(Harbor Transport and Warehousing)

　 　 The harbor transport volume for 1974 is as shown in (Table 2-(3)-4). While the loading and unloading volume within ships, the core of harbor transport, increased 5.9% over the preceding year, the barge transport volume marked 2.3% decrease. This is because the conventional pattern of cargo handlings in which barges played a central part is now subjected to structural changes of late by developing innovation in transport techniques, such as mass engagement of highly rationalized ships like container ships and mine product purpose ships, the increase of direct cargo handling via quays as enabled by the progress in port facilities improvement, etc.
1.　 　 Warehousing demand in the fiscal 1974 suffered a reduction reflecting the slack in production activities. The number of warehousers at the end of fiscal 1974 increased except for timber pond warehousers, as shown in (Table 2-(3)-5). Space volume increase for warehouses are 1,020 thousand square meters for ordinary warehouses, 1,030 thousand square meters for refrigeration warehouses, and 120 thousand square meters for timber pond warehouses, up 6.6%, 12.3% respectively from the previous fiscal year. Though the space volume increased year by year, the utilization rate for ordinary warehouses at the end of fiscal 1974 was 71%, still above the level of 67% which is considered the optimum utilization rate. On the other hand, the utilization rate for refrigeration warehouses was 37%, going under the 43%, the optimum rate. Against the space volume increase of refrigeration warehouses in the recent years, the warehousing demand has not grown with the corresponding speed because of the economic recession, as the reasoning goes.