrence.

FUEL AND SUPPLIES.

ELECTRIC CURRENT.

Electric current for both power and lighting purposes is supplied by the Tidewater Power Co. This plant is located at the foot of Castle Street and furnishes the principal piers with alternating current of 110-220 volts, 2 or 3 phase, of 60-cycle frequency. The normal power available is 5,000 kilowatts.

WATER SUPPLY.

Water is supplied to vessels at all the principal piers at 60 cents per ton. This is taken from Cape Fear River by the city pumping plant and is forced to the piers through 6-inch mains. Generally this water is of a very good quality for boiler purposes, but there are times during protracted droughts and high tides when it becomes brackish. At such times water may be procured a short distance above Wilmington at a nominal cost. A water boat is also used for supplying vessels with this water.

There is a limited supply of drinking water available. It is from artesian wells and is supplied at 1 cent per gallon.

BALLAST.

There is no ballast furnished at this port.

PROVISIONS.

All classes of provisions may be obtained from the various stores at the port.

OIL BUNKERING.

There are no facilities for oil bunkering at this port. Fuel oil may be obtained on short notice from the Standard Oil Co. at Charleston, S. C.

COAL BUNKERING.

No coal bunkering has been done at this port for the past four years, although there are two coal trestles from which coal may be dumped from cars into pockets or to open storage. The only facility for bunkering vessels is one coal barge operated by the Diamond Steamboat & Wrecking Co. This barge is steam operated and is equipped with a boom for hoisting. Bunkering of the average vessel, with side bunkers and saddle backs, can be done at the rate of about 20 tons per hour.

The source of the coal supply is in West Virginia, about 511 miles via Norfolk & Western Railroad and 567 miles via Seaboard Air Line Railway. This coal is the best bituminous. An additional charge of about $1.25 per ton is made for placing on board and trimming in bunkers.