LIVERPOOL IS CONFIDENT

Evening Star, Issue 21689, 7 April 1934, Page 23

LIVERPOOL IS CONFIDENT

RECENT WORKS OF PROGRESS Typical of Liverpool’s refusal to admit defeat in face of unfavourable conditions has been its continued development during the past few years of serious trade setbacks. This Mersey side community, with a population on both sides of the estuary of about 1,250,000, has gone on pouring millions of pounds into making its sea-port a worthy outlet for the products of Britain’s largest industrial urea—the north and midland districts of England, peopled by some 20,000,000, and producing cotton, woo), iron, steel, coal, and innumerable manufactured articles. As a shipping centre, Merseyside has suffered heavily from restriction of foreign trade. Vet confidence in a return of world prosperity has encouraged Liverpool to carry out extensive enlargements and improvements to its forty miles of docks, rendezvous of giant liners and grimy tramps from all corners of the globe. More than 100 acres of muddy waste have been reclaimed, and an insignifican tidal stream harnessed in the service of industry. Land alongside new wharves lias been prepared to invite more industrial undertakings requiring waterside and railway facilities. To better communication between the two shores of the Mersey, the twin cities of Liverpool and Birkenhead have spent about £8,000,000 on a subterranean tunnel, the biggest project ef its kind in Great Britain.

The length of the tunnel is nearly three miles, and its external diameter 46ft Sin. The ruling gradient is 1 in 30, and at the deepest point under the river the bottom of the tunnel is 150 ft below high-water mark.

Though whirring wheels of industry and the busy clatter of the dockyards are characteristic of Merseyside, Liverpool is proud of its-reputation as a city of fine buildings, of historic landmarks, and of culture. For a time slums were a blot on the landscape of the city. They had accumulated with the rapid development of the port and encouraged by the miscellaneous character of its dockside labour. In marked contrast were the numerous magnificent modern buildings of shipping and insurance companies, and fine civic edifices. Much demolishing of slum property has, however, been accomplished in recent years, and is now to be crowned by a £7.000,000, ten-year clearance and rebuilding plan, recently announced. Unsanitary houses, totalling more than 12,000, come under the scheme, which provides for rehousing 63,000 persons in 15,692 new dwellings, onethird of them self-contained cottages in the suburbs. The scheme also provides for demolition of other property not classed as unsanitary, so that reconstruction can meet 'town-planning requirements. Liverpool’s crowning architectural feature is St. George’s Hall. A huge festival hall is terminated at either end by the Law Courts. St. John’s Gardens open up a wide space in front of the building. _ The cathedral, started in 1904 and still under construction, is notable as being the only English cathedral of the twentieth century. The architect is Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who gained the appointment in a public competition when he was only in his early twenties. A notable dwelling of Merseyside is 62 Rodney street, birthplace and childhood home of William E. Gladstone. This is but one of the “ sights ’’ which make .Liverpool a favourite tourist centre. In its early days of seven centuries ago Liverpool was a fishing village. But early inhabitants were Danes who hare left their mark in place names in the surroundings. Construction of canals linking Liverpool with the inland industrial centres greatly increased the importance of the port in tite eighteenth century. With the advent of steam power came even , greater activity, and it was from Liverpool that in 1840 the first ocean steam-, ship line begun to ply the Atlantic,