FREE PORT OF BREMEN 
159 
to create improvements in the organization and rationalization of the 
work. 
In case of transshipment, the ships’ work is carried out by steve- 
doring companies. The ships’ work is legally the work of the vessels, 
as they have to load or discharge the goods alongside. It is carried 
out partly by independent undertakings, partly by subsidiary organ- 
izations of the shipping companies, and partly by their own adminis- 
trations. At special docks the consignee very often takes over the 
execution of the ships’ work, because the lifting gear hanks, looper, 
elevators, etc., are so arranged that a division of the ships’ and shore 
work can scarcely be made. - As a rule, a special dock charge is made 
lor the facilities afforded to the ship for work executed bythe lifting 
ocear which belongs to the dock administration. 
The commercial handling of the goods is a matter for the shipper 
and consignee, which they often have carried out by their local 
forwarding agents or so-called “controllers.” In such cases. the 
forwarding agent’s workmen and the warehousemen are employed. 
The goods are counted, weighed, sampled, packed, marked, examined 
as to damage and quality, etc. The greater part of this work can be 
done in the through-transit warehouse in the quay sheds, so that all 
extra shifting of the goods which would involve charges is avoided. 
In many instances the dock administration claims the weighing as 
its share of the work, leaving the rest to private firms. 
The absolutely necessary warehousing of the goods in all large 
seaport towns, staple goods as well as goods sent through forwarding 
agents, is carried out partly in the merchants’ own warehouses, and 
partly in public warehouses. The administration of the latter lies 
sometimes entirely in the hands of the public warehousing company, 
but sometimes it is carried out by specially formed corporations. The 
closer the physical and material connection with the transshipment 
traffic in one place is the sooner the idea of a fusion of the dock admin- 
stration and the warehouse administration arises. This has been 
carried out in Bremen and recently in Berlin and Stettin, too, while 
Hamburg possesses a specially formed warehouse administration as 
Well as the State dock administration. By the fusion of the admin- 
Istrations, in addition to the general advantages inherent in every 
Concentration, there arises the possibility that they need not limit 
their managing company to the narrow limits of a dock administra- 
ton, whereby further important advantages result. 
. The various authorities having to do with the port and harbor 
‘acilities of Bremen are as follows: 
5 (a) Highest Bremen authority for matters of Bremen shipping and commerce: 
ot tation fiir Hifen und Eisenbahnen (State commission for port and railroad); 
€, 4 Stintbricke; Senator Dr. Apelt. 
Bra, Management of the harbor and docks of the city of Bremen: Hafenbauamt 
en: office. Verwaltunesgehiude Hafen I., Hafenbaudirektor Hacker.