The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 30, 1901, Page 6

THE SUNDAY CALL. = T is high time to consider the needs TI of the harbor of San Francisco. "/ 1| Commerce follows the flag, and now \a ” that the stars and stripes has gone S N forth over the seas it is natural to s expect that much will be demanded of the ships that sail through the Golden Gate. ) The United States is one of the f§ very greatest surplus producing na- g, ] tions in the world as California is "f P4 cne of the very greatest surplus pro- 7 ¥ ducing States in the Union. The countries of the Pacific need )/ this surplus and San Francisco is the L&) \\8] one harbor of America through which \ this supply for a great demanl can go. 7 -\ The requirements of our port af | D course mean much to us of Califor- u) D nia, but this harbor has now frown f to be of more than local importance, for it hes on it the eyes of the com- A merce of the United States—in fact, of the whole world. Its needs are worthy of the most careful considex- ation. F. S. Stratton, in his position of Collector of the Port of San Francisco is peculiarly well situated to dis- course uvpon this subiect. He has written at length upon this matter exclusively and especially for the | readers of The Sunday Call. | By F. J. Jiraiton, Collector of the Port of San Francisco, YE requirements of the harbor of San Francisco are matters which should attract the attention of the entire State. The greatness of San Francisco must inevitably reflect the greatness of California. The two will always go together. This port will never assume its true po- sition until California has reached its proper development. While. kowever, it is important to €an Francisco that the interests of the State should be developed it is also most essential to the St the harbor of San F' et neisco she all needed recuirements. The interests of the two are commingled and blended to the fullest possible extent The visit of the Congressional Cor on Rivers and Harbors has been a timely one in attracting the tention of our the requirements of this port. Few of our citize own people sufficiently com prehend the physical advantages wh nature has given us. Very little is nee to supplement what has alread found here free at hand visitor to the Old World view'ng any of the ports of Europe or of the Brit- £dom cannot but fail to be con 1 of the importance which good natural harbor possesses. In the entire | seocoast line of England, Ireland. Seot- land and Wales, as far as T have person- ally observed them, there is not a singie harbor but which has required the moxt " elaborate and expe order to render it 2 sive improvements in flable for ocean com- e of every one of is especially tr the well-known ports of th islands. The same might be =aid of all the Buro- pean countries, with but few exceptions Enormous breakwaters and walls of con- crete and stone. together with jotties and solid embankments. have been everyvwhere constructed so as to render available tho harbors of the Ol4 World Even New York, New Orleans and Roe ton of our own country furnish illustro- tions of this conditon of affairs. Sau Franelsco, however, possesses one of the very few natuvral ports, if not the very greatest port, on the globe. The question presents itself as to how can it be bes brought to its best use. 1t ought to be thoroughly understcod that a great har- bor cannot be made such by leglslativs enactment, or by the mere passage of maritime regulations, or by the removal of commercial restrictions. It is true that if all of these things de- flected commerce to other ports, thelr re- moval would increase the shipping in the harbor of San Francisco. There must however, as a primary essental, be found practical reasons why merchandise should be brought to this port, or exparted from it, before any artificial regulation can be of substantial importance The public generally fafl to eomprehend the jurisdiction exercised by the three co. ordinate sovereignties In matters c mercial at this port. T refer tn the m nicipality, the State and the Federal Go- ernment - whatever over the 8an Francisco. The State, by virtue of 11 awrs=sh'n o* the harbor front, has complete control as a riparian propristor over the « city, as such, exercires no enwirat bor or the port of strue. tion of docks, plers and wharves. and af the regulation and colle whaifage and tolls, The United aten, by virtue of i'g snve. ereignty and the reserved control oves navignble waters, exercises dom'vion In %0 far an the paramount intere ping and commerce are concerned—this to the extent of romoving nhstructions, deep- ening channels and thus subserving the larger interests of not only the State, but of the natior as a whole. 8an Francisco, having deep water along it entire harbor front, needs but com- paratively little dredging, and this has al- ways been undertaken by the State There is this advantag:, however, of ae- tion by the Federal Government Wherever improvements are madoe by it they are for the benefit of ali, and can be freely used without charge or financlal restriction. The policy of this Btate, as evidenced by legislation, has been to the effect that Ban Francisco, as soon as the necessary improvements were constructed, should be made a free pott. This is distinctly set forth in certain of the provisions of the Political Code. This policy has, however, n of dockage, [ [ 1 | been frustrated and altogether too long delayed by the experiments which have taker place in wharf and dock construc- tion. Just at the present time, and for more than one year past, the Harbor Commis- sioners have been pursuing a course which should have been followed for the last twenty years, Milllons upon milllons of dollars have been wasted in temporary wooden atructures which have required rebullding at consequent enormous less, According to my own observation not o sirgle one of the great harbars of the Old Worid glves to its shipping such wretohed facilitios asx are here accorded in Ban Franeizeo by the use of wooden wharves ard piera The present policy, however, ls te eons struct steel or {ron wharves or dooks with cylindrical plers filled with coment, This, under improved methods, I8 now be« ing done at a minimum of cost, whiak will render the work, when completed, practically indestructible. Much has been said in the past regard- Ing the pernicious patronage system em- pioyed on the harbor front. While this Is true to a greater or lesser extent, still the blame properly rests with the Legis- lature, and not upen the commission, who represent its will. Far and beyond all this, the fault lles with the fact that the conetruction work has not heretofore been permanently done; but has been built with the idceyof removal or renovation within a very short period of time. The pilot laws of ghis port present an anomaly In that San Francisco, more — E. 5. STRATTON. than any other city In the world, pays the heaviest tax upon its commerce. J what the remedy should be in this regard has not been made clear. should, however, be charge made In some degree proportionate to the services which are rendered and paid for elsewhere. The Legislature has on - several sions been appealed to to apply a rem- The Chamber of Com- Trade of this city ‘have taken up the matter, but no agreed system has as vet been evolved. essentials of this port Is the establishment of a more com- plete and cheaper system of warehouses. edy to this evil. and Board of The pllot fees always found ready at hand to make the The United States suspends or defers the collection of tax upon dutiable goods until the consignee elects to take them from the United States bonded ‘warehouse. This s, of course, a very proper ald to commerce. The same assistance, how- ever, and like benefits, although in a dif- ferent wayv, should be conferred by a cheap warehouse system covering every class of goods which come to this port. This 18 a matter, however, which is quite diMenlt to regulate, for the reason that private capital must on its own inl- tatlve take up this question The Buite or the Federal Government ean hardly be expeeted to engage in private enterprise I eannot, in dlscussing the requirements of (hin port, fall to overlook the benefit to the elty ttsslt of harbor improvements in ather parts of the bay of San Francisco his city s hardly ae favorably located a8 pome other of the parts of the bay for the purpose of bringing ear and ship to- her, Tn o far as merchandise is brought here for the purpose of belng gent to Interior points, whether in this State or through- out the Union, a more perfect arrange- ment to this end ought to be In force. The facilities of the Oakland harbor sug- gest themselves at onee as furnishing the proper golution for this difficulty. Tt can- not well be expected that merchandise can be taken from vessels into ware- houses in San TFrancisco and after- shipped acra the bay and of which en- some cases pro facilities, if given + to the Oakland side of the bay, would M Meeds of the Harbor of “an Jrancisco. -~ e S answer every requirement witnout In any appreciable extent diminishing the prim- acy'of San Francisco. If this were done, and cheaper freight rates transcontinen- tally to Eastern points brought about, the greatest possible impetus would be given to foreign commerce at San Francisco. Tt ought further to be understood that the requirements of this harbor do not merely demand that goods be brought herg but it is further essential that goods be shipped from this port an example of this, the price of coal has to some extent heretofore been regwfated by the tonnage of wheat to be exported from thi§ State. The charters required for the carrying trade of our wheat supply h been available by bringing cargo: coal rather than merely coming in bal- last. Thereforer what is true here is true in many other directions. Vessels must not be expected to either bring or take merchandise unless they can do both. This shows, therefore, the importance to San F ncisco of increasing our impert trade as well as our exports. The devel- opment of this theory has resulted in the commercial greatness of England. The establishmerit of its colonies and the ac- quisition of provinces in distant lands have not been made or brought about merely for the desire of territorial expan- sion or political or governmental power. He indeed would be a superficial reader of history who interpreted the acts of Sngland’s statesmen by any such rule. The building up, however, of England's trade and commerce have been the con- trolling incentive for this policy of expan- sion. The acquisition of the Philippines has brought this entire matter with force me to us. Within less than two years 1e exports from San Francisco to Asiatic ports have increased more than 200 per cent. This shows the importance, com- mercially speaking, of the annexation of distant lands, The policy of reciprocity advocated by Mr. Blaine and carried out successively by different administrations has been In a different form the building up of the same system. This furnishes an easler solution of the difficulty than the commercial own- ership of countries with which trade is to be had. The importance of the Nicaragua canal to Francisco, in so far as the require- of this port are concerned, cannot be overestimated. It is true that this c would lgse some of the commerce w me; ich comes to it now by reason of its propin- to Asiatic countrles. What it w lose In this regard, however, would be made up-at least tenfold by the develop- ment of the industries and agricultural re- sources of this State by bringing the mar- kets of the world the nearer. Califor greatness will rest in the future on its in ternal resources and on the development of its great interior. The Nicaragua canal Is of so much more Importance to the rest of the State that it would outweigh the small incidental loss which San Francisco might sustain by t ing passed by certaln of the vessels which would use the new waterway. San ciseo, however, would iImmeasurably gain from the Increased greatness of the State, and in this way the Nicaragua can be- comes of first importanceto San Fran- c0, both commercially and as a port of entrv and export. When I spoke a moment ago of San Francizco developing Its export resources, 1 cannot recur too strongly to the bene- fits to be derived from the continued pro- duction of the oil and petroleum resources of this State. This will furnish the solu- tion of the difficulty of cheap fuel: cheap fuel means new manufactures, and new L nufactures mean a fleld not only for the labor of the State, but for the ort of the produets of American labor, The cheapness of oil as a fuel, at the present time far less than that of coal, will be of the largest advantage to the greatness of San Francisco, Already un- dertakings are at hand involving the ex- penditure in plants and improvements of rev 1 milllons of dollars, which have been attracted to tidewater by the great production of ofl In this State. I look to this influence as one of the best for the commercial greatness of this harbor. After all, the bullding up of a great port is a stow process; it {s not done by legls- iatien g0 much as it Is done by the indus- ery and activity of the comme ments within the State. Trade represents conditions, A fine frea harbor does not in and of itself provide great results, but it presents opportunities for the develop- ment of trade which ought to be grasped to the fullest extent. The United Etates 19 one of the very greatest surplus producing natlons in the world, Our care should be to find a mar- Al ele- =) 7 77 D2 D 2o ket for these surplus products, California is one of the very greatest surplus pro- ducing States in the Unlon, and It is b through the harbor of San Franclsco that this surplus must pass as a gateway. San Franciseo ta pecullarly Interested in the opportunities and advantages which we alene porsess for commercial trading in the East, In considering all this, It {s remarkable to chronicle how lttle ald this harbor has had from the General Government. It is = 78 one of the three greatest ports in point of volume of business in the United States 1 belleve that it Was entered upon an ern of unexampled prosperity., The fact that the benefits to the State ut large are benefits to the nation wil Impel Congress to assist In all needed Improvements o improvements mean not c the removal of all obstructions to commerce, whether rocks or shoals, but the fmprove 1t to the waterways entering this bay whether In Oakland harbor, Petaluma Creek, Napa River or eisewhers San Francieto In and of itself will hardly con tinue to have adequate shipping room for the accommodation of all vessels which come here, and for this reason it can therefore favorably look upon an incrense of harbor faclitles elsewhere at ad cent points on the bay. I cannot too grent- Iy emphas!ize the importance to California of tho proper conception of the advan- tages avhich the State has here in a harbor unexcelled throughout the world. Appre- olating this fact, we should not thercfore be slow In the enjoyment of our privileges #nd in supplementing to the limits of our power the advantages which we fird T land-lccked. commodious harbor, ‘h ample depth of water for all purposes and with absolute safety from violence by wind and wave. £an Franciseo and the State of Califor- nfa bave, then, come into the region of large opportunity.