Proceedings of the National Conference on City Planning (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1911 edition. Excerpt: ...to bring about public ownership. Unity and development according to a comprehensive plan are the chief essentials to a well-ordered port. It is rare indeed that private ownership signifies harmonious development on a basis of unity. And where it does, there is the specter of management in the interest of private monopoly. Diverse private ownership means scraggly, uneven, and unrelated development. Boston, Seattle, and Portland afford good illustrations of this point. A mixture of public and private ownership may, of course, give the same result. But a usual purpose of public ownership or harbor trust management is to promote unity. Therefore, partial public ownership is likely to lead ultimately to complete public ownership. Practically all the official and expert declarations on the subject are in favor of public or harbor trust management of docks. The only exception within my knowledge is the report made in 1907 by the Massachusetts Harbor and Land Commissioners. The harbor trust idea has not been taken up in this country. Under the harbor trust plan the management of a port is intrusted to a group of men constituting a legal entity, chosen in various ways. Usually a part of the number is chosen by designated governmental authorities and the rest elected by the shipping interests of the port. The trust authority borrows money on the revenues of the port and in other ways manages its affairs like a private corporation. But there are no profits either to stockholders or to members of the board who direct its affairs. After interest allowance and the payment of expenses, the surplus revenues are devoted to improvements or charges are lowered. The aim is merely to make the port management self-sustaining. It will be seen that the harbor...