THE PORT OF LONDON.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 301, 6 December 1923, Page 4

THE PORT OF LONDON.

While we are hearing so much of the decline of Great Britain’s external .trade and the need for counteracting it by increasing as far as is possible the intro-imperial exchange of raw materials, primary products, and commodities, it is comforting to know that ■the trade of Britain’s chief port shows every sign of increasing vitality. Discussing, in an issue of the “Times” received ysterday, the figures contained in the report of the Port, of London Authority for the year ended 31st March last, the City editor says that, considering the state of trade last year, many of them are surprisingly good. Both as showing this, and as giving Dominion readers some’ idea of the vastness of transport operations on the Thames, some of ’these hiay be requoted. The total net tonnage of vessels which, during the year ended 31 st December, arrived and departed with cargoes and in ballast from and to foreign countries and British Possessions and coastwise was the largest of any year since 1913, and was nearly up to the level of that year. The exact figures for 1922 wer 39,293,193 tons—which compared with 37.154.133 tons in 1921 and with 40,082,282 tons in 1913. The amount of the net register and deck cargo tonnage of shipping which entered and left the Port of London and paid river tonnage is shown for the year ended 31st March last and compares favourably with that for the previous twelve months. For the ended March 31st last the figures amounted to 30.028.137 tons, an increase on those for the previous twelve months of 4.297,801 tons, or 16.7 per cent. The increase was made up of 2,904.980 tons in the foreign trade and 1.392,821 tons in the coasting services. Although the volume of traffic was greater, the values( excluding coastwise goods), for the year ended 31st December were lower, the figures for London (including Queenborough) for 1922 amounting to £564.333.772'. a decrease of 7 per cent. Stocks of commodities at the end of March last in the warehouses directly controlled by the Authority amounted to 598,343 tons, as compared with 653.701 tons, at the corresponding date in 1922, a decrease of 55,358 tons.