REVUE DES QUESTIONS SCIENTIFIQUES 
482 
agréent. Aussi les débarquements coûtent cher et 
durent longtemps (1). 
Telle est notre expérience personnelle ; elle est celle 
de beaucoup d’autres et a fait l’objet de nombreux 
articles dans les journaux maritimes anglais : le Fair- 
play et le Shipping and Mercantile pour ne citer que 
les principaux. Leur conclusion était unanime : étant 
donnée la situation du port de Gênes, les armateurs 
ne pouvaient plus accepter de chargement pour ce port 
à moins d’un extra de 1 shilling à la tonne pour le fret 
des charbons. Dans la maison d’armements où nous 
eûmes l’occasion d’observer de près ce qui se passait au 
port de Gènes, on prit la résolution de ne plus envoyer 
de navires à moins d’obtenir 2 shillings de plus que 
pour n’importe quel autre port italien. 
Le mal gît surtout dans le défaut de prise sur les 
syndicats, défaut qui est encore accentué par une espèce 
(I) Voici un extrait du journal maritime Syhen and Shippini; du 28 jan- 
vier 1908 qui se passe de commentaires : 
« Décadent Genou. — The ultimate effects likely to he felt at the port of 
Genoa as a resuit of tlie intensely vexatious delays vvhich vessels expérience 
lhere are evidently troubling the minds of local people, if we may judge bv 
communications which hâve been appearing in the Genoese Press. — ln a 
recent issue of II Corriere ni Genova, for example, there was given a table 
showing the full time worked in the port from Dec. 20 lo Dec. 31 inclusive. — 
The ligures are startling. — On Dec. 20 and 21, it seems, only a quarter day 
was put in, on account of rain. Dec. 22, being Sunday, was a « holiday ». On 
Dec. 23, the men worked a threequarter day, and on Dec. 24 they managed a 
quarter day, rain again accounting for the deficiencv. Dec. 25, of course, was 
another « holiday », and although Dec. 2(3 should hâve been a threequarter 
working day, the coal dischargers made it match with the preceding one. On 
Dec. 27 and 28, it rained ail day, the men being Ihus atîorded an opportunity 
of finishing up the week in style. On Monday, Dec. 30, a wave of energy 
seems to hâve swept over the port, a full day’s work being put in; but on 
Dec. 31, Jupiter Pluvius again came to the rescue, only a partial day being 
recorded. We thus lind that in nine proper working days, holidays and Sun- 
days being put aside, the total time actually worked was about Ihree days. 
The results for Jan. 4, 5 and 6 are also given or, rather, the lack of residts for 
on the first of these days a « strong north wind » provided an excuse for a 
rest, and the second and third were « holidays ». ln the fact of Ibis interestiug 
summary of events, there is no longer any cause to wonder at the réputation 
which the port of Genoa has earned. 
