222 THE IMPORTANCE OF PORT FACILITIES IN THE 



nitely as a national policy what has generally been accepted for some time past, viz., that 

 not less than 50 per cent of the sea-borne foreign commerce of this country should be carried 

 in American bottoms. Inasmuch as our coastwise commerce is protected against foreign 

 competition, it should be excluded, of course, from any calculations determining the 50 per 

 cent limit. This percentage has not been reached since the Civil War, and from that time 

 to 1901 there was a gradual decline to 8.2 per cent. For the following ten years the per- 

 centage was nearly stationary. Since 1911 there has been a gradual and encouraging in- 

 crease from 9.7 per cent to the figures in the above table. It should be fully appreciated by 

 all that, unless we can reach and maintain permanently the 50 per cent standard, it will be 

 a confession that we are unable to put into effect an announced national policy. 



The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 also announces that "it is hereby declared to be the 

 policy of the United States to do whatever may be necessary to develop and encourage the 

 maintenance of such a merchant marine," and recognizes the important part that ports and 

 port facilities play in such matters by stating that it shall be the duty of the Shipping Board, 

 in cooperation with the Secretary of War, with the object of promoting, encouraging and 

 developing ports and transportation facilities in connection with water commerce over which 

 it has jurisdiction, to investigate territory, regions and zones tributary to such ports; to inves- 

 tigate the causes of the congestion of commerce at ports and the remedies applicable thereto ; 

 to investigate the subject of water terminals with a view to devising the types most appro- 

 priate for the most expeditious and economical transfer of passengers and freight between 

 water and land carriers ; to investigate the practicability of port improvements in connection 

 with foreign and coastwise trade ; and to investigate any other matter that may tend to pro- 

 mote and encourage the use by vessels of ports adequate to care for the freight which 

 would naturally pass through such ports. The Federal Government exercises its supervision 

 over our ports under the constitutional power to regulate foreign and interstate commerce, 

 which gives it control of all navigable waters within its boundaries. The enforcement of 

 laws relative to the use of our waterways is vested in the Secretary of War, under whom 

 the Chief of Engineers directs all works undertaken for their improvement. Since the first 

 appropriation was made by Congress for this purpose in 1802, for public piers costing 

 $30,000 in Philadelphia, government assistance for the improvement and maintenance of 

 rivers and harbors has totaled a billion dollars, and these appropriations have naturally 

 greatly increased the influence of the National Government in port affairs. Comparatively 

 recently. Congress has seen fit in several instances to require localities asking government 

 assistance for the improvement of their harbor or other waterway either to pay a portion 

 of the cost or to increase the commercial usefulness of the improvement by providing ter- 

 minal facilities for public use at their own expense, and the River and Harbor Act, ap- 

 proved March 2, 1919, contained the following provision that formally adopted the latter 

 procedure as a permanent policy : 



"It is hereby declared to be the policy of the Congress that water terminals are essen- 

 tial to all cities and towns located upon harbors or navigable waterways and that at least 

 one public terminal should exist, constructed, owned and regulated by the municipality, 

 or other public agency of the state and open to the use of all on equal terms, and with 

 the view of carrying out this policy to the fullest possible extent the Secretary of War is 

 hereby vested with the discretion to withhold, unless the public interests would seriously 

 suffer by delay, monies appropriated in this act for new projects adopted herein, or for 

 the further improvement of existing projects, if, in his opinion, no water terminals exist 



