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Cut Cost of Terminal Movement Use Inland | Union Freight Stations UTTTTTLUTLTTALLLGULARLLLUEEEAELUCUOSAAAT LU OCEH EE Present Lack of Co-ordination a Severe Economic Loss—Pre- emption of Water Front by Railroads Retards Growth of Shipping — Lower Manhattan Island To Be Divided Into In- land Terminal Zones Served by Union Freight Stations UVIUUUATUQINUUQUUOLOOUUUENTETUQUITOUOLOUOOUENULEHUUAUE Trucks waiting to deliver freight at a North river New York railroad pier— Taken July, 1925 BY MAJOR ELIHU CHURCH Transportation Engineer, Port of New York Authority A hes freight terminal problem of our cities is the most impor- tant matter facing transporta- tion men. Solve it they must, and quickly for present conditions are a disgrace and daily grow worse. The cost of doing business and the cost of living in any community depend in the main on the facility and ex- pense of shipping and receiving its freight. A freight movement in- volves the line-haul and a_ terminal movement. Line-haul, whether by rail- road or steamship, is about the cheap- est service in the world today. The big costs, both to carrier and shippers, are in the terminals. It costs the carrier more to operate his terminals than to carry freight over his line. It generally costs the shipper many times more to get his freight to and from the railroad or steamship than he pays them for transportating it. Terminals and their operation are the “sore spots” in transportation. What is the cause and what is the remedy? Cities ship and receive great quan- tities of freight. They cover huge areas of territory. Their land values are high. In order to handle this ton- nage, railroads maintain extensive yards and stations located in different sections of the community. The prop- erty they occupy represents a big in- vestment. They endeavor to place their “line cars” as near the industrial heart of things as possible. The “overhead” which this involves is tre- mendous. The operating costs for switching and for transfer and dis- tribution of le... shipments are’ very great. Under existing conditions traf- fic requirements and the pressure of competition make this necessary. Congestion Causes Expensive Delays The plight of the shipper and re- ceiver of freight is worse. Having packed his goods for shipment he must needs get them to the carrier. Per- haps he operates trucks of his own, perhaps he employs a truckman. In either event the carting of freight through a city’s streets is sure to be an “expensive proposition. The trucks are loaded at factory or warehouse. That takes time. They travel long distances through crowded streets to the freight station or pier of the car- rier. That takes more time. When they reach this point the real delay comes in, for high real estate values produce cramped quarters, and trucks often have to wait hours for an op- portunity to discharge their load. All this lost time means lost money; for the cost of trucking is measured by time, not distance. Distance is mainly of importance as it takes time. When you stop to think that it costs six cents a minute to keep a motor truck on the streets, the expense of delay is obvious. — 2 The shipper operates under still an- other handicap. Seldom all of his freight is handled by a single railroad or steamship line. As a matter of fact most shippers have goods going out on several different railroads or steamship lines every day. The av- 357 erage is three. That means “split” deliveries, with a long delay at each station or pier visited; or, what is worse, separate trips to each station or pier. Much of the partial loading of trucks is due to this use of several vehicles where one could carry the load but is prevented from doing so in the time available by long hauls and delays. The handling of inbound freight is equally inefficient and costly, as_ it has to be collected by the consignee in small lots from the separate and often inconveniently located stations or piers of the individual carriers. Again congestion and consequent delays. Again long hauls, partial loads and high costs. Terminal Problem Must Be _ Solved The present situation is the result of years of haphazard growth, of un- co-ordinated development, and of a self-centered and intensely competitive policy on the part of the carriers. Before conditions can _ be _ bettered they must be considered as a whole, and improvements worked out with a clear understanding of the mutual re- sponsibilities and reciprocal interests of all concerned. No one gets anything for nothing, even if he does not have to pay for it directly at the moment. Shippers cannot exclaim: “Oh, what if present terminals are a heavy expense? It is borne by the carrier.” True, but in the long run it must be included in the rate and ultimately is paid by the shipper. Conversely the car-