Within three days of Philadelphia by railroad it
is possible to reach the principal cities in a terri-
tory in which live 63,413,047 persons—fifty-two
percent of the total population, who have an annual
spendable income amounting to $54,653,268,000-—
sixty-four percent of the total for the country.
Similar considerations hold for fourth day delivery,
the territory involved embracing 83,312,385, or
sixty-nine percent of the total population of the
United States and annual spendable incomes total-
ling $63,961,557,000, or seventy-five percent of the
national total.
Area (sq. mi.) ..
Population .....
Spendable Income
Industrial
Establishments .. |
Wage Earners ....
Wages .........
Talue of Products
Area (sq. mi.) .
Population .....
Spendable Income
Industrial
Establishments .
Wage Earners .... |
Wages ..........
Value of Products
R.R.Freight Ares! _ _UPited States
Third Day Total
375,100 2.973.774 | 11
63,413,047 | 120.572,000 | 52.2
$54,653,268,000 $85,680,000,000 | 63.8
189,618 195,000 71.6
6,051,021 8,325,000 72.7
$8,341,019,000 $10,050,000.000 76.2
, $45.705,996,000 $62,750.000.000 72.8
R.R.Freight Area] _
Fourth Day
106,000
83,812,385
$63,961,557,000
United States
Total %
2,973,714 23.7
121,572,000 68.5
$86,680,000,000 , 74.7
85.6
5.7
87.1
R3.2
166,992
6,303,909
$9,537,776,000
$62.204.444.000
185,000
8,325,000
$10,950,000,000
$62,750,000,000
Steamship Freight Area
Extent Eighty-seven percent of the
of population and sixty. three per.
cent of the total area of a
Influence foreign countries having sea.
ports are linked with Philadel-
phia through direct sailings to 430 ports of the
world. This is shown from reports of the United
States Shipping Board.
Numerically, the foreign population reachable by
American exporters and importers through the Port
of Philadelphia is 1,583,603,255, and the area,
33,911,000,348 square miles. Due to the difficulty
of obtaining information concerning shipments
originating in or consigned to foreign countries not
having seaports, namely, Switzerland, Bolivia, Rho-
desia, Ethiopia, Czechoslavakia and Afghanistan,
such countries are not included in this study.
The progressive policies of the steamship com
panies are gradually facilitating commerce with
interior countries by interlocking overland service.
Such a service has just been organized with the
countries inland from the Baltic and Black Seas and
the first ship direct from these ports is scheduled
for arrival in Philadelphia during the month of
March. 1930.
Fastest
Growing
on Atlantic
——g J
Commerce through the Port of
Philadelphia is steadily increas-
ing in volume. Latest complete
reports of the United States
Shipping Board, those for the
year ending December 31, 1928, show that while
the combined tonnage of all Atlantic coast ports
for the year declined five percent, the tonnage of
the Port of Philadelphia increased ten percent, the
greatest percentage of increase recorded for any
Atlantic coast port.
Commerce of the port during January, 1930,
Pla pnen
showed an increase over the same month of 1929
of nineteen percent.
During the year 1929, according to reports of
the Board of Commissioners of Navigation, 13,925
ships, engaged in all kinds of commerce, arrived
at or cleared from this port. The total cargo ton-
nage of these ships is estimated at 29,000,000 short
tons, and the estimated value of their cargoes was
$1,500,000,000.
The commodities in transit through this port
include virtually the entire list of human necessi-
ties and luxuries. Locomotives, for instance, are
distributed directly from the Port of Philadelphia
to China, Russia, India, South America, Australia
and other foreign countries.
From South America come hides, tanning ex-
tracts, wool, coffee and large quantities of nitrate
for use in the manufacture of fertilizer and ex:
plosives. Outbound ships for Australia carry steel,
building materials, agricultural implements, ma-
chinery of all kinds, automobiles and refined
petroleum oils.
From Africa come palm oils, cocoa beans, skins,
ores and mahogany. From Russia come rags and
ores; from Italy and Spain, cork, olives and olive
oil; from India, wood pulp, burlap, hemp and jute.
Iph
ppl Philadelphia’s importance as a
Shipping steamship freight center is
acu largely due to its three trunk
Existing railroads and its belt line,
which provide facilities for
direct loading or unloading between ship and rail:
road freight car in one handling without lighterage.
The facilities for the commerce handled through
the Port of Philadelphia include 298 wharves, of
which 159 are projecting piers and forty-one the
waterfront terminals of the three trunk line rail:
“ag