Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 86.djvu/390

386 which for the most part are under the control of private interests. Into these free ports of entry ships could come from all over the world, just as they now go to Liverpool, London, Bristol and Hull. Here their cargoes could be placed in warehouses not dissimilar from our present bonded warehouses, without the payment of customs duties. Here they might remain for an indefinite period. In other cases ships could break their cargoes, transship a portion of them to another vessel, or add to their existing cargoes before they continued their voyage. Or a cargo could be discharged and another assembled cargo from various parts of the world could be loaded for some other destination. The free port would become not unlike the Bush Terminal, New York, not unlike the ordinary railroad freight station in which miscellaneous consignments of goods are collected preliminary to shipment to their destination in bulk.

A short description of the free port of Hamburg indicates the operation of this system. The free port consists of a large number of basins, many of them cut into the land, with quays jutting out into the river. Upon these quays are railroad tracks with cranes for the easy transfer of freight into the near-by sheds. In the larger outside basins are many mooring posts which provide anchorage for vessels transshipping cargoes in the stream. A number of warehouses are operated by the port authorities as a part of the free port. Goods are stored in these warehouses for re-export or for ultimate consignment into Germany or other countries of Europe.

The free port is considered by the customs department as foreign territory. It is surrounded by a customs line, guarded by customs officials. The line is designated by high iron palings along the land side; and along the river is a floating palisade guarded at either end by customs officials. At the land and water entrances of the free port are customs booths at which duty is paid on goods when they enter the harbor.

All of the harbor pilots are ex officio customs inspectors. Under their guidance ships pass to their berths in the free port unmolested by customs officials. There are no declarations of dutiable goods to be made; no customs officials are taken aboard with the delays attendant upon their presence. When a ship is cargoed ready for sea, a customs pilot takes her to the mouth of the river. There is less hindrance to the free movement of the ship within the free port than in England.

The free port contains a number of industries incident to the care and feeding of employees, shipyards for repairs, and other industries relating to the outfitting and provisioning of ships. Big river barges of from 600 to 800 tons capacity move from ship to ship for the transshipment of freight.

The free port is in the hands of public authorities, although it is partially privately operated by the warehousing company which has erected warehouses upon public lands.