The summer freshets usually start about the beginning of July, but owing to the large quantity of accumulated silt in the river it is not expected it will be strong enough to Femove ft. As matters stand at present the Upper and Lower Swinging Berths are chock full of silt thus preventing any steamer to berth alongside, much less swing round in comfort' without going aground, According to Mr. P. Tirbak, the Harbour Master, the depth of water in the navigable channel is twelve feet, but at the Middle Swinging Berth there puly ten feet of water available, The result is that there are ne steamers moored alongside the British Bund and only one small Chinese. steamer berthed at the French Bund close to the International Bridge @rawing about nine feet. Yesterday the port of Tientsin there were me steamers, all Chinese of shallow draft and the D. K. K. steamer Ten-cho Maru on the Dairen-Tientein run berthed at the ex-German Bund. Between the hours of 1230 am. and 4.30 am. on the 19th and 20th the Inter-notional Bridge was closed to trafic that the Haiho Conservancy Commission dredger Hsi Ho could scour Out the silt which had accumulated under the bridge. Tt was even unsafe for tugs and lighters to pass underneath the bridge, let alone steamers. However, yesterday, the Japanese steamer 'Nikkyo Maru. belonging the Okazaki Kisen Kaisha of Kobe, for which The Tung Shing Ca, Lid, are the local agents, decided in spite Jot the Harbour Master's warning. 1o pass under the bridge and tie' up alongside the Japanese Bund and at 425 pin, She successfully made the trip, more by luck than good judgment. She was drawing eleven and a half feet and the depth of water at the Japanese Bund was about thirtes feet. She left to-day on her outward voyage, passing underneath the Inter national Bridge without any mishap 'Companies' Joint Announcement Owing to the present unsatisfactory state of the Haiho, a joint announcement has been made by the Chino 'Navigation Ca, Lid, Indo China S. N. Ca, Ltd. 'The China Merchants IS. N. Ca, Lid., Datren Kisen Kaisha, Osaka "Shosen' Kaisha and Nisshin Kisen Kaisha to the effect that owing the heavy siting that has recently occurred in the Haiho their steamers will cease the extend to Tientsin as from March 23.
Furthermore, from that date, full lighterage surcharges will be' col lected. Tt was only a short time ago when the lighterage surcharges were reduced at the rate of $025 per Jquintal or $2.54 per ton.
To give an example of how these] frequent and periodical changes i the state of the Haiho militate against the shipping companies and merchants itis only necessary to cite the case of the B. & S._ steamer Yingchow as example. This vessel is not a regular Hiner, in fact she is called a "bean leaker." For quite a long time she has been off the Tientsin run owing to the unsatisfactory state of the Haiho, Dut a couple of weeks ago she started fon the Tientsin run again with a full general cargo. from. Shanghai via Chefoo. She successfully tied alongside the British Bund, unloaded her cargo and took on fresh cargo for South China coast ports, the whole {time occupied in unloading and loading only taking about four days. On [March 14 she again left Shanghat with full general cargo for Tientsin via [Chefoo, but on arrival at Tangku, the 'Master' of the vessel was informed that according to the Harbour Master's warning it, would be too risky a procedure for the vessel to proceed fo Tientsin. Therefore she had. to remain at Tangku to unload her Jeargo into lighters to be brought up to Tientsin, which means extra expense, and her outward cargo. also had to be taken down to Tangku by gater, also additional expense. As the silling of the river comes under the clause of "force majeure" the extra expense of lighterage will have to be borne by the Consignees and shippers of the cargo. But the thing to bear in mind is that when the Yingchow left Shanghai on March 16, was expected that there was suff: Jelent depth of water in the Haiho to permit the vessel to proceed to HTientsin, Tt is true that there is twelve feet of water in the navigable channel Dut if the vessel cannot go alongside the wharf owing to the Prevalence of silt, she might just as well discharge her cargo at Tangku. She can't remain in the middle of the channel blocking up the fairway.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.