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tor trailer trains and other cargo movements between terminal and ship. In working out the plan of operation the stévedore would consider details such as the grade up which trailers would have to be moved due to the sheer of the deck. Movement of trail- ers up this grade by hand, an uneco- nomical operation, should be avoided by planning tractor movement so that this hand work can be done by the tractors. Returning Empty Trailers The plan would cover the best route of returning empty trailers between the ship and the terminal because tak- ing care of empties is often a difficult problem. In planning these move- ments, consideration would be given to interference with other movements and changes would be made in one or more movements as necessary. The various cargo piles on the pier for each port would be planned for the most advantageous handling into the ship both as to the location of the piles and their probable size. In planning a discharging operation, consideration should be given to the trim of the ship on arrival, location of various separation piles with respect to stowage in the ship. In one known operation the ships are discharged at the inner end of the pier, shifted when empty to the outer end of the pier and loaded from this point. During the morning all less than carload freight received on the bulkhead is loaded onto lighters which are later shifted either to the outside sideport or to the other side of the pier if other heavier loaded lighters are expected during the afternoon. This eliminates the interference of trailer trains and trucks’ passing through the discharging operation to reach the end of the pier, and also to a great extent the general cargo piles at the end of the pier, as only full or nearly full truck loads are aliowed down the pier. After the discharging operation is completed and the general cargo light- ers are shifted, the cargo arriving dur- ing the afternoon is loaded on trailers at the bulkhead receiving platform; only cargo for one discharging point being placed on each trailer. Conse- quently, during the entire afternoon these trailers are being towed down the pier in trains of from five to ten trailers. Although the freight on each trailer is separated, the trailers are mixed. A diagram should provide a break- up station placed where the general cargo piles were and also to the left of the entire operation, because it is inadvisable to have a tractor take more than two trailers into a crowded ship’s deck. At the breakup point the longer trains should be broken up into small trains and although this means some delay, the overall result is better than when this practice is not followed. Where the long trains go into the deck, the operation has the appear- ance of being very effective, but the economy of long trailer trains is offset by the increased confusion in the ship. A separate group of tractors should haul the trains into the ship allowing the other tractors to return to the bulkhead. By making diagrams for each opera- tion and each movement in the opera- tion, these points are brought out and are much easier to explain to the men. By having the key men study these diagrams, especially the tractor drivers, then placing a regular man at each station, they will become fa- miliar with the operation and more efficient than when just any man is taken and put on the job. Each diagram should be gone over again and again, and also again after it is put into operation to straighten any defects that might be found. Each man’s work should be written out for him and the tractor drivers should be required to follow the imaginary trackage lines as shown on the dia- grams. This would take some time, however, by being able to show the men wherein their work fitted with the other men’s work and the entire operation in picture form it would help them considerably to grasp the idea. Training of the Men The training of the men referred to above, could be concentrated advan- tageously on the regular gangs. Then one man from each heading the gang operation could be used as a nucleus for extra gangs. That is, have two trailer loaders working with two regu- lar men handling the trailers with the tractor driver and another two regular men for the discharging of the trail- ers. Therein would lie the flexibility so desirable in a stevedoring opera- tion. It would be well to definitely ar- range gangs, when possible, to work together, shifting the entire gang when needed. Otherwise when start- ing another truck or lighter and using just any trucker who might be at hand, it would be found that there were too many men who would be left loading trailers. They would be idle part of the time waiting on the few truckers that were left. The number of men required for any particular operation would become known with the aid of the diagrams, time movement studies and experi- ment. When working out a plan of opera- tion such as described, it is advisable to do considerable experimenting rather than be guided too much by previous practices. Studies should be made of other operations to avoid re- peating mistakes made by others and to speed the development of the most economical plan of operation. How much easier and more effective is this calm and considered planning than that done during the heat of action amid the noise and confusion of the usual pier operation? MARINE REVIEw—September, 1933 Large Increase in Trade At Port Los Angeles An indication of the upward trend of business is the fact that the com- merce of Los Angeles harbor reached the highest point in July that it has touched in 16 months and has been equalled only once since 1931. Cargoes to the value of more than $73,000,000 passed over the wharves of Los Angeles harbor, compared with the low point of $45,659,809 in Febru- ary last. These gains were accounted for primarily by foreign and inter- coastal trade. Exports to other countries increased more than 100,000 tons in volume and $1,400,000 in value, over July of last year, a gain of 38 per cent; while im- ports were up more than $1,000,000 over the same month of a year ago, a gain of nearly 60 per cent. This was the highest point for imports since 1931, and only once before in more than a year have exports passed the $5,000,000 mark. Intercoastal trade, which has been at an exceedingly low ebb up to sixty days ago, made still further gains. Shipments to the Atlantic seaboard increased from $7,900,000 in July of last year to more than $11,500,000 in the month just closed. Receipts of eastern goods also increased from $17,925,000 in July of last year to $26,750,000 in July, 1933. Coastwise trade and also business in Hawaii were not far different from what they were a year ago. It is a notable fact that the gains recorded in foreign and intercoastal trade were very largely made up of general merchandise, oil shipments be- ing less than they were a year ago. Lumber receipts during July were a little more than double those of July a year ago and approximately the same as in June, which month saw a very large increase over the preceding months. Although the low point in lumber receipts was reached in Febru- ary of this year, when only 18,000,000 board feet were received, the total re- ceipts for the first seven months of 1933 have aggregated 252,000,000 board feet, compared with 207,000,000 for the first seven months of 1932. Westinghouse Under Code FY. A. Merrick, president of the West- inghouse Hlectric & Mfg. Co., has is- sued the following statement regard- ing the company’s participation in the national recovery act: “All works and offices of the West- inghouse Electric & Mfg. Co. and sub- sidiaries will, from Aug. 15, operate under the provisions of the national recovery act which at that date be- comes effective for the electrical man- ufacturing industry as set out in the code of the National Electrical Manu- facturers association approved by President Roosevelt.” 33