LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. WAR DEPARTMENT, THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS, Washington, D. C., June 16, 1924. Subject: Report on the ports of Charleston, S. C., and Wilmington, N. C. To: The Chief of Engineers, United States Army. 1. There is transmitted herewith report by the board on the ports of Charleston, S. C., and Wilmington, N. C., prepared by this department and the Shipping Board as a result of the cooperation prescribed by section 8 of the merchant marine act, and in furtherance of the objects entrusted to the War Department by section 500 of the transportation act of 1920. 2. The information contained in this report relative to the terminal and shipping facilities of Charleston, S. C., and Wilmington, N. C., was compiled by the statistical division of this office under the supervision of Mr. A. H. Ritter, chief statistician of the board, who has devoted his personal attention thereto. After compilation, the tables showing the facilities of the ports were forwarded to the district engineers at Charleston and Wilmington, and the results checked under their supervision. 3. Information regarding our ports has not heretofore been available in such form as to afford for a selected port all data essential to a vessel desiring to call or to enable a shipper to make a comparison of the facilities, services, and charges at one port with those at another for the particular class of business in which he is interested. The report includes information regarding the traffic movements through the ports and the development of foreign and domestic trade. On account of the value of the information to commerce and shipping interests, and to the successful operation of the American merchant marine, it is recommended that the report be published with the accompanying illustrations. For the board: G. R. YOUNG, Resident Member of the Board. [First indorsement.] Office Chief of Engineers, June 16, 1924.-To the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, Washington, D. C. Approved. LANSING H. BEACH, INTRODUCTION. This is No. 9 of a series of reports on the principal ports of the United States, prepared to meet the needs of the War Department in its development of harbors and its encouragement of port facilities, of the Shipping Board in its promotion of an American merchant marine, and of commercial and shipping interests in the upbuilding of their business. The War Department is required by law to assist the various ports in the design and construction of modern port terminals of such character as to handle the particular business of the port in the most expeditious and economical manner. The United States Shipping Board in its encouragement of an American owned merchant marine can afford to overlook no detail which will contribute to the economy of ship operation, and the curtailment of the time spent by vessels in port is an important item in ship economics. Before they can properly function in the encouragement of ports and ships, both the War Department and the Shipping Board must have the facts, without which the shipping business can not be successfully conducted, nor the port terminal correctly planned and economically operated. Before establishing shipping agencies, the manufacturer must consider every factor influencing the prompt and economical movement of his products. Traffic does not always follow the shortest route, nor that having the lowest line haul rate, but it will usually be found that there are sound reasons for this seeming disregard of economy. Frequently the principal of these reasons is to be found at the port through which the traffic must pass. In order to attract business a port must first provide the facilities essential for handling the particular commodities which it is likely to be offered, and this requires a detailed study of production and consumption within the territory naturally tributary to the port, and the provision of equipment especially designed to meet the several requirements of this traffic. The ships calling, or likely to call, at the port must be studied in the endeavor to provide the facilities and render the service which will permit their most rapid turnaround. The railroad situation is frequently a controlling element in port success. There should be ample trackage serving the terminal or terminals, with the most economical interchange both between the several railroads entering the port and between these railroads and the ship. Not only should the physical characteristics of the terminal with regard to the coordination between railroad and ship be examined, but the railroad rates should be scrutinized, as in various instances a commensurate utilization of a port has been rendered impracticable by unfavorable rate conditions. The absence of any one essential may prevent what should be an economical route or port from securing its tributary business. The trouble may be the lack of adequate terminals, the absence or inaccessibility of storage facilities, the imposition of excessive switching or wharfage charges, the absence of repair or docking facilities, the lack of well-balanced cargoes and frequent sailings, or other conditions affecting the movement of goods through the port and the ability of vessels to earn a fair revenue. Port coordination and management are apt to play a considerable part in the success or failure of the port community to attract and hold business. Where possible, the control of all deep-water frontage by the public, as represented by the State or municipality, including the ownership and operation of a belt line railroad connecting all rail lines and all terminals, is a practical solution of the coordination problem, and is an effective remedy for many of the ills that now exist. Ports should not have to depend upon the good will or selfish interests of either railroads or steamship lines to develop business. The railroads may prefer to have the business go elsewhere, and the water carriers can scarcely be expected to undertake extensive operations designed to bring goods to a particular port. In other words, the development of traffic should be regarded as one of the permanent functions of the port itself. Among the important objects, therefore, which it is hoped to attain from this series of reports is a more general appreciation of the benefits to be derived from proper developments of our ports. In obtaining the necessary information for our purpose, it has been deemed of great importance that the statistics be compiled on an equal basis for all ports, and a comprehensive questionnaire and supporting tables, which were prepared as a basis of port information, have been made as nearly as practicable alike for all ports under examination. These questionnaires and tables have passed the scrutiny of the office of the Chief of Engineers of the War Department, the Division of Operations of the Shipping Board, and the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce of the Department of Commerce. The reports cover the port and harbor facilities for shipping, port charges, railroad systems serving the port, local conditions and costs of transfer between rail and water, and also the cost of transportation between the port and the interior. The important conditions governing the movement in traffic through the port are followed, and such additional information presented as may be regarded of value to operators of vessels and to producers and manufacturers seeking the most economical outlet for their finished products and for the importation of raw material. The reports contain extensive information relative to the character and amount of commerce handled through the port, its origin and destination, the tendencies with relation to the development of traffic, and the adaptability of the physical facilities to meet the requirements of business which the port should serve. |