g PORT ECONOMICS 
fact that the stevedores’ charges are standardized and 
sanctioned by the authority which issues the licences. 
From the traders’ point of view complete freedom of action 
is perhaps a desideratum, but it may lose certain substantial 
benefits associated with official supervision and control. 
Many steamship companies, more particularly those 
running regular lines between certain ports, find it a 
convenient and economical arrangement to have their own 
staffs of stevedores and gangs of labourers, and these work 
in complete independence of the port establishment. 
CARGO ! 
It is desirable at this point to make some remarks on 
the subject of cargo, its nature, composition and character- 
istics. The term Cargo is very comprehensive: in a 
general way, it applies to merchandise of whatever kind, 
whether natural produce or manufactured articles, which 
is transported overseas. It does not include passengers’ 
baggage, ships’ stores, fuel for ships’ engines, or ballast. 
The term Freight is sometimes used as a synonym, but 
freight can be applied in a wider sense to cover goods 
transported by rail as well as by water. 
While it would be difficult to make a clear and definite 
classification of cargo, it may be, and is, broadly divided 
into two divisions, with distinct characteristics. These 
are— 
(a) Bulk Cargo, or cargo in bulk, consisting of material 
which is handled in mass, and comprising grain, coal, oil, 
ore, etc. 
(b) General Cargo, or goods which are packed and 
handled in unit containers: such as bags, crates, cases, 
barrels, drums, cans, etc. 
The distinction between the two classes is important, 
as it leads to fundamental differences of treatment at 
ports, and in the equipment for handling it. 
1 For a more complete account of cargo handling operations, see 
the Author’s Cargo Handling at Ports. 
A