Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937, January 01, 1920, New Year's Edition, Section 3, Image 19

Morning Oregonian., January 01, 1920, New Year's Edition, Section 3, Page 3, Image 19

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Newspaper Page TextTHE MORNING OREGONIAN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 1920. 3 miMintuiHi.iHn.!iiuimniiiuiiiiiiium iMimmtnnnmimiimnnmiiimmim PORT OF PORTLAND ACTIVITIES EXTEND TO DEVELOPMENT OF SHIPPING LINES Commission Has Authority to Invest $15 ,000,000 in Ocean and Inland Systems and $3,000 J000 as Bonuses Community-Owned Company With Numerous Stockholders Is Urged as Means to Solve Problems lumtniiniinninfniniiinitiiiiniuniiinniHmiiiimHMnnnimitimtti Si! ' Mlfnl1! -II .,,1. . - -rrftN ' B v4 -G V ' S ! rfi r.A' 'M?Vt tAk-ir ':r - U n S ' " ' . r TVST " ' ' J - vQ4i- "3Vi b4s: . . ; shp channel - - jli n --Srfrr- f; ' X PORTLAND TO THE 5Ei - ' .K L r&L- j ( COLUMBIA AND WILLAMETTE RIVERS 4X ar-'rH COMM3SW of PUBLtcVocxs - T W " f ;r -"trn ""-"I ' ' 5ouoding iofeerermeao ower out tourer. . S'" ' " 3' V0' AjTs yyy; XZZZZ ' ' &ZLZI' ndJcatesdrecroea.cAonner X X SrfJ13lL-C1bCi I " M. If. Hon.er, Chairman Tort ol II - - '- - i 'I - . , Vt&'M n 'I I Portlu.dComnl.alo.. S3 ' W 3 '.- lV i - , I I THE functions and activities of tha J , I- 1 W , NX I - , - . ' ! Port of Portland commission In I I s - , A, Kta- ? 1 - ,f , - s - - II I III: J- lPr: 1 I . , v.- .-.ir ' r r-r. 1 iii 1 - 3miy By the past have been confined more particularly to the physical accom modation of shipping the matter of towage and providing: a water way for Portland shipping:, working: in conjunction with the United States engineers. As a result of this joint effort the channel between Portland and the sea has certainly been 1 proved tenfold, having been increased from a depth In many places of 12 feet to a depth of 28 to 30 feet and the bar at the mouth of the Colum bia river from 19 to 42 feet, or. a depth that Is equal and superior to the foremost and leading harbors of the world. On the completion of the north Jetty, with the assistance of the dredge "Chinook," there was an un usual improvement to the bar and the Conditions there are continually growing better. It would seem with the wonderful improvements made that the work and activities of the commission in that direction were practically finished. This no doubt would be true were it not for the fact that the size and draft of the world's ships have increased to a considerable extent In the meantime. Therefore today, the entire commis sion is of one mind, namely, that the channel between Portland and the sea should be materially increased in oom uepm ana wiam to accommoaate the larger ships In the world's com merce. We have all read Colonel Slattery's remarks on his report to the board of United States engineers, recom mending a 30-foot channel, 600 feet ' In width. This is a step in the right direction, but should by no means be final. It is the aim and ambition of the entire commission that when the 600-foot channel is obtained, we must continue to work for the 35-foot channel for at least a width of 300 feet, as we feel that with a 35-foot channel, regardless of the usual shoal ing due to the spring freshets, we will at all times have at least 32 to S3 feet, and we feel that with the as surance of this depth we can always accommodate steamers drawing 30 to 81.8 feet and thus accommodate prac tically all shipping of the world's commerce with a very few if any ex ceptions. Commission Will Aid. Co assist in bringing about these renditions It is the aim of the com mission to improve the Willamette i on Its own account from Portland to lite confluence with the Columbia, along similar lines and then if need JJrefye Willamette at North Portland JJarbor Portland Built Steel , Steamer in ardor Th1 A-frJut S'udie liave ample water depth for eight months of the year and in the days of the "tramp." present conditions served well enough, but as the commission forecasts the future shipping, it is going to go more and more toward established liners and it is needless to say that the channel and harbor conditions must be uniformly good for the entire 12 months In order to accommodate this class of shipping. During the past years the port inaugurated a plan of co-operation with the United States engineers, which is now in operation of mass ing both the government and the . port's dredges w h e n necessary promptly to reduce shoals. The com bined capacities of these plants is really enormous, being about 90.000 cubic yards in an ordinary working day. To state this in another way, this fleet of dredges is able to remove a shoal of five feet 300 feet wide and 1700 feet long in a single day or nearly two miles per week. It can readily be seen and under- ' stood that a 500-foot channel of 30 feet depth with 300 feet of it to 35 feet -depth at the time of dredging seems reasonable, practical and well founded, for, on following the chan nel map from Portland to the. sea, it is apparent that three-fourths of the distance of the channel already has a depth of 3o feet and over, leaving only continuing the towage service be tween Portland and the sea, carrying of pilots to and from vessels out side of the river's entrance and this work will be continued and added to as the requirements call for it. It has also operated a 10,000-ton dry-dock at Portland for the past 15 years. The vessels requiring dry dock facilities have been promptly taken care of. During the past year there has been some congestion, due to a large number of new vessels that were constructed in the Portland yards being docked for various pur poses before delivery. This work for the time being is practically finished thus making facilities ample for with the exception of four or five, which have been allocated on a rather Indifferent oriental service. It will be some time at least before they are again seen in our harbor. Therefore, It becomes necessary and imperative that the citizens of Portland meet this situation In the same spirit 'as they met our govern ment's call in the war and liberty loan, as the needs of our. local ship ping conditions are almost. If not quite, as serious as those of our coun try at the time we entered the war, and unless we. ourselves, or some one, makes use of the facilities al ready created and which have cost millions, the money will have been ready $1,000,000 has been voted for this purpose. . A well organized and equipped steamship line, adequately financed, could be successful here as well as elsewhere. Conditions for progress and activity in trlis line have been uncertain to say the least, and It Is to be hoped that the definite policy of the shipping board will soon be settled, for while these unsettled con ditions exist, it is perplexing to all shipping people as ta just what move to make. But," in the meantime, it would seem the logical thing to do would be to create a local company and five times the pre-war basis of valuation. It is quite another matter and entitled to the most serious con sideration. Recently there has been in the har bor what Is known as a fabricated ship, which was lately purchased by anteed price, which Is based on a fS lines that are asking and exacting freight rate from here to the At- what appears to be extraordinary lantlc. This condition will soon ter- hiffh freight rates. minate during the coming May or The world's commerce for the pre June. It then becomes necessary for ceding 20 years before the commence the forwarding of our various prod- ment of the great war had increased ucts. including wheat, flour, lumber. the owner at something like $105 per fruits, etc., that there should be es- ton dead weight. This by no means tabllshed in the meantime ample could or should be taken as a market shipping facilities. value of ships; but. at the same time. Unless these are provided, we will It points out clearly a possibility. If have to depend on railroad service not a probability. across the continent that almost rom- ... ' . , pletely broke down during 'IS anil '17 Allocation I. Solution. .hen calIed upo to mov6 tnls Therefore for the present emer- unusual amount of freight. re- hy leaps and bounds, largely on ac count of the cheaper and more rea sonable freight rates. Therefore if the Port of Portland should commit Itself to jl policy of guaranteeing bonuses to the various lines that are asking or exacting unreasonable freight rates, we would only be lend ing our resources towards perpetuat ing a condition that will sooner or say with a capital of at .least ency. as stated before, and until the suiting in almost complete stagnation later stifle the world's commerce, as . F.wV,, . aS8,8t and' co- one-fourth of the distance requiring - " w.,...0u substantial improvement neers on the Columbia In addition to the river improve- - v. i...,. .1 me presem we ment work mentioned., the port is snioiiinninmiirasniiiimniinramraiMiiiMiimiiiinciiiiiiiiiMimiiinimiiHnmMiimiminmiMiiMinin $5,000,000. fully subscribed, but i!i ia .,i,.i., of the lumber and other industries present needs. The construction of expended in vain, if not dissipated, which, for the time being, need not ,,. QtMihrt H n a and- ln many instances, reducing the another drydock by the dock' com- 11 wouia seem, iouy to continue tnese all be paid In, so as to be ready for " . " price of wheat to the grower from mission will undoubtedly take care of expenditures unless something is done any condition of emergency that may more stable basis, with the formation 10 to 15 centB per bushel on account future drydock needs for some time l" ul iiibih. ii e uepena arise. to come entirely upon-others, we will have to We have read and heard a great await such time as ships again are deal of various ideas as to how the Kew Era at Hand. .seeking the cargo. In the meantime shipping board may and should dis- We hare come to what might be we w111 continue, to lose our prestige pose of Its some 1500 seagoing ships, termed a new era In oort work The by the diversion of shipments to and and there is a serious doubt In the termed a new era in port work. The throwfrh other ports which wlu bo mlnd3 of many shipping and financial Fort of Portland and the city, doubly hard to regain. - - men as to th nosalhllltv of Hsr.nt.ine- legislation during tne past two years has authorized the Port of Portland to undertake large actlvl- Notwithstanding the work done and tles in the building up of our ship- ... ping. The Port of Portland Is tu- the money expended, we are confront- thorized. If need be. to Invest $15,000,- ed with almost an entire absence of 000 in ocean and inland water lines, shipping. , On the completion of ships It has also been authorized to expend which have been constructed on the un to $3,000,000 In bonuses and truar- Willamette and Columbia rivers, they antees of certain kinds to encourage pre-war values and I think in many have been forwarded with cargoes to and assist in the establishment and lines this is a fair and conservative the Atlantic and distant seas; and. maintenance of shipping lines. A1-. estimate. But when It comes to four through the dock commission, have expended millions in equipment and the creation of shipping facilities. of a local company, as stated, (Bay having, thousands of shareholders representing the entire community) we should be in position to go to the shipping board for a proper and rea sonable allocation of ships, either by chartering outright on dead weight, or allocation for operation as is now being done, with enough ships to es tablish and maintain a reasonable service to. various parts of the world on which we could demonstrate be- of by selling, even on deferred pay ments, the larger part of this vast fleet. There is also much variation of opinion as to the exact valuation of a dead weight ton of shipping. In theyond a reasonable degree of success measurements of valuation, we have become accustomed to easily adding 100 per cent in many instances to and fair returns. Development in this particular line has been considerably interfered with on account of the shipping board's rate on our wheat and flour products, reflecting the $2.20 guar- of this congestion. This same ratio undoubtedly held good in all farm products and manufactured articles. Therefore, the matter of maintain ing ample shipping facilities Is as vital to the grain, fruit and livestock grower, as it is to the manufacturer and merchant. In fact, in one way or another, transportation stagnation will paralyze to some degree the in dustries of the entire northwest. Extreme Care Keesaary. As pointed out. extreme care murt be exercised to avoid the purchase of an undue amount of ships until we have some assurance as to Just what is a fair and staple price. I wish fur ther to point out the danger ii. guar antees and bonuses to various foreign it Is beyond economic conception how we can again continue and increase 'the worlds commerce at four and five times the pre-war freight rates. Today, at least, many of these problems are beyond the layman. In the meantime, as stated before, to meet the emergency and the necessity for ships, something must be -done. The commission feels that with the creation of a local organization, hav ing the support of the entire com munity, by using due precaution In its activities, under an experienced, operator, it can consistently commit the Port of Portland to grant during the early or pioneering stages, a bonus or guarantee to , the stock holders of an amount that would pre clude the possibility of any financial loss. With this co-operation there should be o hesitancy in subscribing the amount needed towards solving; our shipping problems. iiniiiHiHiHiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiitiiiiiinmiiiiH TRADE j Figures Given Out by Chamber of Commerce Department Discloses Rapid Development and Prediction Made Is That by Next June City's Export Business Will Have Reached Total of From $60,000,000 to $75,000,000 I FOREIGN trade is to a struggling the war, are the figures of the port's port what blood transfusion -s foreign trade exports for the years to the Invalid. Under ordinary embracing the nerlnrl of wnriA I circumstances the port might loiter along In commercial convalescence for an indefinite period, ere the needs of the world actually forced its ac ceptance of an export business. But iimimmiiiiimnmiiHiHimniiiiiiiniTOmnnimmiimm the allies, foreign trade was dead as fallen off and when the antipodes, prospective Importers or exporters ln and we render to our members the north European ports London, Liver- the proverbial door nail. the orient. South America Or Australia touch with these markets as they ap- identical service that this Important pool, Edtnborough, Bordeaux, Havre, "But the interval gave us oppor- are producing what we need. pear. bureau renders in Washington. - Rotterdam, Copenhagen and others, tunlty to realize what we had lost "In our files, from abattoir to lino "When we discover a market we "Through close attention and co- At present' this line affords us a 21- and to teach local industry what for- dust, and from Abyssinia to Jugo- notify 'our manufacturers who are operation our foreign trade has day service that Is, one of Its ships eign trade means. For the prosperity Slavia, we have, lists of all foreign concerned in. the product needed, and grown slnfce the war to such an extent touches at this port for export cargo of the district that la tributary to manufacturers and local, and of all place them In touch with the foreign that our percentage of gain exceeds every .three weeks. the Port of Portland, and the pros- the trade markets ot the world. It Is purchaser. Our office Is a co-oper- that of any other Pacific coast port "And we have also the Pacific perity of the port itself, depend upon the province of this department of atlve. branch of the federal burnau the establishment of trade - relations the Chamber of Commerce to place of foreign and domest'c commerce. flict. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1915, the exports of the local port were I20.40S.266. By June SO, 1916. they had fallen to $10,654,491. During the ensuing year they dropped given foreign trade as an Immediate even more alarmingly, and in June tonic and the port perks up with 1917. reached the low water mark of alacrity. . $4,190,695. From the end of 1914 until the Reaction Seta ln. opening of 1919. through cond-tlons Tho upward reaction then set ln, brought about by the war, the foreign and ftt the end of the 191g flacal vear trade business of Portland, both ex--forelg.n exports had recovered to $10,- port and import, dropped to a mini- 205.445. In June. 1919. tha renort of mum that was represented by zero How the port has regained Its feet, and is doing a larger export business than ever, with still wider fields At the close of the pesent fiscal year, in June, 1920, Secretary Weln baum confidently predicts that Port land's export business will have reached the healthy total of $60,000, 000 to $75,000,000, possibly more. And exports aggregated by Portias:! firms was $30,618,519 and the road to com mercial health was fairly blazed. a f r a a th aaa 'lonAa M K a . 1 ahead, is the narrative of E. N. Wein. - ... ' , ,. .-' I . business of the present fiscal vear. I baum. foreign trade secretary of the ... . ... , . - ' 1 ,, . ,. . . predicts Secretary Weinbaum, will Portland Chamber of Commerce. , W nrnoHfiallv flnnhla that r tv.. "At the end of 1914 until the begin ning of this year." said Mr. Wein baum, in review, "our foreign traOe had fallen off to sucn an extent that we were ashamed of It. At the op.-n- with other countries. We must send them our raw or manufactured ma terials for barter or sale, and If we are paid in commercial paper we must exchange it for import goods in for eign ports. "The effect of such a trade and we have the trada new fairly established and flourishing Is to banish the' ghost of overproduction by broad ening the market. Invading other fields with our canned croods. our fruits, lumber, wool, dairy nroducts, salmon and manufactured articles wo not only insure a fair and profltaale price-to the producer, but we main tain Industries at a working strength that would be impossible under mere domestic trade relations. Exchange Mutually Beneficial uuniuiHiuiMuiniiiiituiuittiiiiiiiinfiijiiiiuiiiniiiifliuiiiiiiiuiiiiiH we do not vet exceed them in tonnage Steamship company. sailing with or aggregate value, but the records Portland goods to the orient and un show that we are growing at a more , loading for import cargoes at Kobe, "In return for this foreign trade we i ing of the war we had beer, negotlat- thls is the leap that the port's foreign Ing with big steamship lines, but the X-trade has taken since the war dogs conflict effectually closed these deals receive the goods of the world go?ds I eased to grumble. without consummation, and during and products that are needed here i Indicative of the perilous nltua- the war period Portland was a port during the opposite seasons that is S Ion ln which Portlands foreign without shipping. Save for the lum- the seasons when our crnnn m- rnt I trari TirnnnPfl. WArA nlarari Hlirlnrt. Tni nnrl u-h(it that wa orn..-( a,1 tn ... i l , . . S ' J t. 6i wucu uu yrouuiis nave SinmmniffmitiiHflHiiimtimnmmiiuiNnitmuwiHilutmiminim STEAMSHIP LINES WHICH HANDLE PORTLAND'S FOREIGN TRADE. Destination. Line. Dock. Kobe Pacific Steamship Co St. Johns (Portland) Terminal Yokohama Pacific Steamship Co St. Johns (Portland) Terminal Manila Pacific Steamship Co St. Johns (Portland) Terminal Manila Pacific Steamship Co St. Johns (Portland) Terminal Shanghai. ... Pacific Steamship Co St. Johns (Portland) Terminal Hongkong Pacific Steamship Co St. Johns (Portland) Terminal ' Singapore. .. Pacific Steamship Co St. Johns (Portland) Terminal Marseilles. . . Societe Generate deTran . . .Fif teen th-St. Portland) Terminal - Genoa Sports Marl times a Vapeur. Fif teen th-St. Portland) Terminal West Indies. .SportsMaritlmeaVapeur. .Fifteenth-Si.(Portland) Terminal London Williams, Dlmond & Co Flfteenth-St.(Portiand) Terminal Liverpool . . . .Williams, Dlmond & Co. Bordeaux. . . .Williams. Dlmond & Co. Havre Williams, Dlmond & Co. Antwerp Williams, Dimond & Co. Amsterdam. .Williams, Dlmond & Co. Rotterdam Williams, Dimond A Co. Copenhagen. Williams, Dlmond & Co. Gothenberg. .Williams, Dimond & Co. ' Chrlstlania. . Williams, Dimond & Co. . Fifteenth-St.(Portland) Terminal . Fif teenth-St. Portland) Terminal . Fif teenth-St.(Portland) Terminal . Fifteenth-St. (Portland) Terminal . Fifteenth-St-(Portland) Terminal . Fif teenth-St.(Portland) Terminal . Fif teenth-St.(Portland) Terminal . Flfteenth-St.(Portland) Terminal. . Fifteenth-St.(Portland) Terminal mil lusty pace. "Over 100 Portland firms are now engaged in the export and import trade from the Port of Portland. We have every reason conservatively to . estimate that the growth of this trade has brought about an Increase of at least 60 per cent ln the number of employes engaged by these firms and the Industries that contribute to them, while it has assured steady and profitable prices to the original pro ducer of the raw material. Portland Ships turd. 'At -present the greater part of our' foreign trade is taken care of ln tran sit by tramp steamer service, the ves sels being chartered by individual Portland firms. These ships, laden with Portland and northwestern prod ucts, raw and manufactured, reach every port In the world from the far east to the near east. "In regularly-established service we have . the Columbia-Pacific Shipping company, which dispatches vessels regularly to the United Kingdom and Yokamaha, Manila, Shanghai, Hong kong and Singapore. And the French line, the Societe Generate de Trans ports Maritimes a Vapeur, sairlng for Mediterranean port. Marseilles, Gen oa and the West Indies. "A typical instance of the inter change of trade is that of tile recent arrival in this port of the Falls of Clyde, laden with 10.000 barrels of molasses from Hawaii. We use the molasses for the manufacture of stock food an industry in which this dis trict is gaining the upper hand and the Falls of Clyde returned to the islands with a full cargo of our prod ucts. "The port-Is being built up, but much remains to be done. Our local business men who buy goods from eastern houses should insist that these houses shall reciprocate by im porting from the orient through the Port of Portland. If the eastern im porters ask why Portland should be given preference over San Francisco or Seattle, tell them that we have the most modern port facilities as we have that we have no port conges tion, nor would have even if we took rank as one of the first ports of the world: and that we can guarantee dispatch ln transshipment by reason of the fact that we are the terminus of transcontinental railroad lines. Trade Representatives Active. "Another factor in the building up of the port is the sending of trade representatives to foreign countries by local exporters and Importers. Sev eral of our larger firms already have taken this step with excellent results, and more should follow their lead. With trade representatives ln the orient, in Europe, and In South and Central America, local exporters and manufacturers could be plced Im mediately in touch with markets and. through the use of the cable, could give prompt service. t "And when these markets are found, again and again, wiien a just proportion of the trade of the world turns to Portland, then foreign steamship lines will begin to see the advantage of establishing regular service to this port and will so es tablish them. Portland harbor will hold a score of ships where it holds one today, a score or more. There is no limit to the possibilities and tha future of this port save in the en thusiasm, faith and co-operation of Portland business men and manufacturers."