PORT OF LONDON

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 120, 14 February 1940, Page 6

PORT OF LONDON

History Of Its Growth Over

2000 Years

ADDRESS TO ROTARY CLUB

Mr. T. R. Toovey, repiesentatlve of the Bort of London Authority in Australia and New Zealand, and at present in charge of the authority s pavilion at the Centennial Exhibition, addressed the Wellington Rotary Club yesterday. London was a river port 50 miles from the sea, with a tide that had a maxinum rise ami fall of 21 feet, so that people who imagined that it was just <1 seaport with wharves were a very long way out. said Mr. Toovey. Yet for nearly 2000 years it had been England's chief "port of trade and commerce, and was so described by the Romans over 1900 years ago. Then in Saxon times, early hi the seventeenth century, it was described by one writer as a “mart of many nations where traders come to it by land and sea.” The Norman conquest added enormously to the strength and growth of the. port of London, because It was a place in which the small ships of those limes could find shelter as they loaded or discharged their cargoes. , In pre-Tudor days it was considered politic to invite influential traders from all parts of the continent to take up their residence in London. They were encouraged to do so, as it tended to enlarge the influence of the port. That in turn eventually led to the creation of the Hanseatic League, which practically controlled the whole of the seaborne triide of Loudon. But the forceful Queen Elizabeth saw that, they were becoming far too powerful for her liking. so she cleared the foreigners out and bade the British traders look after themselves and the commerce of England.

Then followed that period of merchant. adventurers —Drake. Raleigh, Frobisher —which did so much for England’s prestige. New lands and new markets were discovered overseas, spreading the trade of London throughout tlie known world. So tlie port of London grew till tlie river becante so congested and river thieves so active round about London bridge, that: in 1790 tlie problem as to what should be done to afford relief came under discussion. As the result, it was decided that the only solution was to dig out docks from tlie banks of tlie river and enclose them with strong, high walls, so that merchants could be sure of their goods. West India Dock. It was not till 1802 that tlie first dock, tlie West India, was opened. It was made by those more particularly interested in tlie trade of tlie West Indies, chielly sugar and rum, and now, after 138 years, one could still see some of the warehouses erected then, still, for the'most part, storing ruin and suga r.

Many docks were made after that, the last being the George V dock, opened in 1921. For some time these docks were most prosperous, but the time came when tlie competition was so keen that space was let to ships at an uneconomic rate, and at the same time tlie equipment of the docks fell behind, through tlie owners not. keeping abreast of tlie times. This become so serious Hint. London was beginning to lose its premier position. Parliament took the matter up and appointed a Royal Commission. 'That Commission reported in 1902 that all non-lidal waters and pri-vately-owned docks should lie taken over by a public body, interested only in tlie good of the public and port and not. working for profit. It was not, however, till 190 S, when, thanks to Mr. Lloyd George, tlie Port of London Authority Act was put through Parliament that Hie prestige of tlie port was restored.

The Authority consisted of 38 members, 18 of whom were elected by tlie payers of dues, and 10 by tlie Government and other responsible bodies. It controlled 05 miles of Hie river, and from its revenue carried out a vast programme of improvement wo ks. Up to the present £20.000,000 had been spent on the river. Hie docks, and port facilities jencrall.v. Tlie Authority undertook every kind of port work. It had enormous wan‘houses, great cool stores, immense vaults and yards.

The warehouse tloorage of the Port of London Authority covered nine times as much space as the Centennial Exhibition grounds, bet ween 500 and GOO acres. Tlie Authority employed 7000 men. and within 24 hours of Hie declaration of war a contingent of men from Hie Port of London Authority crossed over to France to make ready for the coming of the British Army and Air Force.